Umbrellar Technology Group won the 2025 Pax8 MVP Infrastructure Award for APAC, recognising its leadership in cloud and AI solutions across New Zealand and the region. Read...

AMD’s hardware teams have tried to redefine AI inferencing with powerful chips like the Ryzen AI Max and Threadripper. But in software, the company has been largely absent where PCs are concerned. That’s changing, AMD executives say. AMD’s Advancing AI event Thursday focused on enterprise-class GPUs like its Instinct lineup. But it’s a software platform you may not have heard of, called ROCm, that AMD depends upon just as much. AMD is releasing ROCm 7 today, which the company says can boost AI inferencing by three times through the software alone. And it’s finally coming to Windows to battle Nvidia’s CUDA supremacy. Radeon Open Compute (ROCm) is AMD’s open software stack for AI computing, with drivers and tools to run AI workloads. Remember the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 debacle of a few weeks back? Without a software driver, Nvidia’s latest GPU was a lifeless hunk of silicon. Early on, AMD was in the same pickle. Without the limitless coffers of companies like Nvidia, AMD made a choice: it would prioritize big businesses with ROCm and its enterprise GPUs instead of client PCs. Ramine Roane, corporate vice president of the AI solutions group, called that a “sore point:” “We focused ROCm on the cloud GPUs, but it wasn’t always working on the endpoint — so we’re fixing that.” Mark Hachman / Foundry In today’s world, simply shipping the best product isn’t always enough. Capturing customers and partners willing to commit to the product is a necessity. It’s why former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer famously chanted “Developers developers developers” on stage; when Sony built a Blu-ray drive into the PlayStation, movie studios gave the new video format a critical mass that the rival HD-DVD format didn’t have. Now, AMD’s Roane said that the company belatedly realized that AI developers like Windows, too. “It was a decision to basically not use resources to port the software to Windows, but now we realize that, hey, developers actually really care about that,” he said. ROCm will be supported by PyTorch in preview in the third quarter of 2025, and by ONNX-EP in July, Roane said. Presence is more important than performance All this means is that AMD processors will finally gain a much larger presence in AI applications, which means that if you own a laptop with a Ryzen AI processor, a desktop with a Ryzen AI Max chip, or a desktop with a Radeon GPU inside, it will have more opportunities to tap into AI applications. PyTorch, for example, is a machine-learning library that popular AI models like Hugging Face’s “Transformers” run on top of. It should mean that it will be much easier for AI models to take advantage of Ryzen hardware. ROCm will also be added to “in box” Linux distributions, too: Red Hat (in the second half of 2025), Ubuntu (the same) and SuSE. Roane also helpfully provided some context over what model size each AMD platform should be able to run, from a Ryzen AI 300 notebook on up to a Threadripper platform. Mark Hachman / Foundry …but performance substantially improves, too The AI performance improvements that ROCm 7 adds are substantial: a 3.2X performance improvement in Llama 3.1 70B, 3.4X in Qwen2-72B, and 3.8X in DeepSeek R1. (The “B” stands for the number of parameters, in billions; the higher the parameters, the generally higher the quality of the outputs.) Today, those numbers matter more than they have in the past, as Roane said that inferencing chips are showing steeper growth than processors used for training. (“Training” generates the AI models used in products like ChatGPT or Copilot. “Inferencing” refers to the actual process of using AI. In other words, you might train an AI to know everything about baseball; when you ask it if Babe Ruth was better than Willie Mays, you’re using inferencing.) Mark Hachman / Foundry AMD said that the improved ROCm stack also offered the same training performance, or about three times the previous generation. Finally, AMD said that its own MI355X running the new ROCm software would outperfom an Nvidia B200 by 1.3X on the DeepSeek R1 model, with 8-bit floating-point accuracy. Again, performance matters — in AI, the goal is to push out as many AI tokens as quickly as possible; in games, it’s polygons or pixels instead. Simply offering developers a chance to take advantage of the AMD hardware you already own is a win-win, for you and AMD alike. The one thing that AMD doesn’t have is a consumer-focused application to encourage users to use AI, whether it be LLMs, AI art, or something else. Intel publishes AI Playground, and Nvidia (though it doesn’t own the technology) worked with a third-party developer for its own application, LM Studio. One of the convenient features of AI Playground is that every model available has been quantized, or tuned, for Intel’s hardware. Roane said that similarly-tuned models exist for AMD hardware like the Ryzen AI Max. However, consumers have to go to repositories like Hugging Face and download them themselves. Roane called AI Playground a “good idea.” “No specific plans right now, but it’s definitely a direction we would like to move,” he said, in response to a question from PCWorld.com. Read...

