Tag: functionality
The best laptops for college students
Ah, college. A time of true enlightenment. Whether you're just starting out or you're heading into your final year, you're going to need a good laptop for college research and writing papers. But with so many different brands and confusing model numbers out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Don't worry, we're here to help. We've pulled together a robust list of student-friendly laptops for college that we had previously tested and reviewed as part of our ongoing quest to find the best laptops. In other words, the folks over here at PCWorld have personally vetted each and every one of these picks. While most (if not all) of the laptops on this list are fantastic productivity machines, we've also got picks for gamers and macOS users, and options to hit every price point. You may also find some low-cost gems in our roundup of the best laptop deals, which we update daily.
Read on to learn more.
1. HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV – Best overall
When we think about the best thin-and-light laptop, it's always been a close contest between the Dell XPS 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360. This time around, we're giving the luxurious HP Spectre x360 14 some time in the sun, with a nod to the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 that preceded it as our top pick. The Spectre x360 14, now sporting the same Intel 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU available in the Dell XPS line, trades blows with its eternal rival in test after test. It rises to the top because of a few key advantages: It offers longer battery life (thanks to a bigger battery), a far better keyboard, and little things like a USB-A port and a physical webcam shutoff switch, all for a lower price. Well played, HP.
2. Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition
If you're serious about gaming, the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is one heck of a powerhouse. The review unit we tested had an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, an AMD Radeon RX 6800M GPU (with 12GB of GDDR6), 16GB of memory, and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage. You can play older titles on high to very-high graphics settings and newer games on medium. There are a few shortcomings, though. Battery life is lackluster and it's pretty darn heavy. That said, poor battery life and a clunky form factor isn't unusual for a gaming laptop, and if you're looking to play some games when you aren't busy working on assignments, this powerhouse offers much more value than most of its rivals.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
By naming this Windows tablet the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft mistakenly implies that it's some sort of minor upgrade from the Surface Pro 7. Nothing could be further from the truth: We rarely see such massive upgrades in CPU and GPU horsepower, as well as battery life. It also offers an LTE option and an absolutely dead-silent, fanless chassis.
You may be wondering why we chose the 7+ and not the Surface Pro 8. While the 8 has a larger screen and good audio, configurations start at $1,099.99 and can go up to over $2,599.99. The 7+'s base configuration starts at $899, which is a more affordable option for college students, and it should still chew through tasks admirably. The base version has an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage.
4. Pixelbook Go
As a general note, Chromebooks make excellent productivity machines. They're designed for basic tasks like web browsing, typing out papers, and so on. They're also largely virus-free.
Google's Pixelbook Go is a perfectly good Chromebook and that's exactly what the company set out to create. It offers a careful balance of quality features and economical compromises for a reasonable $649 starting price. It's also much better looking than the typical bare-bones model. If you're committed to the Chromebook universe, this is a laptop worth buying.
5. Gram 17 (2021)
The LG Gram 17 is a remarkably lightweight business laptop, and one worth considering if your scholarship left you ample room for a luxe laptop purchase. Although relatively big in size dimensions-wise, it somehow weighs just under three pounds. Is it a work of sorcery? No, it's the magnesium chassis that makes it so light. In our review, we liked the bounciness of the keys and the long battery life. The Gram 17 ran out of steam around the 13 hour mark, which is nothing short of impressive. The 17-inch IPS-grade display is stunning, too. With a resolution of 2560×1600, you're bound to get a crisp and vibrant picture. According to our review, the display size is perfect for productivity.
6. MacBook Air (Space Gray)
The MacBook Air with the new M1 processor so absolutely and thoroughly trounces the Intel version released earlier this year (with Intel's “Ice Lake” Y-series CPU/GPU) that it defies belief. And, since there's no fan, the Air runs super quiet, which is great in a classroom setting.
Unfortunately, Apple changed practically nothing else about the MacBook Air. This new model is exclusively a processor swap. But what a processor! You can read the full review of the MacBook Air M1 at our sister site, Macworld.
