With the constantly evolving security threat landscape introducing new and ingenious methods for hackers and organisations alike to track our movements on the web, our online privacy is increasingly difficult to protect. It can feel like an overwhelming task just to stay safe in a digital world in which so many of our activities have moved online. The UK government recently introduced its UK Online Safety Act to stop younger users encountering harmful content online. It’s a great start to tackling some of the new threats we face today, yet everywhere we look another hazard pops up – be that spyware or fake networks that watch our activity over public Wi-Fi, or use our data and even device configurations to build profiles that might impact the prices we’re offered on insurance and holiday booking sites. One of the best tools to combat these new and emerging threats is a Virtual Private Network (VPN). So, what is that, and how can you choose one you can trust? What is a VPN? A VPN is software that creates an encrypted connection between your device and the online servers you access when using the internet. This means that all the data that travels between the two – the websites you visit, the pages you access, details you type into text fields, account logins, online banking and similar activities – is invisible to hackers and organisations. Even the VPN provider won’t know what you’ve typed or where you’ve been. With a VPN, your online activities have protection from any prying eyes. Getty For more information on how they work, you can also read Are VPNs legal in the UK? When should you use a VPN? VPNs are useful in a wide range of settings. One of the most important is when using public Wi-Fi networks, such as in airports, trains stations or coffee shops. It’s easy for hackers to set up fake networks that look like the real thing, but steal all your data or watch what you do. With a VPN your connection is encrypted, so the attackers can’t see your actions. Online banking is another time when a VPN should be used, as it adds an additional level of security to your transactions. A helpful feature offered by VPNs is the ability to hide the location of your network or even make it look like you’re in another country. This can be useful when you’re travelling and want to access the content you would normally use back home. The VPN could make it appear that you are still browsing from your home location. VPNs are not intended to contravene local legislation, but when they are used in the correct way they are incredibly powerful tools that can bolster your online privacy and security. Getty Which VPN should you use? It’s important to choose the right VPN, as you’ll need to trust that it’s doing what it says and protecting you from the attacks that exist online. Norton is a brand synonymous with security and data safety, so Norton VPN is an excellent choice. The service offers the assurance of the Norton name and has a no-logs policy, meaning the company keeps no records of your online browsing and can’t see your data, all of which is verified by independent audits from VerSprite. Norton VPN is quick and easy to use and includes a built-in ad-blocker to help stop you being pestered or tracked while you browse. Norton VPN Standard costs £19.99 for the first year, but you’ll find additional features available on two other tiers if you want even more convenience and protection online. Norton VPN Plus (£24.99 for the first year) gives you everything from the Norton VPN Standard package, but adds powerful AI technology that actively works to detect and help protect you from online scams. It also monitors the dark web for your personal information that may have been compromised. And it includes a password manager, which makes logging into your online accounts incredibly simple as you need only remember one password – Norton does the rest, and it throws in for Windows PCs 10GB of cloud storage for valuable files. The most comprehensive toolset is found in Norton VPN Ultimate (£29.99 for the first year), which boosts the cloud storage to 50GB and introduces parental control features including location supervision for iOS and Android devices, so you can not only keep your family safe online but also know where they are in real life. Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Norton VPN today! Each of the Norton VPN suites offers a 7-day trial: so you can try Norton VPN and see for yourself how it can improve your online safety. The digital world is continually changing, as are the threats to its users, so it’s a good idea to keep your privacy and security tools up to date. A VPN is a simple way to defeat some of the most prevalent attacks out there, all while staying out of the way and letting your get on with your life. If only everything was this easy. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Rollable OLED is reliable Extra screen space just a keypress away Solid Lunar Lake performance Cons Expensive (naturally) Battery life takes a hit A portable monitor may be more practical Few ports Our Verdict The world’s first laptop unrolls extra screen real estate from below the keyboard at the push of a button. It works well, and the tradeoffs are all worth it if you want a rollable display. If the sticker price doesn’t phase you, you’ll love it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable is a 14-inch laptop that unrolls into a tall 16.7-inch display when you press a button on the keyboard. Lenovo proudly proclaims this is the world’s first rollable laptop. You have a bunch of extra screen real estate built into your laptop, and you can access it at the press of a button. I’m shocked how cool this is: Lenovo has taken the kind of product you’d see as a tech demo at CES and turned it into a real, solidly engineered laptop that anyone can buy. Yes, it’s expensive, but the fact that you can get this kind of one-of-a-kind experience at a few thousand bucks is just awesome. Lenovo has been delivering lots of wild laptop concepts, like the dual-display Yoga Book 9i. Given the price, these laptops aren’t for most people. But if you like the idea, they’re the only real game in town. Lenovo should be applauded for delivering these concepts as real, buyable products. Machines like these demonstrate why PCs are awesome. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Specs The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable is available in one single configuration. This laptop includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU — that’s a Lunar Lake CPU, which means it has excellent battery efficiency and impressive integrated graphics performance alongside an NPU powerful enough for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features. However, Lunar Lake only has eight cores — four performance cores and four low-power efficient cores — so CPU-heavy multithreaded workflows will lag compared to other CPU architectures. Alongside that, Lenovo includes a generous 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. Model number: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V NPU: Intel AI Boost (48 TOPS) Display: 14-inch 2000×1600 OLED display that unrolls into a 16.7-inch 2000×2350 display, 120Hz refresh rate Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1440p camera Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C), 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 66 Watt-hours Dimensions: 11.95 x 9.08 x 0.75 inches Weight: 3.72 pounds MSRP: $3,299 as tested Lenovo has taken the kind of product you’d see as a tech demo at CES and turned it into a real, solidly engineered laptop that anyone can buy. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has great build quality, actually! This does not feel like the world’s first rollable laptop — it feels like a polished second or third generation version of the concept. At a glance, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 looks like a silver Lenovo ThinkBook laptop that’s just a bit bulkier than normal. It has a serious-looking hinge, which looks like the kind of hinge you’d see on a 2-in-1 machine. Aside from the slight extra bulk — it’s only a bit thicker than normal, and at 3.72 pounds, it’s not even that much heavier than a normal laptop — this could pass for a standard Lenovo laptop — until you see the screen. Rather than the screen ending in a bezel, the screen continues past a seam down into the laptop, under the keyboard. To unroll the laptop, you just have to ensure it’s at the right angle — 90 degrees works, or a bit further back — and then press the key to the right of F12. A motor kicks into action and unrolls the screen, making the laptop taller as the rollable OLED display unrolls from underneath the keyboard. To roll it back up, you’ll press the key again. (If your screen isn’t at a good angle for rolling, the key won’t do anything.) The motor and hinge feel incredibly reliable. Time will be the real test, but this feels solid. In fact, it feels more reliable than my foldable Galaxy Phone, as I’m folding that with my hands using various degrees of pressure, while this machine has a motor that unrolls and rolls it nicely. Lenovo includes its own software that handles resolution switching when the screen rolls and unrolls, as well as a “ThinkBook Workspace” pane designed to live at the bottom area of the screen when it’s unrolled. Workspace works fine, but I preferred to stick with my usual Windows software. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has a fine keyboard. Lenovo tends to be good at keyboards, and this feels on the shallow side compared to other Lenovo keyboards I’ve used. A slightly shallow keyboard is no surprise: This machine, after all, has a display that rolls up and fits under the keyboard. It’s not mushy, but it is a tad rubbery and doesn’t feel as “snappy” as I’d like. This isn’t even a criticism — of course a rollable laptop won’t have the most keyboard travel. If you like the idea of a rollable laptop, you shouldn’t let the keyboard stop you. If you’re wondering whether other high-end Lenovo laptops like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon have snappier keyboards, though: Yes, yes they do. This machine has a touchpad that’s a good size. It’s a haptic trackpad, too — that means you can customize the action and use the whole touchpad surface to click down. Combined with the size, it’s a great touchpad with smooth action. However, the surface feels a little rubbery, and a glass touchpad always feels a little smoother under the finger to me. These really aren’t criticisms — I’m just relaying what the experience of using the laptop is like. The keyboard and trackpad work well, and you’ll be pleased with them if the rollable display is your main draw here. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable’s display is its star feature. It’s a rollable OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 400 nits of brightness. When rolled up, it’s a 14-inch display with a 2000×1600 resolution. When unrolled, it’s a tall 16.7-inch display with a 2000×2350 resolution. If you’ve used a foldable phone, you’ll be familiar with the “crease” in the middle of the display, where it folds. Since it’s a rollable, it doesn’t have a single crease, but it does have some crease-look visual artifacts where it folds. They’re very well hidden — you have to look at it from just the right angle in just the right lighting to see anything that looks unusual. The screen looks good, but make no mistake: The rollability is its main feature. I’ve seen laptops with high-end OLED displays that are brighter with more vivid colors. But, for a rollable display with such an unusual size and resolution, this is an impressive showing. This is not a touch-screen display, however. If you’re looking for a touch screen, this is not the machine for you. This machine’s Harman Kardon speakers sound unusually great. I test every laptop I review by playing Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. They had plenty of volume, and the audio quality was crisp with decent instrument separation in Aja. The sound was balanced enough in Get Lucky that, even without a ton of bass, the sound sounded great — nothing tinny and enough bass to be fun. We’re grading on a scale since these are laptop speakers, of course — but these are unusually good. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has a 1440p 5MP webcam that offers a clear image without visual noise even in lighting conditions that weren’t the most ideal. Lenovo didn’t cut any corners here, and this is the kind of webcam that will make you look professional in online meetings. Also, since this machine meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements, it has access to Windows Studio Effects for real-time webcam effects like fake eye contact and background blur. And it has a privacy shutter switch, too. The dual-array microphone setup sounds excellent, and it picked up my voice in high quality. The ThinkBook line of PCs is marketed for business users, and Lenovo has delivered hardware that works very well for online meetings. This machine offers both a fingerprint scanner and an IR camera, so you can sign into your PC and authenticate with Windows Hello using whichever you prefer. The fingerprint reader is part of the power button on the right side of the laptop. Both worked well. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable skimps on the ports. On the left side, you’ve got a combo audio jack for headphones and a microphone and two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports. That’s it. This machine charges via USB-C, so one of those ports on the left will be used by the power cable while it’s charging. In general, it would be nice to have more ports or at least a Thunderbolt 4 port on both sides. However, this machine includes a rollable display and a motor while not being much thicker than the average laptop, so obviously there wasn’t as much room for ports — it makes sense. Still, bear in mind that you may need a dock or a dongle. It’s a little funny — this machine promises easy access to more screen real estate so you won’t have to bring a portable monitor with you. But it has fewer ports — so, depending on how many peripherals you need, you may find yourself bringing a dongle or dock with you instead. Thanks to Lunar Lake, this machine supports both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. I had no problems with wireless connectivity. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Performance The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has an Intel Lunar Lake chip — specifically, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. Lunar Lake has always delivered snappy performance in desktop productivity apps, and it does the same in this machine. As always, though we ran the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. With an average overall PCMark 10 score of 7,703, Lenovo’s rollable laptop delivers solid Lunar Lake-powered performance. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. Since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With an average Cinebench R20 multi-threaded score of 4,060, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Rollable delivered performance in line with other Lunar Lake-powered laptops. They just don’t have as many cores as other chips, including Intel’s previous-generation Meteor Lake chips and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 series. IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable took an average of 1,599 seconds to complete the encode process — that’s over 26 and a half minutes. It was a bit slower than even other Lunar Lake-powered machines, which suggests that the thermal profile of this machine is impacted by the additional display and motor mechanism — in other words, it can’t cool itself as well as some other Lunar Lake-powered machines and throttles more under load. That’s no surprise. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it’s still good to check how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3Dmark Time Spy score of 4,483, Lenovo’s rollable laptop offered great integrated graphics performance, only falling short to laptops with discrete graphics. That’s a great score. Overall, Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus delivered the results we’d hope to see: Good Lunar Lake performance that only struggles with heavily multi-threaded workloads. The slightly slower Handbrake result isn’t an issue — if you plan on doing heavily multi-threaded CPU-hungry workloads, a machine like this one isn’t the one for you. It’s a portable productivity machine with a lot of extra display. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Battery life The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has a 66 Watt-hour battery, which is a decent size but not the largest. It’s battery life fell short of other Lunar Lake machines. Displays tend to be a big contributor to power usage, this suggests that the large rollable OLED display is unusually power hungry compared to the average laptop’s display. IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable lasted for an average of 761 minutes — that’s over 12 and a half hours. That number sounds good, but it’s hours shorter compared to other Lunar Lake-powered systems. (For example, the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro hit nearly 24 hours in our benchmark — but it’s not a rollable laptop.) You’ll have to plug this machine in a bit more often than the average Lunar Lake laptop. But, if you love this laptop, you’ll make it work. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable: Conclusion The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is incredible. The rollable display and motor action feel incredibly solid, and I was never worried about them. You get a display that gives you a lot of extra screen real estate at the press of a button, and it all rolls up on the keyboard when you want portability. This is why PCs are awesome — because machines like this can exist for the people who want them. If you want a rollable laptop, this one delivers. Is this the right machine for the average laptop buyer? Of course not — the $3,300 price is both impressive for bleeding-edge first-of-its-kind product and above the average laptop buyer’s price range. Even if you do want to spend this much, you’ll have to consider the trade-offs — like less battery life compared to other Lunar Lake systems — and decide what you value. But it’s an awesome machine, and it works as well as I’d hoped. If this is a little too rich for your blood, though, consider a portable monitor. It doesn’t feel like a sci-fi product the way a rollable laptop does and you’ll have to carry two things, but it’s a much less expensive way to have extra screen real estate on the go. Read...