Your PC can now see what you’re looking at on the screen, if you choose to let it. Copilot Vision is now generally available for users in the United States, Microsoft said Thursday. Copilot Vision sort of replaces the kinds of how-to articles, TikToks, and short videos you turn to when you need help. Basically, it “looks over your shoulder” at your PC’s screen when you (orally) ask it a question, and it walks you through what you need to do. Copilot Vision debuted at Microsoft’s 50th anniversary party at its headquarters in Redmond, and later was released into Microsoft’s Insider channels, where I was able to go hands-on with Copilot Vision, with middling success. With certain applications, like Photoshop, the app was able to direct me to a specific menu and commands when I needed help editing a photo. But it completely fumbled the ball with basic recognition on apps like Microsoft’s venerable Solitaire. Now, Microsoft is promising that Copilot Vision is more fully baked. Two things have improved since I tested it: First, it can visually highlight what you need to click or do, making it easier to find that command or shortcut. Second, you can now use it in two different applications at once. Microsoft’s original demo of Copilot Vison envisioned it as, among other things, a Minecraft coach.Mark Hachman / Foundry Copilot Vision is part of Copilot, and needs to be turned on. You then need to specify what applications you want it to “see.” Unlike Windows Recall, which periodically takes snapshots of your screen, Copilot Vision has no long-term memory. In my tests, it saw what I saw — if I scrolled to the bottom of a web page, it didn’t see or remember the top. It’s not clear how it will see two applications — a split screen, maybe? It’s easy to call Copilot Vision “AI,” but it’s not clear if it fits the classical definition. Microsoft implied that the technology requires the use of an NPU, but the company’s blog post announcing Copilot Vision’s release made no mention of any hardware requirements. In my tests, I first used a laptop with an older Core Ultra Series 1 processor with just a handful of TOPS. It ran extremely slowly, with Copilot reacting after 10 seconds or more. With a more modern Copilot+ PC, Copilot Vision was pretty snappy. Will Copilot Vision be met with the same distrust as Recall? It might. But its built-in limitations might reassure those who worry that it’s just another iteration of spyware. For me, it just wasn’t that effective. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Powerful chip that brings the Switch 2 up to the level of a PS4 (Pro) Better frame rates and faster loading times Useful improvements such as HDR and 4K support Light and handy despite larger screen Cons Low battery power No OLED screen and therefore no real HDR in handheld mode Console edges are slightly sharp-edged and uncomfortable Our Verdict The Nintendo Switch 2 is a smart and meaningful upgrade, offering better graphics, faster load times, and modern features like HDR. But weaker battery life, an LCD screen, and a high price make it more suitable for hardcore fans than casual players. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Nintendo Switch 2 officially launched on June 5th and aims to win over both longtime fans and newcomers. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Nintendo has opted to modernize the familiar concept of the original Switch. With significantly better hardware and detailed improvements, the Switch 2 feels like a thoughtful upgrade. But much like the PlayStation 5 Pro, the big question remains: Is it worth it and who is it really for? We break it down in our review. Nintendo Switch 2: A big boost in performance This time around, Nintendo installed more powerful hardware in the Nintendo Switch 2. Together with Nvidia, Nintendo installed a specially customized processor and GPU, which together deliver around ten times more power than the original Nintendo Switch. Both old and new titles benefit from this and now run more smoothly and with shorter loading times, even if not always at 60 fps. While titles such as Mario Kart World definitely reach the golden frame rate mark, other titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 are even more demanding, which means they tend to run at 30 to 40 FPS. However, the fact that Cyberpunk runs so well on the Switch 2 is a success in itself. And even with games like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the higher FPS figures work wonders to significantly enhance the gaming experience. The use of DLSS plays a large part in making such performance possible on the Switch 2. Nvidia’s upscaling technology can generate more frame rates with the help of AI. However, image artefacts do occur from time to time as a result of the AI calculation, but these usually occur in the background and aren’t noticeable. The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with the console itself, two joy cons, a controller holder, the docking station and a power supply unit including charging cable.Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry In terms of resolution, the Switch 2 now delivers 1080p in handheld mode, which also ensures that you can feel a significant improvement in quality. In TV mode, however, it depends on the game which resolution is possible. While titles such as Mario Kart World run natively at 1440p, other games are only upscaled to this value. For the first time it’s possible to upscale titles up to 4K resolution. This is a significant improvement compared to the first Nintendo Switch, which reached a maximum of Full HD. This is remarkable, especially as the Switch 2 also supports HDR, which makes for really beautiful scenes in TV mode. Nintendo has also given the Switch 2 a full 256 GB of internal memory, which is significantly more than the meagre 32 GB of the first Nintendo Switch or 64 GB of the OLED Switch. This should give most people enough space to transfer their game library (or fill it with new titles). If required, the memory can also be expanded with a microSD card. Incidentally, not all microSD cards are now compatible with the console. With the Switch 2, the memory card must fulfil the microSD Express standard. The Nintendo Switch 2 is larger than its predecessor, and also larger than the OLED Switch (not pictured).Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry In terms of battery life, the Nintendo Switch 2 takes one step forward and two steps back. Even though the battery now delivers 5220 mAh instead of 4310 mAh, the battery life is noticeably shorter due to the higher performance. For demanding games, the console lasts just two hours, which can be a major disadvantage when traveling. At best, the console lasts six and a half hours, which is still not too much. The Nintendo Switch OLED, by comparison, managed four and a half to nine hours of battery life. So if you often play in handheld mode, you’ll get significantly less playing time here. Of course, this is less relevant in docked mode on the TV, but it still feels like a step backwards. The Switch 2 makes perfect sense as an upgrade, as it delivers many improvements that Nintendo titles urgently need… Unfortunately, the Switch 2 has not become a must-have despite some useful improvements. Nintendo Switch 2: Build quality and handling As usual from Nintendo, the workmanship of the Nintendo Switch 2 is of a very high standard. Everything looks very high-quality and the console feels really good in the hand, despite the larger form factor. Not much else has changed compared to the first Switch. In terms of design, the Switch 2 is very well done.PC Welt / Foundry The joy cons are also very similar, apart from the fact that they are now magnetically attached to the console. This works very well. However, be careful not to accidentally pinch a finger because that hurts like hell. If necessary, the joy cons can either be released at the touch of a button or you can pull them off directly with a little force. This is only recommended if you have a firm grip on the console, otherwise it will quickly end up on the floor. Conveniently, it’s also possible to put the joy cons on upside down. They then work just as well and the console simply rotates with them. Apart from that, there are only a few changes to the familiar design. The console is less colorful, as there are only a few blue and red accents instead of the completely colored joy cons on the first Nintendo Switch. However, we hope that Nintendo will release a few chic special editions in the future to spice things up a bit. Incidentally, Nintendo has not changed the sticks on the Nintendo Switch 2, which can still lead to the infamous stick drift. An omission that many rightly criticize, as the problem has been known for years. Nintendo Switch 2: The screen falls short We were somewhat disappointed when Nintendo announced that the Switch 2 would only have an LCD screen and not an OLED screen like the Nintendo Switch OLED. This was a real highlight and made games on the console look even more colorful and stylish, not to mention the better contrasts. Although Nintendo has installed a really good LCD screen (which at 7.9 inches is also significantly larger than on the first Switch), it still can’t keep up with a good OLED screen. The colors look good, but in a direct comparison you can tell that the OLED Switch is still ahead. The differences between the Switch 2’s LCD screen and the OLED screen aren’t easily visible, but they exist. The grass looks rich and green in both, though the Switch 2 is weaker in contrast.Foundry Anyone who played with the OLED Switch for a long time will notice the difference. It’s a real shame because Nintendo could’ve simply launched a more contemporary OLED version straight away. This would have at least justified the price of the Switch 2. In dark scenes, the picture lacks depth.Foundry However, the biggest weakness of the LCD screen becomes clear when you realize that one of the Switch 2’s functions is no longer available. This is because the highly praised HDR support is not guaranteed in handheld mode. While it’s certainly possible to use the technology in TV mode to achieve a wider range of color values and brightness levels, the latter in particular fall completely flat in handheld mode, as independent analyses show. In docked mode, the Switch 2 can receive and output HDR signals, but these simply cannot be displayed on the LCD screen. Ultimately, this means that good black levels and brightness values aren’t possible in handheld mode, especially where games have to support HDR in the first place. This only applies to a handful of titles. The Nintendo Switch 2 may therefore benefit from somewhat richer colors, but when it comes to contrasts, which are only achieved through deep black and white values, it cannot keep up with the almost four-year-old OLED Switch, which is an incredible shame. Nintendo Switch 2: Game lineup highlights At least Nintendo doesn’t let itself down with the selection of launch titles and presents its own releases