7. Acer Aspire 5 – Best budget option
With its affordable price point, decent performance, and robust build, the Acer Aspire 5 is a good budget option for most people. While the color scheme is a little boring, the build is surprisingly rugged. Our tester was surprised by its “solid, durable feel.” The keyboard is nice, too. It has a spacious layout, which is perfect for longer typing sessions. Performance is fast enough for general-use tasks like writing emails and browsing the web, but that's about it. If you're shopping around for a solid everyday laptop that won't break the bank, the Aspire 5 is definitely worth a look.
8. Acer Swift 3X
The Acer Swift 3X is both speedy and lightweight, an ideal choice for the college student who's always on the go. The higher-tier configuration we reviewed has an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, an Intel Iris Xe Max discrete GPU (with 4GB of LPDDR4X memory), 16GB of memory, and 1TB PCIe NVMe of SSD storage. But the real star of the show is its 14-inch 1080p IPS display, which shines at a bright 300 nits, according to our review. We managed to squeeze out 12+ hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can definitely expect this laptop to last through multiple classes.
9. Swift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6)
From stellar performance to the lightweight form factor, the Acer Swift X has a lot to offer. In addition to handling content-creation tasks, it can also run a few lightweight games as well. However, its biggest strength is its battery life. Despite the power-hungry internals, the Swift X's battery lasted more than 12 hours in our tests. Depending on your use, you won't need to go hunting for an outlet all that much. It's perfect for college students.
10. HP Envy x360 15 (2021) eu0097nr
The HP Envy x360 15 (2021) has an attractive design, decent internals, and a wide selection of ports. The unit we tested came equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. For ports, you're getting two USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 2.0, and a full-sized SD card slot. In our review, we liked the keyboard quite a bit, saying “the keys give off a satisfying tactile bump and they actuate even if you hit just the corner of a key with your fingernail.” In other words, you don't need to worry much about accidental keypresses.
11. Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is affordable and offers good performance for the price. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor is fast enough for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing. It makes a good productivity machine, which is perfect for college. According to our review, the laptop “remained comfortably cool and quiet while juggling multiple apps, browser tabs, and downloads.” It's also pretty versatile in terms of what you can do with it. You can prop it up like a tent and watch movies or flip the screen around and use it like a tablet. Overall, it's a good value. You're getting good performance, punchy audio, and a convertible touchscreen.
12. Aspire Vero
The Aspire Vero is affordable and fast enough for general use. The review unit we tested has an Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of memory, and 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 of SSD storage. While the internals are pretty good. the most unique thing about the Vero is that it's made out of PCR plastic, which makes it one of the few environmentally friendly laptops out there. While we dig how eco-friendly it is, the exterior's got a textured design that takes some getting used to. The keyboard is also springy and the 1080p non-touch display produces crisp images. The one downside is its short battery life. In our review, we managed to eek a measly seven hours out of the three-cell battery.
13. HP Chromebook x2 11 da0023dx
Ah, folio-style laptops. While some may find them cumbersome to deal with, our reviewer really liked this one. The HP Chromebook x2 11 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. The tablet's aluminum chassis feels rugged and like it'll last quite a while. The detachable keyboard took some getting used to, but ended up being fine for long typing sessions. The rear plate, which transforms into a kickstand that holds up the tablet, connects to the back of the tablet via magnets. The reviewer found the connection to be both clean and strong. As for the performance, it's about what you'd expect out of a Chromebook. It's zippy enough for everyday tasks like browsing the web and so on.
14. Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5
The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a good mid-range laptop. It's fast enough for web browsing, editing documents, and so on. That said, it can “feel taxed by demanding tasks.” When our tester opened up multiple tabs, he noticed a sag in performance. The port selection, however, is nice combination of old and new. It has two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. As for the keyboard, our tester liked the “crisp and taut” feel of the keys. Although this laptop is a 2-in-1, it weighs about 3 pounds, which is kind of heavy for a convertible laptop. It may not be the most portable laptop in the world, but at least it has the flexibility to function as a tablet for applications that favor that form factor.
How we tested
The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we've tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn't be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they're Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you'll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.
Windows laptops
- PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
- HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop's CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
- Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
- 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
- Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10's Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.
Chromebooks
- CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook's battery life.
- Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook's web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
- Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
- Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
- Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.