I recently reviewed the Alienware 16X Aurora (with its Arrow Lake-based processor) and the Alienware 16 Aurora (with its Raptor Lake-based processor), and both were branded as “Series 2” chips—neither were Lunar Lake! That started me down a rabbit hole: What exactly does Intel’s “Series 2” CPU branding mean these days? Turns out, not a whole lot. When Intel unveiled simple branding for its “Series 1” CPUs, it was clear what we were getting. With “Series 2” and the launch of Lunar Lake, I thought Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs were going to be AI PCs with long battery life and NPUs capable of running Copilot+ PC features… but that’s not true anymore. It’s more confusing than that. Intel’s “Series 2” branding doesn’t tell you much. You need to dig into model numbers and CPU architecture details to understand what’s going on—just like in the days before Intel simplified its CPU branding. The promise of Intel’s “Series 1” naming scheme, explained In 2023, Intel shook up its branding and aimed to simplify everything. On the mobile side—this is going to be complicated enough without dragging in desktop processors—you had “Intel Core (Series 1)” chips and “Intel Core Ultra (Series 1)” chips. Intel Core Ultra chips were Meteor Lake chips, early “AI PC” hardware with neural processing units and better power efficiency. The architecture never fully delivered on its grand promises, though: battery life improvements weren’t as massive as we’d hoped for, and the NPUs weren’t powerful enough to meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements. They could be branded Intel Core Ultra 3, 5, 7, or 9. Meanwhile, Intel also had Raptor Lake chips—the previous architecture—which were branded Intel Core 3, 5, and 7 (no 9). These chips delivered higher performance for gaming PCs and workstations at the cost of higher power usage. In short, gamers looking for higher CPU performance needed to avoid the “Ultra” branding in Series 1 chips. While the use of “Ultra” to mean “a swanky new AI PC and not a top-performance CPU” was a little odd, the overall naming scheme mostly made sense. You could see “Series 1” and look at “Core Ultra 5” or “Core 7” and understand what you were getting. Then, it all started getting muddled again. As we get into the weeds, it’s important to remember that Intel’s CEO left at the end of 2024, which matches the timeline of when the company’s marketing strategy shifted away from its original simplified branding. The Core i9-14900HX showed holes in the Series 1 naming strategy In early 2024, Intel launched the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor. This was a performance monster—the fastest mobile CPU we ever tested at the time at PCWorld! But the naming was a bit confusing since Intel had dropped the “i” from its Meteor Lake CPUs, yet now it was back. That’s because this HX processor was from the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, an updated version of a previous architecture. Wait. Didn’t Series 1 already encompass some Raptor Lake chips? Yes… but Intel had gotten rid of the “9” from the Core line, and Intel couldn’t call it a Core “Ultra” because that was reserved for Meteor Lake chips with NPUs. And I bet that the “Core i9” branding looked better for a high-performance gaming-focused CPU than mere “Core 7” branding. Gamers seeking high-end performance would almost certainly look for branding markers like “Ultra” and “9,” but Intel had reserved them for its AI PC chips that prioritized power efficiency and NPU acceleration over top-end performance. Intel’s “Series 2” branding was supposed to be Lunar Lake, right? Intel started using the “Series 2” naming scheme when it launched Lunar Lake chips in September 2024. There was a lot of hype around these “Lunar Lake” chips or “Core Ultra Series 2” processors, as they were what the Series 1 chips should have been. The NPU for AI features aside, they also delivered long battery life that went toe-to-toe with Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X chips. I saw so much coverage of Series 2, and so much of that coverage tied the Series 2 branding to Lunar Lake and its battery life and NPU goals. Did I misunderstand Intel’s marketing? Maybe! But if so, I wasn’t the only one who was confused—and that’s my point. It’s gotten messy again. Intel’s Series 2 now includes Raptor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs All of this brings us back to the laptops I mentioned at the start of this article: the Alienware 16 Aurora and Alienware 16X Aurora. The Alienware 16 Aurora had an Intel Core 7 240H, which was branded an “Intel Core (Series 2)” processor. However, it’s based on the older Raptor Lake architecture, which was already a previous-generation architecture when the Series 1 collection launched with Meteor Lake at the “Ultra” tier. Despite all the AI PC talk, this Series 2-powered laptop had no NPU—you couldn’t even use Windows Studio Effects for webcam effects. A big strike for Series 2 confusion. Meanwhile, the higher-end Alienware 16X Aurora had an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX chip, which was branded an “Intel Core Ultra (Series 2)” chip, just like the newest Lunar Lake chips. However, this one wasn’t Lunar Lake—it was a higher-end gaming chip with better performance, kind of like that Core i9-14900HX that was launched during the Series 1 era but wasn’t slapped with Series 1 branding. To be fair, it’s a great chip for gaming and it does have an NPU, but the NPU doesn’t meet the bar for Copilot+ PC features and it lacks Lunar Lake’s battery efficiency. So, what does all of this mean? Right now, an “Intel Core Ultra (Series 2)” processor can either be a high-end Arrow Lake gaming CPU without the chops to run Copilot+ PC features or a power-efficient Lunar Lake CPU that does meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ requirements. As always, the CPU’s model number and architecture remain key The fundmental point I’m trying to make is that “Series 2” doesn’t tell you much. Even “Core Ultra” doesn’t tell you much! Intel’s website brands these naming schemes as “product collections,” but you really need to look at a CPU’s model name and processor number to understand what you’re getting. “HX” means a powerful Arrow Lake CPU while “V” means a power-efficient Lunar Lake chip, for example. But I thought the simplified branding was meant to do away with that. If Series 2 can include so many different chips with so many different characteristics, I’m not sure what a “product collection” is aside from simply “a collection of CPUs released during a certain era”—and at the end of the day, how helpful is that for consumers? Not very. Shiny new branding, same old confusion Tech journalists have been criticizing confusing CPU and GPU branding for many years, and Intel has always been at the center of that. If Intel had stayed the course with its previous branding, none of this would be surprising—but Intel went out of its way to simplify things, and that simplified branding has already become complex in just a year. That, to me, makes it a failure that misses the mark. Intel once slammed AMD’s Ryzen naming scheme for being “snake oil” that marketed dated architectures as part of modern processor families. As Intel’s own presentation put it back in 2023, talking about AMD’s Ryzen branding: “Can I trust that this is the latest?” “No!” Well, that’s how it feels with Series 2. I struggle to follow all these twists and turns, and I’m a professional tech journalist who reviews laptops! I shouldn’t need an email from Intel PR to grasp what the heck “Series 2” actually means, and neither should you. Read...