such as Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza, which will be released in July, to show what the console is capable of. Mario Kart World is probably the Switch 2’s most important launch title.Foundry We’ve already had the chance to test Mario Kart World extensively, and the game looks simply fantastic. The new worlds are lovingly designed, with action happening everywhere on the tracks, and the characters and their animations look great. On some maps, high waves build up when a player’s blue tank crashes into a waterway, players behind can even feel the impact. Elsewhere, you speed over sand dunes, surrounded by sandstorms that impair visibility. Mario Kart also has an open world for the first time on the Switch 2, which is a special innovation for the racing game and probably wouldn’t have been possible on the original Switch. Just like the option to compete with 24 players instead of just 12, which is chaotic but fun. In the new Free Roam mode, you can explore the open game world of Mario Kart World, complete smaller missions and practice for the next race.Foundry In Donkey Kong Bananza, you can unleash your destructive fury and smash most of the map into its individual parts, which then fly around and have to be calculated accordingly by the console. Players who prefer less family-friendly titles will also get their money’s worth. Cyberpunk 2077 is an example of this, appearing directly as a launch title for the Switch 2. Other titles include Hitman, Hogwarts Legacy, Street Fighter, and Yakuza. However, Switch 2 games are notably more expensive. Mario Kart World costs up to $80, for instance. Nintendo will also offer free updates for some games you already own on the original Switch, allowing them to benefit from the Switch 2’s improvements. For other titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, this will require an additional charge (unless you already have the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass). Nintendo Switch 2: GameChat online function The new GameChat function is aimed specifically at online gamers and is designed to allow them to communicate with others directly via the console. No separate microphone is required as this is already built into the console. That said, a camera is required, which Nintendo also offers for for $54.99. GameChat can be selected via the new C button on the Switch 2 joy cons or the Switch 2 Pro controller. You can invite friends to join the chat and then play games like Mario Kart or Mario Party together in online multiplayer, which is a lot more fun as you can also see your fellow players. Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry The implementation of this function still seems rather rudimentary. You do have the option of blurring the background so that only the person themselves is clearly in focus. Even apps like Teams can do this much better. The console also provides little help on how to start an online game with the camera. The noise filtering during the game itself works quite well, which is why you have no problems hearing all participants in the conversation over their game sound. Nintendo has also deliberately chosen to blur the gameplay of the other participants so that you are less distracted. However, the blurred and choppy images are more distracting than less in our eyes. It’s also important to know that GameChat can only be used free of charge until March 31st, 2026. After that, it requires a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. But the real question is: How much added value does GameChat bring? You can just use Discord or Teamspeak for free. This makes it seem like more of a gimmick than a real improvement. Nintendo Switch 2: How effective is mouse control? Another new feature of the Switch 2 is the ability to use the new, magnetic joy cons like a mouse with the help of special sensors. All you have to do is lay the joy cons flat. Although this mouse control works in principle with all games, it’s not always useful. In our preview of the Switch 2, which was created at an event, we were able to try out the function before release and felt it was more of a gimmick than a real selling point. High-caliber titles such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond are said to make particularly good use of mouse control, but the game has not yet been released. Other titles such as Drag X Drive or Super Mario Party: Jamboree are already benefiting from the new technology, but these are only smaller mini-games. After all, shooters like Cyberpunk 2077 or strategy games like Civiliation7 can now be controlled properly on the console. Another use case for the function is the Nintendo eShop itself. Here you can use the mouse control to search for specific titles, which is much more practical than the normal input via the controller. Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry To use the joy cons as a mouse, you need a smooth surface with plenty of space–something not everyone has readily available. According to Nintendo, you can simply place the joy con on your lap, but this doesn’t work in practice. You also shouldn’t have sensitive wrists, especially if you already spend a lot of time on a PC. Your hands rest very uncomfortably on the joy cons when playing, which can lead to fatigue and pain after just a few hours. Nintendo does offer a solution (for an extra charge) in the form of grips where you can place the joy cons to make them feel more like a mouse. However, even this isn’t truly ergonomic and therefore not really recommended. To put it in a nutshell: The mouse control of the joy cons is clear and precise, as it should be. But it’s not a real game changer. It doesn’t turn the Switch 2 into a PC and feels like a quirky idea that offers real advantages for a few select titles, but no major added value overall. Nintendo Switch 2: Specs SpecsValueSize116 mm x 272 mm x 13.9 mm (with joy cons connected)Weight401 g (with connected joy cons: approx. 