At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros High transfer speed Compact design Many upgrade options HDMI connection Cons High price Increased power Consumption Our Verdict Even in its factory configuration, the QNAP TS-264-8G is an extremely fast NAS server for the 2.5GbE network. At the same time, it also commands a correspondingly high purchase price for the empty housing. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Qnap Turbostation TS-264-8G Retailer Price $439 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G network storage is a high-priced NAS enclosure for the home and home office. Nevertheless, the two-bay NAS server enjoys great popularity. We get to the bottom of the reasons in this review. Features: Plenty on offer ex works Two components immediately stand out on the QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G NAS system: The Intel Celeron N5095 processor with four cores and a clock speed of up to 2.9GHz. It comes with the graphics unit — Intel UHD Graphics — and is optimized for multiple, simultaneous tasks. It also comes with 8GB of RAM (DDR4 SODIMM). This ample RAM configuration can be expanded to 16GB with a second 8GB module — that’s quite a statement for a home server. In addition to classic 3.5-inch HDDs, the two hard drive bays can also accommodate the narrower 2.5-inch versions or SSDs. The QNAP TS-264-8G also offers flexible upgrade options: Thanks to the two M.2 slots, the network storage can be expanded with NVMe SSDs. They can be configured as caching accelerators, but also as additional storage space. A PCIe 3.0 slot is also integrated, which can be used to further expand the network storage using the manufacturer’s own expansion cards — for example, to add a 10GbE LAN port or additional NVMe SSDs. You can’t upgrade much more in this NAS class. QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G: There are many interfaces on the back of the housing. There is even a slot for a PCIe expansion card.Foundry There is a USB 3.2 Gen2 port on the front of the case, which is equipped with a copy function. At the rear, there is a standard USB-A port, two USB 2.0 ports, and one HDMI port. The HDMI port is intended to simplify virtualization applications by allowing a display to be connected so that the NAS system can then be used like a computer. Two 2.5GbE LAN ports round off the extensive features. The two Ethernet ports can even be combined via link aggregation. High output power of the QNAP TS-264-8G Even without upgrade options, the QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G NAS server proves to be powerful in the tests. Two NAS HDDs are used — more precisely the 3.5-inch Seagate Ironwolf ST4000NE001 models with 4TB capacity each, which are configured in a Raid 1 network. We only use one of the two 2.5 gigabit LAN ports for this purpose. Even the benchmark runs with NAS Performance Tester result in data transfer rates that are absolutely impressive: The QNAP model writes the 8,000MB package at a good 247MB/s and reads it at almost 285MB/s. It is even faster with smaller data packets — in the 400MB run, for example, with almost 252MB/s writing and a good 296MB/s reading. What is not self-evident: The high performance is confirmed in the practical runs. When copying the 4K film Tears of Steel back and forth, the QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G network storage achieves a good 223MB/s in writing and 261MB/s in reading. In both cases, these are new records in the test field. A good 42MB/s is also a top result when writing our 2GB backup. The TS-264-8G also ranks near the top with over 103MB/s when backups and films are written simultaneously. Uncomplicated setup You don’t need to be a NAS specialist to set up the QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G NAS server. The 3.5-inch HDDs can be attached to the holders without tools using clips. The network storage can be easily identified in the home network using the free Qfinder Pro tool, which you can download from the manufacturer(www.qnap.com/qfinderpro). In the test, the device is recognised as “Server not yet initialised”. As soon as you click on the notice, the commissioning process starts with basic steps such as firmware version check, account creation and time zone selection. You can also specify here whether you want to access the NAS system via automatic or static IP. As always with QNAP, you will receive a summary of the settings made before initialisation starts. Once the firmware has been installed, you will find a guide to the next steps on the right-hand side of the screen. For example, you create the storage pool, specify the raid mode and determine the snapshot storage allocation. Again, there is a summary before the storage pools are created. This takes time – it is best to give the NAS server time overnight. After that, specify your volume(s). The firmware interface of the QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G NAS server provides direct access to important areas such as the control panel.Foundry QTS firmware: Clear, with many apps You make the NAS settings in the QTS firmware. It is graphically organized — as is now the case with most NAS manufacturers. QNAP is known for its extensive app store — here called the App Center. This can be used to add additional features. For example, you can load media servers such as Plex, Minim, or Kazoo onto the NAS, but also protect the device against malware. The QTS firmware is comprehensive and offers all the important settings. Central areas such as “Storage & Snapshots” are located directly on the interface and can be accessed quickly — similar to the NAS competitor. Special feature: With this network storage, you can even switch to the QuTS hero operating system, which is particularly suitable for mixed storage consisting of HDDs and SSDs thanks to the ZFS file system. However, switching requires at least QTS version 5.2.1. Environment and health As always with 2.5GbE network storage, the power consumption is higher than with comparable 1GbE NAS systems. In the case of the QNAP TS-264-8G, we already notice this in the test when only HDDs are in the system. During operation, the measuring device shows up to 33.7 watts. And even in idle and sleep mode with 26.5 and 16.8 watts, the higher energy consumption is noticeable. The fact that the device still draws 1.9 watts when switched off is no longer very significant, although this value is also comparatively high. Even if the temperature in the housing rises under load, the air control works well, as the values remain in the green range throughout the test. QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G: Test results and technical data QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G : Test resultsTested firmware versionQTS 5.2.7.3297UHD movie write / UHD movie read (MB/s)223.40 / 261.41Backup