8x8 launches The Power of You campaign, spotlighting customer achievements and experiences over product features in a human-centred approach. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Sets up quickly and easily, integrates well with the SimpliSafe ecosystem.  Petite, attractive hardware.  Cons Camera has no real technology upgrades over older gen hardware.  AGOP drops video quality down to a grainy 720p. Monitoring service is extremely costly and may not be as effective as desired.   Our Verdict SimpliSafe’s new outdoor camera enables its new active response system, but it provides literally no other reason to upgrade from the previous camera.  Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices SimpliSafe is one of the most venerable smart home security companies, and while it regularly refreshes its hardware, it does so device by device, rather than upgrading the entire system at once. Makes sense, because it has at least 16 different components you can mix and match with your existing SimpliSafe base station or add on to one of its hardware bundles.  The latest upgrade to the SimpliSafe family is a new version of the SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera, which was released in 2021. The SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera 2 keeps the overall look and feel of the original, while making a few changes that offer some compelling upgrades.  Features and design Quite a few things remain the same: It’s still—surprisingly—a 1080p camera with IP65 weatherproofing (meaning it’s dust-proof and resistant to water jets sprayed from any direction) and a 140-degree field of view. Infrared night vision is included, along with a small spotlight, built-in two-way audio, and a 90 dB siren, while a magnetic base allows for easy repositioning. The camera can be powered either by its internal battery (SimpliSafe says it will last for up to 3 months), a microUSB power cable, or an optional solar panel ($80).  If you don’t want or need SimpliSafe’s active response service, there’s really no reason to upgrade from the older, cheaper outdoor camera. Again, none of camera’s core features offer any major changes, and were it not for the sizeable ridge that now juts out beneath the lens housing, you might not notice any difference at all between the SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera 2 and its predecessor.  The new SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera 2 looks and works almost exactly the same as the previous version.Christopher Null/Foundry Setup If you already have a SimpliSafe system, setting up the camera is a simple affair that should take only a few minutes of onboarding. I set up a new hub from scratch for this review. Including all the unboxing, setup, tutorials, and upgrades, preparing a small system of hub, keypad, two sensors, and two cameras took about 45 minutes, with only one hiccup requiring an indoor camera to be reset. The camera still works in conjunction with most other SimpliSafe gear, which means it will automatically record if the system is armed and one of the sensors is triggered. (SimpliSafe last updated its motion and entry sensors in 2023.) My only real complaint is that, bizarrely, SimpliSafe cameras still use dated microUSB connectors and cables for power instead of more modern (and symmetrical) USB-C.  AI-powered threat detection The biggest upgrade to the camera is its support for SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection (AGOP), a new service that uses AI to detect potential threats on video, then alerts live (human) agents to view the camera feed and take action. Agents can speak to trespassers, sound the siren, or turn on the spotlight—or all three—and dispatch police if the situation warrants it.  Of course, to take advantage of this new feature, you will need one of SimpliSafe’s upper-tier monitoring plans. The Core plan ($32/month) doesn’t include AGOP. The Pro plan ($50/month) includes the AGOP service but only from 8pm to 6am local time each day. You’ll need the Pro Plus plan ($80/month, gulp) if you want 24/7 monitoring. Other than that, all the plans are about the same, including unlimited cloud storage for up to 10 cameras, agent intervention on indoor cameras, and emergency dispatch services.  Performance I tested AGOP on the new Outdoor Camera 2 by arming the system and walking through the camera’s frame multiple times, as well as having my wife do so.  What’s supposed to happen, per SimpliSafe, is that a SimpliSafe agent should connect to the camera’s speaker and let the intruder know they’re being monitored and recorded, then ask, “How can I help you?” What did happen during my testing is none of that: Not once did a voice come over the speaker at all. SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection (AGOP) service uses AI to detect potential threats on video, then alerts live (human) agents to view the camera feed and take action. Christopher Null/Foundry The videos were, however, successfully monitored by SimpliSafe, as the app’s Timeline indicates when a clip is viewed by the company’s agents. Nearly all of these were categorized within a few minutes as “Common activity” and apparently dismissed as harmless. It wasn’t until I put on a baseball cap and ran through the frame—as suspiciously as I could—that the clip was categorized as “Person on property,” after which I received an email from SimpliSafe to that effect, along with a still from the video. The vetting process takes a few minutes to complete for each occurrence.  The results might have been different had I run through the frame wielding a machete or repositioned the camera so it could spot me picking the lock. But SimpliSafe formally advises against simulating such criminal scenarios, as their agents can opt to call police directly in the event of serious emergencies. (Besides, there are limits to what I am willing to do for PCWorld.) The bottom line is that while testing AGOP to its fullest extent may not be wholly possible, it clearly doesn’t quite work the way it is marketed.  AGOP also comes with some caveats. It only works with outdoor cameras (as the name implies) and it makes some mandatory changes to the camera’s settings in the process, notably dropping video quality down to 720 by 1280 pixels (720p), turning on IR night vision, and activating the status light. Medium motion sensitivity and people-only motion detection are also mandatory. As well, cameras with AGOP enabled must also be connected to wall power and can’t be running on battery power or have a solar connection. The only camera feature that the user has any real control over is the activity zone setting, so you can block out areas you don’t want monitored. Of these constraints, the resolution drop is the most notable: 720p video is grainy and pixilated, and at a distance it’s difficult to make out faces with any level of reliability. Night vision is similarly washed out and murky.  Should you buy the SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera 2? The $200 asking price for the camera (much less if you shop around) is of course misleading, as you’ll spend a minimum of at least $600 more each year on monitoring. If you don’t want or need the AGOP service–and it’s tough to say whether it’s worth that outlay–there’s really no reason to upgrade from the older, cheaper outdoor camera, which can be had for as little as $73 at this writing.  This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best security cameras. Read...