What to look for in a laptop for college
The first thing to consider is budget. How much are you willing to spend on a laptop? If you're working with an inflexible budget, Chromebooks are a good option. They're affordable and designed to handle everyday tasks like writing papers, working on spreadsheets, and so on. Chromebook prices can range anywhere from $200 up to $1,000. If you want to spend a bit more, laptops with convertible touchscreens (otherwise known as 2-in-1s) offer a great deal of functionality. You can flip the screen around and use it like a tablet or prop it up like an easel for watching movies.
If you've got a jam-packed schedule, you'll probably be running from class to class with very little downtime in between. That's why we recommend a laptop with a long-lasting battery. We recommend something that'll last 7 to 10-plus hours on a single charge, unless you want a notebook that can play games on the side—gaming laptops are notorious for their shorter endurance, even during everyday tasks. That 7 to 10 hours is a good figure if you plan on taking your laptop with you everywhere.
Things like navigating your e-mail or watching Netflix will require more RAM. We recommend springing for 8GB of RAM or more. 4GB of RAM is fine and good for web browsing and basic office work, but 8GB is better for having more tabs open and whatnot. Plus, applications like Google Chrome and Spotify tend to eat up a lot of RAM. Most people can get by with 4GB in a pinch if you're on a tight budget, but you won't be able to multitask as much.
The final thing is a decent keyboard. In college, you're going to be spending a lot of time typing. Depending on your personal preference, you may want either a full or short travel keyboard. Mechanical keyboards, for example, normally have longer travel. This helps prevent accidental keystrokes. The keys also give a lot of tactile feedback, as they bounce back after they're pressed down.
For more specifics regarding the hardware you want inside your laptop, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on how to buy a budget laptop without getting screwed, as well as our broader cheatsheet on what to look for in a laptop CPU and GPU.
Ethereum’s Final Tesnet Went Public: Will The Merge Be Here Soon?
Ethereum seems to be totally committed to its plan this year as the full upgrade to Proof-of-Stake gets close. Marius van der Wijden, one of Ethereum’s core developers, announced in a post on March 10 that the final testnet had gone public. The testnet is a blockchain version that allows developers to experiment with new [...]
The post Ethereum’s Final Tesnet Went Public: Will The Merge Be Here Soon? appeared first on Blockonomi.
The best Windows backup software
We need backup software for our PCs because our storage drives won't last forever. Backup software covers our butts when our primary drive finally up and dies.
It would be nice if Microsoft itself provided Windows users with something like Apple's Time Machine: an effective, set-it-and-forget-it, total system recovery and backup solution that requires little interaction or thought on the user's part.
Instead, Microsoft delivers a mishmash of restore points, recovery discs, file backup, and even the un-retired System Backup (Windows 7), which was probably originally put out to pasture for its propensity to choke on dissimilar hardware. Online backup services are another option, but desktop clients tend to offer far more flexibility.
Plenty of vendors have stepped in with worthy alternatives, and while none are quite as slick or transparent as Time Machine, some come darn close—and many are free. Read on for our top picks.
Updated March 11, 2022 to include our review of Retrospect Solo, an extremely versatile backup program that takes extra measures to guard against ransomware.
1. R-Drive Image 7 – Best overall
R-Drive Image has always been a favorite of ours—a low-resource-consuming product that was ultra-reliable in creating backup images of partitions and disks. But it didn't have as much polish as Acronis's backup program (below) and wasn't as feature rich. That has changed with this latest version, which now has a more modern, user-friendly interface and more versatility in the types of backups you can perform.
2. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office – Best overall runner-up
There's a reason Acronis is renowned in the world of backup software. Cyber Protect Home Office (previously named Acronis True Image) is capable, flexible, and rock-solid reliable. Indeed, it's easily the most comprehensive data safety package on the planet.
Besides offering unparalleled backup functionality that's both robust and easy to navigate, it integrates security apps as well, which protect against malware, malicious websites, and other threats using real-time monitoring.
3. Retrospect Solo
The latest version (18.5) of this stalwart Windows backup program is every bit as feature-packed at we'd expect. It even adds an interesting pre-backup file scanning to root out anomalies before overwriting your previous backup—a nod to emergence of ransomware as a concern. It's got a bit of a learning curve, but once familiar, Retrospect Solo delivers the goods.