write (MB/s)42.43Copy UHD film and write backup (simultaneously) (MB/s)103.53NAS performance tester: 100 MB write / read (MB/s)253.80 / 294.39NAS performance tester: 400 MB write / read (MB/s)251.67 / 296.11NAS performance tester: 8000 MB write / read (MB/s)247.31 / 284.89Installation / control panel / buttonsSimple / LEDs only / yes (copy)Changing the hard drive / changing the hard drive during operationWithout tools / yesStatus messages viaSignal tone / e-mail / SMSPower consumption: Idle / sleep mode / load / off26.5 / 16.8 / 33.7 / 1.9 wattsTemperature: Idle / load22 / 28.5 ° CelsiusOperating noise: Idle / loadQuiet / mediumDimensions (W × D × H) / weight (unequipped)113 x 228 x 170 millimetres / 1.6 kilograms View QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G at Amazon QNAP Turbostation TS-264-8G: FeaturesNumber of hard drive bays / built-in disks2 / 0Ports: USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen2) / USB 2.0 / network / anti-theft protection2 / 2 / 2 / yesFile system(s)EXT4Memory: available / upgradeable8.192 MB DDR4 / yesProcessor (clock speed)Intel Celeron N5095 (Boost 2.9 GHz)Jumbo Frames SupportYesEncryptionYesScope of deliveryPower supply unit, power cable, LAN cable (1 ×), 6 × and 8 × screws (2.5 inch, SSD), Info Extended Warranty, Quick Installation Guide, Limited WarrantyIncluded programmesQfinder Pro (Download)Server services: FTP / Print / Webserver / WebaccessYes / no / yes / yesMedia server via: DLNA / UPnP-AV / iTunesYes / yes / noRaid modes: 0 / 1 / 5 / 1 5 / Matrix / JBODYes / yes / no / no / no / yesIPV6 compatibleYes / yesInstallation of 2.5-inch HDD/SSD possibleYesExtrasSlot for PCIe 3.0 expansion card (5/10GbE), 2 × M.2 slotsInternetwww.qnap.com/deWarranty from the manufacturer36 months Read...

For today’s professionals, video editing is no longer a specialist craft reserved for post-production teams. It’s a daily tool—used by marketers shaping campaigns, educators building courses, founders pitching ideas, and creators publishing across platforms at speed. The challenge isn’t a lack of powerful tools. It’s finding software that delivers that power without slowing everything down. Wondershare Filmora V15 is built for professionals who want the best of both worlds: serious capability and frictionless usability. It doesn’t ask users to compromise. Instead, it brings advanced tools into a workflow that feels fast, intuitive, and surprisingly fluid. A smarter way to work, from the first click Filmora V15, from Wondershare, is anchored by a simple idea: professionals should spend time creating, not managing software. That philosophy comes to life in AI Mate, Filmora’s integrated AI assistant. Rather than forcing editors to dig through menus or tutorials, AI Mate responds to natural language commands—helping users generate content, find tools, refine audio, or adjust visuals instantly. It also acts as an intelligent guide, explaining features and workflows in context, right when they’re needed. For professionals juggling deadlines, this kind of responsiveness isn’t a novelty—it’s a productivity advantage. Wondershare AI that feels production-ready, not experimental Filmora V15’s AI upgrades go well beyond surface-level automation. With major foundational algorithm optimizations, the platform now integrates advanced models like Nano Banana Pro, Sora 2 and Veo 3.1, bringing serious generative power into a practical editing environment. AI image generation becomes sharper, faster, and more flexible, supporting native lossless output and precise aspect ratios. Text-to-video and image-to-video creation now deliver smoother motion, more realistic action, and stronger narrative coherence—key for professionals producing explainers, concept visuals, or branded content under time pressure. The difference is subtle but important: these tools feel dependable, not experimental. Solving the small problems that slow big projects Professional editing often isn’t about grand creative challenges—it’s about fixing the small issues that interrupt flow. Filmora V15 focuses heavily on removing those obstacles. AI Extend allows editors to seamlessly lengthen clips with text prompt, smoothing transitions and fixing pacing issues without awkward edits or reshoots. Smart Cutout, upgraded with more precise edge detection, makes subject isolation fast and clean, with optional outlines to draw attention where it matters. Together, these tools help professionals stay focused on storytelling instead of technical workarounds. Wondershare Audio control without the guesswork Sound quality is often what separates amateur content from professional output—and Filmora V15 treats audio with the respect it deserves. Loudness Normalization automatically aligns audio levels with platform standards, ensuring consistent volume across YouTube, social platforms, and internal presentations. Audio Gain adds flexible batch processing, making it easy to balance audio from different sources in minutes rather than hours. For professionals, this means fewer revisions, fewer complaints, and content that simply sounds right wherever it’s published. Precision, without intimidation Filmora V15 also introduces tools designed for professionals who care about detail but don’t want complexity for its own sake. The new Pen Tool allows editors to draw motion paths directly on screen, shaping curves, controlling speed, and crafting transitions with precision. Motion design becomes more expressive—and far more accessible. Animated Charts bring data storytelling into the timeline, turning spreadsheets into clean, animated visuals with minimal effort. For marketers, educators, and business teams, it’s a powerful way to communicate ideas clearly and convincingly. Wondershare A professional workflow that stays human Behind its clean interface, Filmora V15 supports advanced workflows typically found in high-end editing platforms: dual timelines, source and timeline previews, subprojects, multi-track audio exports, and AI-powered color matching across shots. Yet none of this feels overwhelming. The tools are there when professionals need them—and quietly out of the way when they don’t. The balance professionals have been waiting for Wondershare Filmora V15 doesn’t try to replace professional creativity with automation. Instead, it removes friction—so ideas move faster, decisions feel lighter, and results look polished without feeling overworked. The Premium version of Wondershare Filmora Video Editor costs just $6.67 a month or $79.99 a year, including 2,000 AI Credits, 100GB of Filmora Cloud Storage and much more. For professionals who demand power but value momentum, Filmora V15 hits a rare sweet spot: advanced editing that feels natural, efficient, and genuinely enjoyable to use. Watch how you can create engaging content with minimal effort on the Wondershare Filmora Video Editor YouTube channel. Read...