Earlier this summer, Google launched a range of new AI features for its Google Forms survey tool. Now, the company has announced that Google Forms will be getting even more AI features. Once you create a survey in Google Forms and complete at least two survey questions, Gemini will now be able to suggest new questions and answer options for your survey. Google The new question suggestion button will appear under your own questions, and with one click Gemini will generate two to four new questions for your survey. The new AI feature has already started rolling out to Rapid Release domains, while Scheduled Release domains will start getting the feature on August 19th. It may take up to 15 days after rollout begins before the new feature arrives on your account. Read...

Samsung has an insanely large 57-inch gaming monitor with impressive specs, and it just dropped to the best price we’ve seen all year. Act fast to score the Odyssey Neo G9 for just $1,500, which is a massive $800 discount down from its crazy-high $2,300 MSRP! At 57 inches, this beast is wider than many TVs. It’ll overtake your desk and then some, but you’ll love every second of it for its incredible 7680×2160 resolution—the equivalent of two 4K monitors side by side, except with this one you don’t have an annoying bezel line down the center. Throw in the 1000R curvature and you have an elegant display that wraps around your vision, minimizing strain and maximizing immersion. The Odyssey Neo G9 isn’t just for gaming immersion, but also for gaming responsiveness. Even at this size, it offers an impressive 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time that feels smoother than butter (assuming your PC is powerful enough to push that many frames at this resolution). And with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, you get no tearing or stuttering. It features three HDMI, a DisplayPort, and two USB-A ports, too. If you want to be on the cutting edge, you need the world’s first dual 4K monitor—but why pay full price when you can score it with an $800 discount? If you’d rather go for something smaller, though, check out our roundup of the best monitors right now. Save $800 on Samsung`s insane dual 4K gaming monitorBuy now at Amazon Read...

Windows Explorer has always seemed like a part of a small car’s toolkit: perfectly usable, but limited to the basic functions. Over the years, Microsoft has repeatedly revised the software and added a search function that, upon closer inspection, proves to be surprisingly complex. However, the operating concept of Explorer is still not intuitive and tends to hinder smooth working. Software companies and independent developers therefore seized their opportunity early on and presented alternatives for more powerful file managers, which are often referred to as “commanders.” There are two different types of file managers: On the one hand, there are programs which, like Windows Explorer, only offer one window. They are clearer as there are fewer control elements such as icons and menus. On the other hand, you will also find many programs that work with a two-window view. In this case, you’ll have to first find your way around the interface, but they make copying processes easier. Free Commander XE Free Commander is available in 32- and 64-bit versions. However, only the 32-bit version is free to use. Free Commander combines its functions in a modern, largely self-explanatory interface. Free Commander The program features a dual-window view, with tabs in each window that provides one-click access to available drives. The layout has large, modern-looking icons, the design of which makes it easy to deduce the assigned function. Free Commander also includes commands for packing and unpacking ZIP files, for synchronizing two folders, or for changing attributes and timestamps. A convenient option allows you to set favorite folders for quicker access. Multi Commander The developers of Multi Commander are also fans of two-window technology. Their file manager is available in 32- and 64-bit versions as well as a portable version that lets you copy onto a USB stick. Multi Commander helps you work productively with numerous auxiliary tools such as batch renaming.Multi Commander Using the mouse and keyboard differs slightly from Windows Explorer, so there may be a short adjustment period. However, Multi Commander is a fast and extremely feature-rich tool. It can, for instance, rename multiple files in one go, edit metadata in audio and video files, create backups of files and folders, and even play audio files directly within the file manager. Multi Commander is by far the most comprehensive of the free tools. The SE version, which is available in the Microsoft Store, has the advantage of automatic updates. Double Commander Double Commander comes from the open source scene. The program is available in 32- and 64-bit versions as well as portable versions. Double Commander combines a wide range of features with fast, easy usability.Double Commander The concept of the user interface is reminiscent of Free Commander: tab bars are arranged above the two windows, allowing you to quickly switch to the installed drives. A special feature of the program is that it can create symlinks, i.e. symbolic links to files and folders, as well as hard links. Additional functions include calculating and verifying checksums, synchronizing folders, splitting large files, and, of course, all the usual commands for marking, copying, and moving files. The interface, with its small icons, is not as clear as the one in Free Commander, but it adheres to Windows standards and is therefore quickly understood. One Commander One Commander leaves it up to the user to decide whether they prefer to work with a single or dual-window view. The buttons at the bottom of the program window allow you to switch the view quickly. One Commander mirrors Windows Explorer’s functionality but adds a customizable two-window view.One Commander The program is also flexible in other ways. For example, it offers a dark mode and an download alternative icon packages from the website upon request. Its operation is similar to Windows Explorer. Folders and files can be copied and cut via the right-click context menu. Marking is done by pressing the Shift or Ctrl keys while clicking. One Commander offers direct access to the OneDrive folder and remembers which folders were last opened in a history. Overall, however, the feature set doesn’t extend much beyond what you’re used to in Windows Explorer. The main advantage of One Commander is its dual-window view. Paid file managers In addition to the free program, there are also paid options for file management. Here are some of the most notable ones: Total Commander: A long-standing classic in the field, Total Commander still impresses with its clear, dual-pane layout and features such as an FTP and LAN client, an advanced search function, and built-in archive support. SpeedCommander: This is the second major classic among file managers. It can connect to network drives and FTP servers and includes a link to the Windows formatting function. The dual-pane interface is clear and well-structured, and drives can be accessed directly via buttons. XYplorer: XYplorer adopts the single-pane style of Windows Explorer but includes an option to display a second pane. It expands the Explorer feature set with scripting capabilities and lets you add files and folders to a favorites list. The paste function is also significantly enhanced—for instance, copied files can be pasted directly as ZIP archives to a chosen location. Although the program may seem modest at first glance, its full potential becomes clear with continued use. XYplorer supports one or two windows and features scripting and a folder favorites list.Xyplorer Q-Dir The Q in Q–Dir stands for Quad, indicating the most outstanding feature of the program. It opens four windows at the start, which you can then arrange horizontally and vertically in various patterns or reduce it to three or two. Q-Dir’s standout feature is its four-window