4. Cobian Backup 11
If you can overlook its very old-school aesthetic, Cobian Backup is freebie that capably takes care of file backups, and can even run the same backup task to multiple destinations. It doesn't offer any system imagining functionality, so you'll need another solution for that.
5. Iperius Backup
There is a lot to like about Iperius Backup. It offers an impressive degree of versatility and performance, even if its UX is a bit befuddling at times. A single license is a modest $32 per year; and the free version is worth using for lighter PDF duties.
6. Backupper 6 Standard – Best free option
Among the free programs we tested, Backupper Standard wins primarily because it has the most features, including imaging, file backup, disk cloning, and plain file syncing, plus multiple scheduling options. This was the case with Backupper 4, and the latest version has only added more options, making it a surprisingly well-rounded free offering. We hit a few performance snags with less-conventional system setups, but for the average user, it should perform as expected.
7. CloudBerry Backup Desktop
CloudBerry is a good solution for a mixed storage scenario—i.e., you want to back up data from various sources to various destinations. It's also highly configurable. But it's not as user friendly as some of the other popular solutions. Luckily there's a free version you can try out before plunking down any cash.
8. IvyBackup
IvyBackup sports a clean look, and saves in common Zip and VHD formats. However, it didn't check if there was enough space for its image backups, which caused some unlogged failures.
What to look for in backup software
As with most things—don't over-buy. Features you don't need add complexity and may slow down your system. Additionally, if you intend to back up to a newly purchased external hard drive, check out the software that ships with it. Seagate, WD, and others provide backup utilities that are adequate for the average user.
File backup: If you want to back up only your data (operating systems and programs can be reinstalled, though it's mildly time- and effort-consuming), a program that backs up just the files you select is a major time-saver. Some programs automatically select the appropriate files if you use the Windows library folders (Documents, Photos, Videos, etc.).
Image backup/Imaging: Images are byte-for-byte snapshots of your entire hard drive (normally without the empty sectors) or partition, and can be used to restore both the operating system and data. Imaging is the most convenient to restore in case of a system crash, and also ensures you don't miss anything important.
Boot media: Should your system crash completely, you need an alternate way to boot and run the recovery software. Any backup program should be able to create a bootable optical disc or USB thumb drive. Some will also create a restore partition on your hard drive, which can be used instead if the hard drive is still operational.
Scheduling: If you're going to back up effectively, you need to do it on a regular basis. Any backup program worth its salt allows you to schedule backups.
Versioning: If you're overwriting previous files, that's not backup, it's one-way syncing or mirroring. Any backup program you use should allow you to retain several previous backups, or with file backup, previous versions of the file. The better software will retain and cull older backups according to criteria you establish.
Optical support: Every backup program supports hard drives, but as obsolescent as they may seem, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs are great archive media. If you're worried about optical media's reliability, M-Disc claims its discs are reliable for a thousand years, claims that are backed up by Department of Defense testing.
Online support: An offsite copy of your data is a hedge against physical disasters such as flood, fire, and power surges. Online storage services are a great way to maintain an offsite copy of your data. Backup to Dropbox and the like is a nice feature to have.
FTP and SMB/AFP: Backing up to other computers or NAS boxes on your network or in remote locations (say, your parent's house) is another way of physically safeguarding your data with an offsite, or at least physically discrete copy. FTP can be used for offsite, while SMB (Windows and most OS's) and AFP (Apple) are good for other PCs or NAS on your local network.
Real time: Real-time backup means that files are backed up whenever they change, usually upon creation or save. It's also called mirroring and is handy for keeping an immediately available copy of rapidly changing data sets. For less volatile data sets, the payoff doesn't compensate for the drain on system resources. Instead, scheduling should be used.
Continuous backup: In this case, ‘continuous' simply means backing up on a tight schedule, generally every 5 to 15 minutes , instead of every day or weekly. Use continuous backup for rapidly changing data sets where transfer rates are too slow, or computing power is too precious for real-time backup.
Performance: Most backups proceed in the background or during dead time, so performance isn't a huge issue in the consumer space. However, if you're backing up multiple machines or to multiple destinations, or dealing with very large data sets, speed is a consideration.
How we test
We run each program through the various types of backups it's capable of. This is largely to test reliability and hardware compatibility, but we time two: an approximately 115GB system image (two partitions), and a roughly 50GB image created from a set of smaller files and folders. We then mount the images and test their integrity via the program's restore functions. We also test the USB boot drives created by the programs.