The Apple Mac Mini is aimed at users who are looking for a compact desktop computer for everyday use, business, and multimedia, but do not want to compromise on performance. Thanks to its small housing, it can be used flexibly, for example on the desk, in the home office or in the living room. Typical for Apple is the close integration of hardware and macOS, which is reflected in performance and smooth processes. The M4 Apple Mac Mini is currently available on Amazon for just $479. That’s 20 percent off the usual $599 price. So if you order directly from Apple, you pay significantly more. The Mac Mini M4 is extremely popular, with over 10,000 orders in the last month alone, making it the number 1 bestseller among Mini PCs. And our colleagues at Macworld adores the beefier M4 Pro version of the Mac Mini they reviewed. What the Apple Mac Mini M4 has to offer Under the bonnet is Apple’s M4 chip with a 10-core CPU consisting of four performance and six efficiency cores, as well as a 10-core GPU. The system is supported by 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This configuration is primarily designed for everyday tasks, productive work, multimedia applications, and light creative work. The Mac Mini remains true to its lineage as a particularly compact computer. With dimensions of 5 inches by 5 inches and a height of 2 inches, it takes up hardly any space and weighs just 1.5 pounds. This means it can easily be placed under a monitor or in small work environments without dominating your workspace. Bestselling Mac Mini M4 for only $499 There are two USB-C ports with USB 3 support and a 3.5 millimeter headphone connection on the front. Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet are available at the rear. 10 Gigabit Ethernet is also available as an option. This makes the Mac Mini suitable for both modern peripherals and wired networks. You can operate up to three monitors simultaneously, including resolutions of up to 6K or even 8K at 60 Hertz (if only 2 monitors are connected). This also makes the Mac Mini interesting for multi-monitor setups in the work environment. This is complemented by extensive video and audio functions, including support for common HDR formats, Dolby Atmos and numerous audio and video codecs. For users in the Apple ecosystem, collaboration with iPhone and iPad also plays a role. Content can be copied across devices, messages can be answered and Facetime calls can be made directly on the Mac. Why the offer is worthwhile At the current price of $479, the Apple Mac Mini M4 is positioned well below MSRP and only just above the previous lowest price during Black Friday week. Between the compact design, the modern M4 platform, and the solid core specifications, you’ll be very satisfied with the price-performance ratio. If you’re looking for a powerful, space-saving desktop computer for everyday use and can get by with the basic configuration, the Amazon offer is a significant saving compared to Apple’s price. Bestselling Mac Mini M4 for only $499 Read...

Nitrates have to be removed before the treated water can be discharged into the environment. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Serious performance Good battery life Excellent webcam and mic Long warranty Cons Expensive 4GB of VRAM puts many local AI models out of reach NPU too slow for Copilot+ PC features Our Verdict HP’s ZBook 8 G1i is a capable professional workstation with fast performance, good thermals, and an unusually long warranty. But this machine can’t run many AI workflows. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: HP ZBook 8 G1i 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 HP ZBook 8 G1i is a high-end workstation laptop designed for professional workloads: CAD, 3D modeling, and video editing. It’s priced to match, too. At an eye-watering price of $5,755, this machine seems priced with enough margin to allow big discounts to businesses procuring a fleet for their employees. As I wrapped up this review, HP was offering it at 61 percent off — a price of $2,199. With a three-year warranty, a bundled Windows 11 Professional license, a fast Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU, workstation-class Nvidia graphics, and plenty of RAM and storage, that sale price seems fair for a professional tool like this one. But HP’s promises of “pro-level graphics designed for advanced AI workflows” fall a little flat here. While this machine has Nvidia graphics that can run local AI features in professional apps, this isn’t the ideal AI workstation PC. Both the GPU and NPU hold it back in AI workloads. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Specs The HP ZBook 8 G1i is available in a variety of configurations, both in 14-Inch and 16-inch models. The 16-inch review model HP let us borrow had an Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a dual-GPU setup with a workstation-class discrete Nvidia RTX 500 Ada GPU and integrated Intel Arc Pro 140T graphics. The 16-core Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU is based on Intel’s Arrow Lake architecture with a max speed of 5.3 GHz, and it delivered CPU and overall system performance that wowed in our benchmark suite. The RTX 500 Ada GPU here is an entry-level GPU designed for workstation PCs, including CAD software and lightweight AI tasks. Professionals get certified drivers for use with software like AutoCAD, with a promise of greater stability. This machine is not intended for gaming, and the RTX 500 Ada GPU here only has 4 GB of VRAM. So, while HP talks up this machine as an AI workhorse, the lack of VRAM means it isn’t ideal for heavy local AI tasks that need a lot of VRAM, including running larger local models and fine-tuning them. Quite frankly, the AI story is the weakest part of this machine. With a slow Intel NPU that doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features and an Nvidia GPU with only 4 GB of VRAM, people looking for an “AI workstation” would do well to look elsewhere. For running local LLMs, a consumer GPU with 12GB of VRAM or more would be ideal. If you download LM Studio, you’ll discover that only the smallest models will run on a GPU like this one. You’re getting a professional GPU intended for CAD applications that can do some lightweight work with AI-accelerated features in professional apps — as long as they don’t need much video RAM. Model number: HP ZBook 8 G1i C01CTUA#ABA / BQ2Z7AA#ABA CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265H Memory: 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 500 Ada and Intel Arc Pro 140T NPU: Intel AI Boost (13 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 5 MP webcam Connectivity: 3x USB Type-C (2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 20Gbps), 1x USB Type-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio jack, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x security lock slot Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 77 Watt-hours Dimensions: 14.13 x 9.84 x 0.76 inches Weight: 3.87 pounds MSRP: $5,755 as tested ($2,199 on sale) If you’re looking for a fast professional workstation, the HP ZBook 8 G1i fits the bill. Just don’t pay $5,755 for it. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Design and build quality Foundry / Chris Hoffman The 16-inch HP ZBook 8 G1i has a metal chassis. Weighing just under four pounds, it’s a reasonable weight for a laptop of this size and capability. It’s not the thinnest machine, but the cooling works well. The CPU here posted high marks in our benchmarks. The thermals are excellent: In a long-running CPU-heavy task like the Cinebench benchmark we perform, the fan whirs away, keeping the CPU running cool. It’s not unusually loud even at high performance levels. For professionals looking for high performance on CPU-heavy workloads, this machine’s CPU performance will outmatch many high-performance “gaming PCs” that spend their performance budget on a faster GPU and opt for a slower CPU. The design is standard for a laptop: A blue or gray-tinged silver color that HP calls “Meteor Silver” combined with a black bezel around the display. The hinge feels solid, and the machine is easy to open with one hand. The metal construction feels premium. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Keyboard and trackpad Foundry / Chris Hoffman The 16-inch HP ZBook 8 G1i has a large keyboard that feels responsive, with a number pad and keys that are reasonably snappy. The trackpad is large, smooth, and clicks down with a pleasantly rubbery, bouncy feel. Both the keyboard and the trackpad here are quiet, which would make them a good fit for an office environment or coffee shop. (Many consumer laptops have surprisingly loud keyboards and trackpads, and they wouldn’t be ideal to type on in an office or in a meeting room with your boss.) HP ZBook 8 G1i: Display and speakers Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a display designed for a business laptop. The 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display here looks good, but the 60Hz refresh rate is standard and doesn’t go above and beyond on the pixel density. With up to 400 nits of brightness and an anti-glare coating, it stays nicely readable in challenging lighting environments with direct sun or overhead fluorescent lighting. The display is designed for long battery life and readability, not high-end gaming and multimedia tasks. HP offers other models with higher-end displays — for example, you can get a 3840×2400 IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness on some models. But that will negatively impact battery life. The lower-end display delivers better battery life. The HP ZBook 8 G1i’s speakers get surprisingly loud for a laptop, if you want them to be. Unfortunately, there’s not much bass. At high volume levels, the highs in songs like Steely Dan’s Aja can become somewhat shrill and fatiguing. This machine’s speakers are likely optimized more for speech and meetings. Set at 50 percent volume, this laptop was about as loud as many other laptops I’ve used. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The HP ZBook 8 G1i’s 5 MP webcam is unusually good, which is what I’d hope to see in a high-end laptop designed for work. Even on a cloudy winter day in New England, the ambient light coming through the window in my office resulted in a clear, crisp image without much visual noise. The microphone setup here is also impressive: It picked up my voice with a good amount of vocal depth and canceled out background noise. Cheaper laptop mics often sound “tinny.” This machine is an excellent choice if you take part in a lot of online meetings. HP included multiple biometrics options on our review model: Both an IR camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint reader at the top-right corner of the keyboard tray. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Connectivity Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a good selection of ports. On the left side, it has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a combo audio jack. On the right side, it has a third USB Type-C port (20Gbps), a USB Type-A port (5Gbps), a RJ-45 Ethernet port, and a security lock slot. It’s great having USB Type-C ports on both sides. As the laptop charges via USB Type-C, this means you can plug the charging cable into either side. That’s always great to see on a laptop. It’s a capable loadout of ports, especially with Ethernet — a critical business port. And our review model supported both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, although the hardware on different ZBook models varies. HP also offers an optional external nano SIM slot on some models, so you can connect this laptop to cellular data. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Performance The HP ZBook 8 G1i flew in day-to-day desktop tasks. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU here is fast, and this machine’s thermals are set up to let it run hard without slowing down under load. With 32GB of RAM and a fast 1TB SSD, the machine is set up for high performance in professional apps. As always, we ran the HP ZBook 8 G1i through our standard benchmarks. Foundry / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. The HP ZBook 8 G1i delivered an overall PCMark 10 score of 9,171. This is a CPU-focused benchmark where the GPU is less important, but the SSD and overall system performance come into play. This is higher overall system performance than many gaming laptops I’ve reviewed, and the ZBook can deliver it over extended periods of time with a fan that isn’t all that loud. This alone will make this machine a great option for many professionals. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With a multithreaded score of 7,534, the HP ZBook 8 G1i again notched serious multithreaded CPU performance that outmatched many other laptops. Foundry / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This forces the laptop’s cooling to kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The HP ZBook 8 G1i completed the encode process in an average of 783 seconds — that’s just over 13 minutes. It’s an unusually good score and shows the machine’s thermals are well-designed. It can deliver serious performance for extended periods of time under load. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, and the GPU will generally be used for GPU-based professional apps and perhaps accelerating some local AI tasks. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 6,053, we see where the raw GPU performance falls: More comparable to an older RTX 3050 Ti GPU than a newer 50-series GPU. But you don’t buy a workstation-class GPU for raw gaming performance. You buy it for the stability and certified drivers for apps like AutoCAD and SolidWorks. Overall, the HP ZBook 8 G1i delivered amazing performance in the kind of professional apps you’d be running on a machine like this one. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Battery life The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a sizable 77 Watt-hour battery. Intel’s Arrow Lake CPUs are more focused on performance than battery life, but the power-efficient display and sizable battery deliver solid battery life for a workstation. Foundry / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat 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 HP ZBook lasted for about 14 and a half hours before suspending itself. It should get you through a full workday away from an outlet, if you like. But you’ll need to plug the laptop in to get the best performance from the hardware, anyway. What you end up with is a laptop that can last away from an outlet when it needs to. The battery life is solid for this hardware. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Conclusion The HP ZBook 8 G1i knows exactly what it is: A portable workstation for professionals complete with high-end CPU performance, a long warranty, workstation-class Nvidia graphics, a generous amount of RAM, and a big SSD. And HP knows exactly how to price it: While $5,755 seemed extreme, the fact that the machine was already 61 percent off when I finished reviewing it shows how ready HP will be to cut the price to something reasonable. If you’re looking for a fast professional workstation, the HP ZBook 8 G1i fits the bill. Just don’t pay $5,755 for it. Read...