interface, with design and controls highly customizable to your preferences.IDG The functionality of this free software largely mirrors that of Windows Explorer. For example, Q-Dir uses Windows file manager’s context menu. However, users can customize the layout and the visible elements to a much greater extent than in Explorer. As an added feature, Q-Dir offers the option of making folders quickly accessible via a favorites list. Common Windows Windows tools such as the command prompt or PowerShell can be accessed directly from the file manager, and the software can also print folder structures and start scanning processes. File Voyager The manufacturer of File Voyager advertises the program as the “Swiss Army knife of file management” to emphasize its comprehensive functionality. File Voyager stands out with a modern two-window interface and built-in audio, photo, and video viewers.File Voyager However, the range of functions is actually not that extensive. What is impressive about the software is the modern interface with its three-dimensional controls, clear organization, and two-window view. Like the programs from Microsoft’s Office suite, File Voyager works with ribbons instead of menus. If you click on a menu, a new ribbon appears with new commands. Below the ribbons is a small bar that you can use to send the selected files to TeamViewer, to the installed mail program, to the Documents folder, to the desktop, to a zipped folder, or to a device paired via Bluetooth. However, not all of these shortcuts worked in our test. In addition to the usual commands for selecting, copying and moving files, File Voyager comes with an extensive selection of viewers and its own pack function. It also includes its own audio and video players, which play the selected files in one pane to be previewed in the other. The developers have adopted the required codecs from the open source player VLC. The image and video preview can also be enlarged to full screen. File Voyager is one of the best, if not the best, free Explorer alternative on the market. However, the good impression is spoilt by an instability that was observed several times in our test. For example, the tool often pauses for a long time or even freezes when reading drive or folder contents. File manager for Android File managers aren’t just available for Windows, they’re also used on smartphone and tablets. Due to the smaller screen size, their layout looks different, and dual-pane views are rare. However, the core features are usually there. Google Files: Google’s file manager comes pre-installed on all newer Android devices. It displays the most recently viewed files on the start page and organizes the files on the smartphone into the categories “Downloads,” “Images,” “Videos,” “Audio,” “Documents,” and “Apps.” The user can also mark files as favorites or move them to a secure folder, which they can protect with a PIN or pattern. The device’s file system can be accessed through “Internal storage,” while “Other storage” provides access to cloud services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Total Commander: Unlike its Windows counterpart, Total Commander for Android is free of charge. The app provides all the necessary file actions and can also organize the files according to various criteria such as size or creation date. Photos can be edited directly in the app. Files can also be sent directly to other network devices using the small WLAN transfer add-on program. X-plore: This file manager offers a wide range of functions: it can create ZIP archives, serve as an FTP server and Wi-Fi access point, and access network shares. If desired, the app can create a password-protected vault for storing sensitive data and access the most important cloud services. The only point of criticism are the small icons with barely legible labels. Total Commander’s Android app is free yet offers a wide range of features.IDG Read...

Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell, just 15 years old, features as a playable character in the new Tony Hawk`s Pro Skater 3 + 4 video game. 9news.com.au caught up with Chloe to learn all about the experience. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Dual-screen design works as laptop, all-in-one, tablet, and more Two gorgeous, contrast-rich OLED displays Outstanding audio performance Good CPU and integrated graphics performance Cons Bluetooth keyboard feels awkward in laptop mode Only 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (though upgrades are available) Physical connectivity is limited to Thunderbolt / USB-C Short battery life Our Verdict The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a unique Windows 2-in-1. Though it’s okay as a laptop, and can also be used as a tablet, it’s perhaps best understood as a portable all-in-one. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Lenovo has a long history of bizarre concepts. But unlike many companies that send strange prototypes straight to store shelves, Lenovo often sticks with these oddballs—and the Yoga Book 9i is just the latest example. The latest version of the company’s dual-screen 2-in-1 isn’t a dramatic departure from prior models. It’s still a portable all-in-one that pairs its dual OLED displays with an included Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. However, the newest Yoga Book 9i has surprisingly capable CPU performance underneath the hood. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Specs and features The Yoga Book 9i Gen 10’s basic specifications don’t look amazing on paper. It has just 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive. Most Windows devices sold above $1,000 have 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. However, the Yoga Book 9i’s Intel Core Ultra 7 255H deserves some attention. It has a total of 16 cores, six of which are performance cores—and as the benchmarks will show, it’s a big upgrade over laptops with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V or 258V inside. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V NPU: Intel AI Boost up to 13 TOPS Display: 2x 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED 120Hz Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Webcam: 1440p Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Facial recognition Battery capacity: 88 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.4 x 8.25 x 0.63 inches Weight: 2.69 pounds without keyboard, 3.45 pounds with keyboard, 4.25 with all accessories included Operating System: Windows 11 Home Additional features: Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus Price: $2,079.99 MSRP Despite the limited RAM and storage, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s $2,079.99 MSRP feels like a good value. After all, this laptop has two OLED displays and ships with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. That’s a lot of extra kit most laptops don’t provide. Interestingly, Lenovo’s website currently lists a Yoga Book 9i with 32GB of memory and a 1TB of storage for $2,099.99. You read that right: you can double the RAM and storage for $20. The catch is that you can’t change or upgrade this variant but, for the vast majority of shoppers, it’s an obvious upgrade. The Yoga Book 9i is worth buying, but only for a very specific and unique shopper. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a sleek, futuristic piece of kit. It’s basically two thin slabs of glass connected by a broad, blue-chrome hinge which also contains the 2-in-1’s sound bar. While the top and bottom of the device are finished in a matte blue, the edges are gloss, which adds a touch of luxury. It’s worth mentioning that the new Yoga Book 9i is slightly different from its predecessors, though you wouldn’t know it at a glance (or even a long, close look). The prior model’s 13.3-inch OLED displays have grown to 14 inches. That means the laptop is slightly wider and deeper than before, too, though no thicker at 0.63 inches in profile. The weight officially comes in at just 2.69 pounds, but that doesn’t include the accessories. If you bundle in the keyboard, carrying case, and pen, the total weight increases to 3.55 pounds. That’s heavy for a 2-in-1 with a 14-inch display, though perhaps expected given that the Yoga Book 9i has two of them. Build quality is top-notch. The Yoga Book 9i’s chassis is among the most rigid in the Windows arena. While the upper display will flex if purposely twisted, it doesn’t noticeably flex when in normal use. The lower chassis, meanwhile, seems chiseled from solid stone. I put it under as much tension as I felt comfortable with and saw absolutely zero movement across the device’s lower half. That’s not to say it’s more durable than other 2-in-1s. There are certain risks to a dual-display laptop, and an increased potential for display damage is one of them. Still, Lenovo has done as much as it can to remove that concern. The result is a 2-in-1 that feels luxurious. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Keyboard, trackpad, mouse, and stylus IDG / Matthew Smith Lenovo markets the new Yoga Book 9i as a “portable creative studio.” What does that mean? Well, it’s complex. The dual-display 2-in-1, detachable keyboard, kickstand, mouse, and pen work together to provide many versatile modes. Let’s start with good old-fashioned clamshell laptop use. In this mode, you have the choice between using the bundled detachable keyboard or not. If used, the keyboard sits on top of the lower display and a virtual touchpad can be summoned on the display’s surface (alternatively, you can just use the upper touchscreen). Magnets are used to prevent the keyboard from sliding around while typing. The keyboard is good but, since it sits on top of the lower display, the keys are raised noticeably above the virtual touchpad surface, which feels awkward. It was fine for long typing sessions but more awkward when I had to frequently use the touchpad, as the virtual touchpad provides no tactile sensation when my fingers are inside (or outside) its boundaries. Alternatively, you can ditch the physical keyboard and use a virtual keyboard on the lower touchscreen. It’s summoned with an eight-finger tap, and the keyboard appears where you touch, allowing slight adjustment forward, backward, left, or right. That helps for finding a comfortable position. Still, the lack of tactile feedback makes for a flat, wooden experience, and I had difficulty typing at high speed with accuracy. Perhaps a few weeks or months with the device would eventually build my muscle memory, but it still felt tough after a solid week of use. The Yoga Book 9i gets even more creative when you move beyond clamshell use and into the unique modes only 2-in-1s can offer. It can be used as: A portable desktop all-in-one. The keyboard carrying case becomes a stand for the dual displays, which can sit flat side-by-side. The bundled Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can be used just as if the 2-in-1 was a desktop computer. Stacked mode. The same as above, but with the displays placed one above the other (vertically) instead of side-by-side. A tablet. Fold over the displays and one surface becomes usable as a 14-inch Windows tablet. A stylus is included. A desktop drawing and writing tablet. Fold the device flat on a tabletop surface with both displays facing up. Stylus and touch input can be used to draw, and to navigate Windows. Tent mode. Fold the upper display back to act as a kickstand for the lower display, which remains usable. This is great for watching YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming content. The surprise is that most of these modes work well. Tablet mode is the only one that stumbles, and for reasons common to most Windows 2-in-1s; the Yoga Book 9i is too large and too heavy to use as a tablet for more than a few minutes. I found the portable all-in-one modes particularly convincing. You can post up anywhere you have access to a flat surface and use the Yoga Book 9i like a desktop computer. The dual 14-inch displays even provide a display space that comes close to a 24-inch desktop monitor though, of course, with a split between them. The real question, of course, is whether you’ll take advantage of that. The Yoga Book 9i’s design isn’t great if you just want a laptop to use like a laptop. The typing experience is less enjoyable, the virtual touchpad is annoying, and it’s cumbersome to pack both the laptop and the detachable keyboard. But if you’re a business traveler, student, or otherwise need to do a lot of work while also away from your permanent desk setup, the Yoga Book 9i has advantages. It’s a portable desktop in a laptop form factor. It’s important to note, too, that the Yoga Book 9i’s design marks it as different from the Asus ZenBook Duo (and vice versa). While both are dual-screen laptops, the ZenBook Duo has a Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad that fully covers the bottom display in laptop mode. As a result, the ZenBook Duo feels much more like a traditional laptop. The ZenBook doesn’t ship with a mouse, though, and the larger Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad can feel a bit awkward when you set it to use like an all-in-one. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Lenovo’s dual-screen design means the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i features two stunning OLED displays. Each provides a resolution of 2880×1800 for an all-in resolution of 2880×3600. Combined, the dual 14-inch OLED displays provide a little less than 180 square inches of display space, which is just barely less than a 21.5-inch 16:9 monitor. The OLED displays provide all the benefits typical of the breed. They have a wide color gamut, unsurpassed contrast, and excellent sharpness. Movies, games, and photos look wonderfully vibrant and detailed. The displays also provide a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, so motion clarity is excellent. Fast-paced games look crisp and scrolling text is easier to read than on a 60Hz alternative. It’s not all good news. Like most OLED panels—and particularly touchscreens—the Yoga’s displays have a glossy, mirror-like finish that readily reflects your surroundings. Even modest ambient lighting will cause noticeable and distinct reflections. The panel brightness is impressive with a maximum around 465 nits, but that’s still not enough for comfortable use outdoors or opposite a bright sunlit window. Audio performance is a perk the latest Yoga Book 9i carries over from its predecessors. The speakers are nestled in the hinge, which acts as a soundbar and delivers strong, clear, enjoyable, and direct sound. This design also has the benefit of making the audio useful in most of the Yoga Book 9i’s many modes, since the speaker remains pointed at the user in most situations. Tablet mode is the exception, as your hands are likely to partially obstruct the speaker. Compared to the alternatives, the Yoga Book 9i’s audio is among the best in its class. While it’s been a few months since I last heard the MacBook Pro 14’s excellent speakers, my memory suggests the Yoga Book 9i can match it. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics A camera hump above the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s top display provides room for a 1440p webcam and dual-array microphone. Both are solid. The webcam is sharp, detailed, and provides good color saturation, while the microphone picked up my voice clearly even when I spoke softly. You won’t find a physical privacy shutter, but Lenovo provides an electronic privacy switch which, strangely, is all alone on the laptop’s forward right flank. Biometric login is available through Windows Hello facial recognition. It works well, though no better or worse than with the hundreds of other Windows laptops that offer the feature. A fingerprint reader is not available. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Connectivity The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i goes all-in on modern connectivity. It has just three physical ports, all of which are Thunderbolt / USB-C ports that support 40Gbps of data, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery. All the ports can charge the laptop or connect to an external display. With that said, the lack of USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, or even a 3.5mm audio jack presents obvious limitations. You’ll need an adapter or dock to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, use an older monitor, or even to use wired headphones. Whether that works for you will depend on the peripherals you use day-to-day, but I suspect most people will still have at least one device that requires one of these ports. At least Lenovo doesn’t skimp on wireless connectivity. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, the latest version of each wireless standard. Remember, too, that the Yoga Book 9i ships with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus in the box. While the lack of USB-A is a bummer, it helps that the 2-in-1 ships with everything you need to type, point, and draw wirelessly. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Performance The latest Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 10, for those counting) is available with just one processor: the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H. And it’s worth your attention. It’d be easy to confuse the Core Ultra 7 255H with something like the Core Ultra 7 256V. After all, they have very similar names; the 256V might even seem more premium. Yet the opposite is true. The 255H has more cores than the 256V (16 vs. eight), and more of those cores are performance cores (six vs four). The 255H also has a higher Turbo clock speed, twice as much cache, and is rated to use significantly more power. IDG / Matthew Smith Our first benchmark is PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark. Here the Yoga Book 9i scores a respectable 7,520. That’s a mid-pack result among the competitors chosen, but they are rather stiff competition—the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 in particular ranks among the most powerful 14-inch Windows laptops without discrete graphics. The Yoga Book 9i also scored a small win over the Asus ZenBook Duo, despite the Asus having a chip that ranks higher in Intel’s line-up. IDG / Matthew Smith The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i truly blazed away in Handbrake, where it transcoded a feature length film in just under 14 minutes. As the graph shows, this is an exceptionally quick result in this test, and it’s the one benchmark where the Yoga Book 9i takes an edge even over the HP OmniBook Ultra 14. IDG / Matthew Smith Cinebench R23, a heavily multi-threaded CPU benchmark, speaks favorably of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. It reaches a score of 14,836 which, as the graph shows, is defeated only by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in the HP OmniBook Ultra 14. The Yoga Book 9i notches another win over the Asus ZenBook Duo, as well. IDG / Matthew Smith Clearly, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i performs well in CPU tests. But what about GPU benchmarks? The Yoga Book 9i does well here, too, though it doesn’t stand out from the pack. Intel’s 140V is a strong integrated graphics option that can generally go toe-to-toe with AMD’s Radeon 890M in similar laptops and 2-in-1s, and the Book 9i is no exception. The Yoga Book 9i posted scores that were a hair behind some other Intel-powered laptops PC World recently tested, but the differences are rather small. In any case, the Yoga Book 9i can be expected to play many games from the prior console generation at 1080p and medium to high detail, with a framerate of 30 to 60 FPS. Older and less demanding games—whether it’s an indie action-RPG like Grim Dawn or the best-selling classic Minecraft (without ray-traced eye candy on)—can exceed 60 FPS. The Yoga Book 9i is an extremely strong performer overall. While the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 with AMD Ryzen AI 9 395HX was quicker in multi-threaded CPU performance, the Yoga Book 9i otherwise scored victories in many tests. Notably, it matched or beat the Asus ZenBook Duo. The ZenBook Duo is less expensive with an as-tested MSRP of $1,699, but ships with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H. That proves, once again, that a device’s spec sheet can’t tell the full story about its performance. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Battery life and portability There’s a lot to like about the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. It’s versatile, attractive, and performs well in benchmarks. However, the laptop has one major weakness. Battery life. IDG / Matthew Smith I measured just seven hours and nine minutes in PC World’s standard battery test, which loops a 4K trailer of the short film Tears of Steel. This test was conducted in laptop mode, though my testing suggests that the mode used doesn’t have an impact on battery life. This result both did—and didn’t—surprise me. Lenovo ships the Yoga Book 9i with an 88-watt-hour battery, which is massive for a 14-inch Windows 2-in-1. That alone would seem to suggest excellent endurance. However, that battery must support two screens, both of which are OLED (in general, OLED tends to be more power-hungry than LCD-IPS). And the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is a beefy Intel chip. While that bodes well for the Yoga Book 9i’s performance, it also means higher power consumption. It’s worth mention that the new Yoga Book 9i doesn’t last as long as past models. The version I tested in 2023 endured the PC World battery test for 10 hours and 23 minutes. On the flip side, though, the new Yoga Book 9i is much quicker than that predecessor, delivering 50 percent to over 100 percent greater performance in benchmarks. The older model might be worth a look if you prefer battery life, but the new model takes a huge lead in performance. The Asus ZenBook Duo also deserves mention, as it’s also a dual-screen laptop, and lasted a bit longer on battery in dual-screen mode. On top of that, the Duo can last up to 15 hours and 40 minutes in laptop mode, as only a single screen is used in that mode. That’s possible because the Duo’s Bluetooth keyboard includes a touchpad and fully covers the lower display in laptop mode, allowing Asus to disable the lower display in that mode. Lenovo’s reliance on a virtual touchpad in laptop mode means the lower display remains on in laptop mode, which negatively affects battery life. It’s technically possible to use Windows’ settings to force the Yoga Book 9i’s lower display off when in laptop mode, which presumably could increase battery life. However, doing this means the laptop lacks a touchpad, which is hardly ideal.  Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Conclusion The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a laptop that’s also a 2-in-1, and an all-in-one, also a tablet. It ships with not only the laptop itself but also with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. This versatility makes it a unique offering, and while the Yoga Book 9i’s $2,079.99 MSRP is hardly inexpensive, it feels like good value considering everything the Yoga Book 9i delivers. Yet the Yoga Book 9i isn’t without compromise. Lenovo’s decision to use a Bluetooth keyboard that lacks a touchpad—instead of a keyboard and touchpad combination, as found with the Asus ZenBook Duo—is consequential. It’s arguably better when using the Yoga Book 9i as an all-in-one, but inarguably worse when using the Yoga Book 9i as a laptop. The Yoga Book 9i also struggles with disappointing battery life that reduces its portability. The Yoga Book 9i is worth buying, but only for a very specific and unique shopper. It’s unique in providing a great portable all-in-one experience alongside a decent, though compromised laptop mode. That makes it a good choice if you often move between offices or desks and can post up with a connection to a power outlet. But if you mostly want to use your device as a laptop, and will only occasionally use the all-in-one mode, the Asus ZenBook Duo is the better choice. Read...