These 5 Platforms Will Help You Conveniently Manage Your Crypto Portfolio
The post These 5 Platforms Will Help You Conveniently Manage Your Crypto Portfolio appeared first on Coinpedia - Fintech & Cryptocurreny News Media| Crypto Guide
As mainstream interest in cryptocurrency grows, it becomes essential for users to manage their portfolios well. Even when investing in a handful of currencies, keeping tabs on their price-performance remains critical. Several platforms and tools make it easier to do so, although they have different approaches to achieving this goal. CoinStats Having access to your …
Qenetex Announces the Solutions for Global Exchange and Security
Dubai, UAE, Mar 11, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Qenetex presents innovative solutions for secure and decentralized storage of funds. Security is guaranteed by the personal signature generated and encrypted on the owner's device. The Qenetex platform is designed to help connect blockchains, services, and tokens together, thus simplifying cryptocurrency management and making the crypto world more accessible to a broader audience.
What are the main advantages of Qenetex?
When someone makes an exchange on one of the major exchanges, they can see only one price and are limited by the list of tokens that the platform supports. Qenetex works differently, connecting more than 100 exchanges and providers worldwide, both decentralized and centralized. Within 2 seconds, the Exchange Search Engine analyzes big data from all over the global market and finds the most profitable exchange routes. At the same time, users do not need to spend time understanding how the exchanges work since the engine algorithm operates automatically.
Another problem Qenetex helps solve is commissions, namely high transaction and gas commissions. Firstly, Qenetex allows users to create multi-transactions, in which they can add as many recipients as they need in one block and pay only a one-time commission, saving on fees considerably. Secondly, the Qenetex team is working on the technology of gasless transactions called GTX that will enable users to pay a gas commission in the same token they transfer. Consequently, it will remove the need to hold specific tokens for commissions and eliminate risks of frozen funds due to the lack of thereof.
Finally, while the majority of wallets and exchanges take commissions for trading or buying/selling cryptocurrency as a company profit, our team decided to change the approach. We have created a model where users can return part of their commissions as cashback or even earn on transactions. It is possible due to the open protocol, where all users can transfer assets into the smart contract, providing funds for the operation of gasless and cashback rewards programs. Users who provide assets in the smart contract will receive cashback rewards from all transactions made with the exchange engine.
Payment gateway
Qenetex combines all services into one solution and creates a payment gateway, based on an open smart contract with the Qenetex token (QEX), to help businesses. The token is used inside the ecosystem, creating liquidity for exchange and cashback and assisting the distribution of rewards between the users.
The payment gateway is designed to be quickly and easily integrated into any application, game, store, or marketplace to sell hosting, music, tickets, real estate, etc. Any business owner can easily create an account, take a small technical script, instantly integrate it, and sell goods or receive payments directly from buyers. At the same time, all cryptocurrencies can be exchanged for fiat using our ecosystem.
About the company
Qenetex is an innovative platform that is based on decentralization technology and designed to serve as a bridge between digital assets and financial services. It allows users to securely store their funds in the non-custodial wallets, easily exchange them with the help of the Exchange Search Engine, and save on commissions through in-build features.
At the moment, the Qenetex team is working on expanding the platform and creating the entire ecosystem of various services (including Buying/Selling feature, MultiTrade, Launchpool, aggregated DeFi and NFT services, and full banking functionality), united in one simple and intuitive interface.
Social Links:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Qenetex
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Qenetex
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/Qenetex/
Telegram: https://t.me/Qenetex
Medium: https://medium.com/@Qenetex
Media contacts:
Company: Qenetex
E-mail: media@qenetex.com
Website: https://qenetex.com
SOURCE: Qenetex
Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
Reef Launches NFT Team Focused on Graffiti and Electronic Music Artists
PRESS RELEASE. Reef, a layer 1 Substrate based blockchain for DeFi, NFTs, and gaming, announced today it’s launching a new NFT division focused on connecting with graffiti and electronic artists while scaling up it’s blockchain to be more NFT-friendly. In the last two months, Reef has been working behind the scenes to kickstart its contribution […] Latest Intelligence