Over the past few years at LDShop, we’ve been watching something subtle but important happen in the background of the games industry. On the surface, it’s the same mix of new seasons, fresh banners, and limited-time events—but underneath, the way players pay, the tools they use, and the risks they face have all started to shift. Drawing on what we see in our own data, combined with public reports from payment providers and security researchers, we’ve identified a few key trends that are quietly reshaping how global top-ups actually work in 2025 and beyond. Shifting player spend patterns Players aren’t exactly tightening their belts; they’re just spending in a much more scattered way. That’s the clearest thing we see, looking at LDShop’s orders every day. On the surface, the market still looks healthy. In 2024, global games revenue sits at around $187.7 billion, up about 2.1% from the previous year. PC and console together make up roughly half of that, while mobile remains the single biggest slice of the pie. So the crowd of people willing to pay for games is still growing. The market hasn’t exploded, but it definitely hasn’t shrunk. LDShop What has really changed is how that money is sliced up. Not long ago, plenty of players had “one main game”. You’d lock into an MMO, a big gacha, or a favourite sports title, and most of your money went there: big bundles, expansions, season passes. Now it looks very different. One month of spending might be: a pity chase in a gacha RPG a battle pass in a competitive or sports game a couple of event packs in another title plus one or two ongoing subscriptions quietly renewing in the background Once spending is spread out like this, “Where do I top up?” stops being a one-off question. It turns into, “Which place am I okay using across all these games, all year?” That’s why aggregators like LDShop or Razer Gold keep showing up in comparison posts: one login covers multiple titles, regions, and denominations. Instead of rotating between four or five unfamiliar stores, people lean toward a single platform that fits into their existing routine. The thinking has shifted from “How much can I shave off this one order?” to “Over a whole year of small purchases, how do I keep costs and hassle under control?” When you look at it on that timescale, multi-game platforms naturally have an edge over the old model of “one official store plus a random mix of third-party sites”. Digital wallet shift The bigger change, though, is in how people pay. By 2022, digital wallets already handled close to half of global e-commerce transaction value. In China, mobile and digital wallets made up about 67.3% of e-commerce payments in 2023, with Alipay and WeChat Pay leading the charge. In the US, roughly 72% of consumers were using services like PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App in 2023, and that share is still creeping up. If you think about your own day, it makes sense. Food delivery, ride-hailing, streaming, online shopping – it’s all wallet-based now. Pulling out a physical credit card for a small cross-border game top-up almost feels old-fashioned. Banks don’t love those transactions either: they’re low value, foreign, and often flagged as risky. People run into extra one-time passwords, random declines, or “please call the bank” moments. After that happens a few times, they simply stop using that card for games. LDShop has been built around that reality from the start. The goal is simple to say but tricky to execute: global game coverage, local payment habits. That doesn’t just mean pasting more logos on the checkout page. In Taiwan, for example, LDShop supports LINEPay, MyCard and can issue local e-invoices. In Russia, players can conveniently pay using ??? (SBP) and Tinkoff Pay. The point is that when a player reaches checkout, the experience should feel like any other familiar local e-commerce site, not like learning a new financial product from scratch. And that familiarity matters more than any “fast and secure” tagline. When people see payment options they already use for groceries or transport, the decision to reuse the same platform next time becomes almost automatic. Escalating account threats As volumes grow, risk has stopped being a niche concern and turned into a daily one. You don’t need insider data to see it. Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report mentioned blocking roughly 450 million cyber-attack attempts per day, with a notable share pointed at digital goods, small payments, and login credentials. For attackers, small game top-ups are ideal: frequent, cross-border, and historically lighter on verification — a pattern that also explains why even a few basic security tweaks can make a noticeable difference for everyday users. The problem is that the damage rarely stays small. A compromised payment method or account can link out into other games, platforms, and cards. So the question “Is this top-up channel safe?” is no longer a throwaway line. It has become a very real issue that can directly affect account reputation, virtual assets, and even the exposure risk of your payment methods. When users choose a platform now, they’re looking much more closely at how much information they have to hand over, how transparent the platform’s processes are, and whether real-world cases and resolution records exist for them to reference if something goes wrong. In this environment, LDShop’s strategy is to put itself in a position where it can be examined, rather than limiting users to one-way official messaging. We keep our Trustpilot page open and active, where the platform currently holds a 4.8/5 rating with around 2,800 reviews. The feedback isn’t a wall of perfection—it looks like a real operating business: Some users highlight stable pricing, fast delivery, and the fact that they don’t have to hand over their game passwords. Others point out that there can be slight delays during peak periods, or that extra checks may be needed when risk controls are triggered. To many players, that mix feels more like a real business than a sales brochure. Things mostly work; sometimes they don’t; and there’s a transparent history of both. Combined with LDShop’s connection to the LDPlayer ecosystem, it paints a picture of a long-term operation rather than a fly-by-night site that could vanish or rebrand overnight. Real trust doesn’t come from saying “we are safe” in a banner. It comes from giving people enough information to decide for themselves what level of risk they’re comfortable with. Choosing trusted platforms: LDShop LDShop So, what actually drives the choice of a top-up platform now? Most players are quietly managing a small personal bundle of games and launchers. Almost nobody wants to learn a new payment flow every time they chase a limited banner or renew a battle pass. Saving a small amount on one order feels less exciting if it comes with extra verification steps, dispute emails, and a nervous chat with the bank. From what we observe, people are effectively rating platforms on four broad axes: 1. CoverageDoes this place support the few games and regions I truly care about, all in one account, or only look impressive on a long list? 2. Fit with daily payment habitsCan I pay the same way I already pay for other online services, or do I have to dig out a rarely used card or method just for this? 3. Comfort around security and frictionAre the rules consistent? Is sensitive data kept to a minimum? Do I get hit by random checks every other purchase? 4. Outside reputationAre there public reviews, discussions, and past cases that I can look up in a few minutes, beyond whatever the platform says about itself? LDShop’s place in that landscape is fairly clear. We’re backed by the LDPlayer brand, we position ourselves as a global professional top-up platform with clear product lines (UID direct recharge, gift cards, game cards) on our official site, we work to make local payment and invoicing feel like normal e-commerce, and we put our reputation on public platforms knowing it will be scrutinized over time. For LDShop, the key has always been on the user’s side: everyone’s game library, payment habits, and risk tolerance are different. The more useful question is not “who is the cheapest for this one transaction,” but rather: “which platform can I rely on month after month without thinking twice?” LDShop’s aim is straightforward — to be the go-to top-up service players trust all year, no matter the game or device. Read...

TL;DR: Windows 11 Pro brings modern security, smoother multitasking, AI tools, and a fresh UI—and it’s only $9.97 for a limited time. There’s upgrading your operating system—and then there’s finally leaving Windows 10 behind now that Microsoft has officially stopped supporting it. If you’ve been putting it off, this deal makes the timing almost impossible to ignore: Windows 11 Pro is just $9.97 (MSRP $199). Windows 11 Pro brings a noticeably smoother, more modern experience from the moment you boot up. The interface feels fresh and clean, multitasking gets a major boost thanks to Snap Layouts and improved desktops, and the built-in security features—like TPM 2.0, Smart App Control, and biometric login—create a far safer environment for work, gaming, and everything in between. DirectX 12 Ultimate takes visuals to a whole new level, squeezing every drop of performance out of your hardware. And for professionals, features like BitLocker encryption, Hyper-V, Azure AD, and Windows Sandbox make Windows 11 Pro feel like a true step up—not just a facelift. Then there’s Copilot, your AI-powered sidekick built right into Windows. It can summarize web pages, help with writing, suggest code, handle settings, and even generate images from your ideas. In short, better security, better features, better workflow—and a price so low it feels like a glitch. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to upgrade, this is it. Get Windows 11 Pro while it’s just $9.97 (MSRP $199) for a limited time. Microsoft Windows 11 ProSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Seamless 180-degree panoramic view Reliable PoE connection No subscription required for smart features Cons Requires PoE switch or a PoE-capable NVR to operate Slight lens distortion near frame edges No cloud storage option Our Verdict The Annke FCD800 delivers sharp panoramic coverage, smart detection, and solid deterrence at a great price, making it an easy recommendation for anyone who needs to monitor a large area with a single, reliable camera on a tight budget and has the required infrastructure in place (or plans to add it). Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Annke FCD800 Retailer Price $94.99 View Deal $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Not long ago, panoramic security camera coverage required installing multiple units and you’d still end up with blind spots. Then dual-lens models came along and promised to fix that by stitching two views into one wide shot. The results haven’t always been pretty, though, sometimes producing visible seams, awkward distortions, and mismatched lighting in the stitched-together image. Annke’s new FCD800 aims to change that. This 8-megapixel power-over-ethernet camera (PoE) blends the feeds from its two lenses into a seamless 180-degree view, offering a viable replacement for multi-camera setups. Design and features The FCD800 is a turret-style camera housing two wide-angle lenses side by side (it’s also available in a bullet form factor for the same price). The metal camera enclosure is attached to a plastic mount, and connects via power-over-ethernet (PoE), in cable carries both electrical power and data. A separate mounting bracket allows both wall and soffit placement, making it easy to position the camera for full yard or driveway coverage. The Annke FCD800’s high-resolution image sensor produces a wide, detailed panorama without the visible stitching that plagues some dual-lens cameras. It’s rated IP67 for protection from the elements—meaning it’s dustproof and can withstand immersion in up to one meter (about 3.3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes—it’s built to handle year-round exposure. Its industrial look won’t blend into every home’s exterior, but it suits garages, side yards, and any scenario that prioritizes function over subtlety. Want to know about IP codes? Check out TechHive’s IP code guide. Each of the camera’s two 1/2.4-inch CMOS sensors captures video with 4096×1860-pixel resolution. These are stitched into a continuous 180-degree panoramic image without the warping or fisheye effect you often get from single-lens wide-angle cameras. Nighttime performance is handled by a smart hybrid lighting system that uses both infrared and white LEDs. The FCD800 automatically switches between these two light sources based on the available ambient light, providing up to 30 meters of illumination. According to Annke, that’s about a 50-percent jump from the FCD600’s 20-meter range. In full darkness, it can run in discreet IR mode or switch on the white lights to flood an area with color night vision. The FCD800 stitches footage from two seaparate lenses into one seamless panoramic image. Annke Annke’s Motion Detection 2.0 adds AI to that wide field of view. The system can distinguish between people and vehicles, ignoring distractions like swaying branches or passing animals. If the camera does spot trouble, it can double as a deterrent with a built-in active defense system that combines a 97dB siren, flashing white strobes, and custom voice warnings that can be triggered automatically by motion or manually from within the app. The FCD800 gives you several storage options. A built-in microSD slot supports cards up to 512GB, enough for several days of continuous recording depending on bit rate and motion settings. The camera also works with Annke NVRs and other ONVIF-compatible recorders, letting you integrate it into a broader PoE system. If you prefer network storage, you can point the camera to a NAS. It appears Annke hasn’t introduced a subscription service for this model, so recording is strictly local. Setup and performance Setting up the FCD800 takes a little more planning than a typical Wi-Fi camera, but the process is simple once you understand how PoE works. Instead of plugging into a wall outlet, the camera gets both power and data through a single ethernet cable. That cable connects to a PoE switch or a PoE-capable NVR, which supplies electricity and network access at the same time. (If you prefer, you can power the camera with a 12V DC adapter, but you’ll still need to hardwire it to your router with an ethernet cable—it doesn’t have an onboard Wi-Fi adapter). It’s a clean, reliable setup that also eliminates worries about weak Wi-Fi signals. The camera connects smoothly to Annke’s own NVR systems, which might be the best bet for newbies, and is managed through the Annke Vision app. Once connected, you’ll scan the bar code sticker on the bottom of the camera to add it to the app. Then the app prompts you through the steps to connect the camera to your network. Once the camera is added, you can view live video, review a timeline of recorded clips, and manage camera settings in the app. The interface is clean and responsive, and the connection remained solid in my testing. A built-in microSD slot supports cards up to 512GB, enough for several days of continuous recording. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Video from the FCD800 looks crisp and evenly exposed. The high-resolution image sensor produces a wide, detailed panorama without the visible stitching that plagues some dual-lens cameras. I did notice a little curvature near the edges of the frame, a mild lens distortion from the ultra-wide lenses. It’s common with panoramic cameras and most noticeable when the camera is aimed sharply downward as mine was. Mounting it level with the horizon keeps this to a minimum. The hybrid night lighting was impressive, as well. In IR mode, you get strong black-and-white visibility, with decent edge sharpness and minimal flare. Switch to the white LEDs and the scene fills with bright, balanced color. You can choose one or the other let the camera’s intelligence decide which to use on the fly. The camera’s AI detection is pretty accurate distinguishing people and vehicles from background motion. I didn’t receive any nuisance alerts during my testing, but if you find environmental activity is triggering the camera, dialing back sensitivity or shrinking the detection zone in the app usually solves it. You’ll want to make sure these settings are tuned optimally for your environment because the camera’s active defenses get attention. The siren is loud—97 decibels is enough to startle anyone nearby—and the strobe flashes are hard to miss. They’ll quickly wear on your neighbors’ patience if they misfire frequently. The Annke Vision app gives you access to live video, a timeline of recorded clips, and camera settings. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Should you buy the Annke FCD800? At $139.99, the FCD800 delivers a lot for the money. It’s a great fit for anyone who wants to cover a wide area like a driveway or yard without juggling multiple cameras. You’ll need a PoE connection, so be sure to factor in that cost if you don’t already have the required hardware (a router or ethernet switch that supports PoE, a PoE injector, or a PoE-capable network video recorder). If you’re OK with that, it’s a solid, no-nonsense upgrade that performs as advertised. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras. Read...

Scrolling through Instagram while watching TV? Now, you can veg out on Instagram reels on your TV, provided you’re an Amazon Fire TV user.  Available now on select Fire TV players and TV sets, Instagram for TV marks the arrival of a native Instagram app on the big screen, just a few months after the ubiquitous social app finally made the leap to iPad.  Instagram for TV is focused on Instagram reels, with the app organizing reels into personalized channels “based on your interests,” including music, sports, travel, trending, and more.  Click on a channel, and the reels with start playing with full sound, allowing you to “lean back and watch without having to scroll for what’s next,” Meta said in a press release.  The new Instagram for TV app supports up to five accounts, and you’ll also have the option of creating a separate Instagram account just for TV viewing.  Aside from searching for Instagram creators, the app (which is still in an “early” testing phase) will let you like specific reels as well as browse for comments and reactions. Other features being considered include using your phone as a remote, shared feeds with friends, and more “intuitive” ways to “channel surf,” according to Meta.  Since Instagram for TV is designed to be viewed on a big screen in a shared environment, the reels played on the app will “generally follow the PG-13 rating system,” while teen accounts will get additional safeguards.  For now, the Instagram for TV app will work only in the U.S. and only on “select” Fire TV devices, including the Fire TV Stick HD, Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (1st and 2nd generations), Fire TV 2-Series, Fire TV 4-Series, and Fire TV Omni QLED Series.  The app should land on other devices and in other countries “as we learn from this test,” Meta said.  Instagram isn’t the first social app to make the jump to big screens. Tik Tok already has an app for Android TV, Samsung, and LG TVs.  It’s also possible to mirror Tik Tok—and Instagram, for that matter—on your TV from your Android or iPhone, via either Chromecast or Apple’s AirPlay casting protocol. Read...

The Picochess chess program already has a long and storied history behind it—something you should be aware of if you’re looking to download and use it to play chess with on Raspberry Pi. After years of development, version 1.0 was released in 2019, but only offered minor improvements compared to 0.9N. This was followed by version 2.01 at the beginning of 2020 and 3.0 towards the end of the year. Version 3.3 has been available since May 2024. You can download these newer versions at github.com/tosca07/picochess. However, this is only Picochess. To be able to use the tool, you must first set up the Raspberry Pi OS operating system. The prototype of the upcoming version 4 of Picochess has also been available without Raspberry Pi OS since May 2025. Anyone looking for ready-made images with Raspberry Pi OS and Picochess on the web will almost inevitably end up on github.com/jromang/picochess. However, the last change there was more than six years ago—so it’s not recommended. Not much is happening elsewhere either: for example, the “DGT Pi Chess Computer” with integrated Raspberry Pi comes with the ancient Picochess version 0.9L. On the DGT website there is only a reference to a YouTube video explaining how to update to a more recent version. A poor service. However, if you have to do it yourself, there are better ways. Instead of paying around $400 for the DGT Pi Chess Computer, you can use a Raspberry Pi and a DGT-3000 chess clock for around $100. Or you can build your own chess computer by giving the Raspberry a touchscreen. It’s also possible to play with the Raspberry on a tablet as Picochess has an integrated web server. Enter the IP address that your router has assigned to the Raspberry. If a touchscreen is connected directly to the desktop version, the address is 127.0.0.1. Picochess 3.3 Desktop and Lite As of September 2025, there are two 3.4 versions of Picochess—a desktop and a lite version. The desktop version is, as far as Picochess is concerned, the same, but unlike the Lite version, it has a desktop environment and some extra software. Picochess desktop: Apart from the graphical user interface and a few other programs, there are hardly any differences to the Lite version. The Lite version is therefore ideal for Raspberry Pis without their own display.Foundry The Lite version is ideal for older Raspberry Pis, such as the 3 series models. Both images can be downloaded from the Picochess Google group, each on the current Bookworm version of Raspberry Pi OS. The image of the Lite version is 5.7GB in size (unpacked 10.5GB), that of the desktop version 7.1GB (unpacked 16 GB). You should use at least a 32GB micro SD card for the desktop version, as otherwise no further updates are possible. You should also create a larger swap file on a Raspberry with less main memory. Writing the image to the SD card There are several ways to write the image to the micro SD card. First install the Raspberry Pi Imager (under Ubuntu) with sudo apt install rpi-imager Then open Raspberry Pi Imager. Select the Raspberry model and the entry Use custom as the operating system at the bottom. Then select the previously downloaded and unzipped image file, followed by your SD card and Next. RPI imager: The image is selected here, which is then written to the SD card. At the bottom of the list is the entry “Use custom”. This allows you to select a ready-made image that already contains the chess program.Foundry In the next step, edit the settings. On the “Services” tab, switch off Enable SSH. Under “General”, uncheck Hostname and Set username and password. Then set up the Wi-Fi (“Configure Wifi” with SSID, password and Wi-Fi country) and specify the language settings. Save the settings and then select Yes in the next dialogue window and the one after that. Under Ubuntu, you must then enter the root password to start the write process. You can then start the Raspberry Pi with this image. After booting, the partitions are enlarged to cover the entire SD card. If you have set up WLAN, you will have to wait a little longer due to a compatibility problem. The system will shut down again and you’ll need to unplug the power cord briefly to restart. The Raspberry Pi restarts several times. Finally, the desktop image appears (or a prompt in the Lite version). The user name is “pi” and the password is “picochess”. Marginal: The web server of the desktop version looks a little different from that of version 3.3, but the difference is negligible. Foundry Changes in the “picochess.ini” At the prompt—in the desktop version in a terminal—change to the “/opt/picochess” directory. There, edit the file with nano picochess.ini The content is very well explained and you only have to change a few things. Set the standard playing time below the “Time selection” line. Change the line “board-type = dgt” to board-type = noeboard if you want to play against the engine via the web server. There are also many other options. For example, you can send yourself games by e-mail or have Picochess automatically check for updates. Just have a look at the “picochess.ini” file. Menu navigation: Use the arrow keys as well as ” ” and “-” to navigate quickly or slowly through the Picochess menu. Foundry Other engines The image contains box64 and Wine to be able to use x86 Linux and Windows chess engines. This requires a 4k pagesize kernel on a Raspberry Pi 5. If you don’t have a Pi 5, you can remove the entry “kernel=kernel8.img” with sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt (“#kernel=kernel8.img”) and then reboot the computer with sudo reboot There are two folders under “/opt/picochess/engines/ aarch64”: “linux64” and “windows64”. One folder is for x86_64-bit Linux systems, the other for Windows chess engines, which do not run as reliably. The freely available versions of Komodo Dragon, Komodo 14.1, and Stockfish run on both Windows and Linux. You must first download the Komodo engines from the homepage and add them to the appropriate folder. Set the files to executable and adjust the required entries in the “favorites.ini” in the aarch64 folder. There are ini examples in the corresponding directories. Read...