534 g)DisplayCapacitive touchscreen / 7.9 inch / resolution 1920 x 1080 / LCD screen with wide color spectrum and HDR10 support/VRR up to 120 HzCPU/GPUCustomized processor from NVIDIASystem memory256 GB (UFS)Communication functionsWLAN (Wi-Fi 6) / BluetoothVideo outputMaximum resolution: 3840 x 2160, 60 fpsSupports 120 fps when 1920 x 1080 / 2560 x 1440 resolutions are selectedAudio outputSupports linear PCM 5.1, output via HDMI cable in TV modeSpeakersStereoMicrophoneIntegrated microphone (monaural)ButtonsPOWER button / volume buttonsUSB ports2 USB Type-C portsHeadphone socket4-pin 3.5 mm stereo mini plug (CTIA standard)Card slotBoth Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch software cards can be inserted.microSD Express Card slotOnly compatible with microSD Express Cards (up to 2 TB)SensorsThe acceleration sensor, the gyro sensor and the mouse sensor are located in each Joy-Con 2 controller. The brightness sensor is located in the console.Operating environmentTemperature: 5 – 35°C / Humidity: 20 – 80%Internal batteryLithium-ion battery / battery capacity: 5220 mAhBattery life2 – 6.5 hoursCharging time3 hoursPower consumptionTV modeActive gaming: 19 W*2*3HOME menu: 8 W*3Sleep mode (WLAN is connected, wired LAN connection is not active): 0.5 WSleep mode (wired LAN connection is active): 5 WSwitched off: 0.5 WEstimated annual energy consumption*4: 14 kWh*5 / 50 kWh*6Data according to the manufacturer (Nintendo) Nintendo Switch 2: Conclusion If you’ve been itching to get the Nintendo Switch 2 since it was first announced, you’ve probably already pre-ordered or plan to buy it anyway. The Switch 2 makes sense as an upgrade, with better frame rates, faster loading times, 4K support, and more memory. While it’s not on par with the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, it holds its own. Still, it’s not a must-have. The LCD screen, weak battery, and underwhelming features like mouse mode or game chat hold it back. If you’re unsure, it may be worth waiting for a Lite or OLED model to address its biggest shortcomings. Read...

Vasyl Myroshnychenko says his country is prepared to share hard-won military knowledge and defence technology with New Zealand. Read...

Are you ready for your PC to communicate by light? Don’t hold your breath, unfortunately. But the possibility became more real as the PCI Express Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG) said today that it’s working on a way for future PCI Express communication to take place over optical interconnections. It was a busy day for the PCI-SIG: the standards company announced the final version of PCI Express 7.0 and that it was working on PCI Express 8 (PCIe 8) as well. Meanwhile, PCI Express 6.0 products have a good chance to ship this year, as our other story discusses. Otherwise, you’ll have a while to wait for products based upon PCI Express 7.0. Though the final PCIe 7.0 specification was announced today, the SIG doesn’t expect compliance testing to begin until 2027. The projected date for the PCIe 7.0 integrators’ list is projected for 2028, the SIG said, when the first products will likely roll out. PCI-SIG Technically, PCIe 7 transfers information bidirectionally at 128 gigatransfers per second, without any encoding overhead, using the same PAM4 signaling as PCIe 6. The total bandwidth is 256GB/s across an x16 link. The SIG hasn’t said anything about PCIe 8, but with bandwidth essentially doubling since the 8 gigatransfers/s of PCI 3.0, we can guess that the target will be 256GT/s, or the first terabyte connection (1.024TB/s) in PCI Express history. Using light instead of electricity Essentially, the SIG’s work takes years to migrate to the real world. In the case of silicon photonics, where electricity interfaces with light and vice versa, it can take even longer. The other specification that the SIG announced today, or what it calls the Optical Aware Retimer Engineering Change Notice, may end up as a groundbreaking path for PCIe in and of itself. It amends the PCIe 6.4 as well as the PCIe 7.0 specification to include a PCIe retimer solution, “providing the first industry-standardized way to implement PCIe technology over optical fiber” for switch, root-complex, and endpoint silicon, the SIG said. It’s designed for “AI, cloud, and data center applications.” Retimers can be used to synchronize clocks as the signal moves further and further from the source. That’s a more critical capability in larger data centers, at least for now. Right now, electrical connections still rule the computing world. But Intel has been working on what’s called silicon photonics for at least a decade, and AMD acquired Enosemi in May 2025 to “develop a variety of photonics and co-packaged optics solutions across next-gen AI systems.” Those investments signal that a future based on optical connections may arrive, even if it’s some time off for now. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros High GPU and CPU performance Competitive price for the hardware Mechanical keyboard Lots of high-end touches Cons No HDR for games Copilot key is rather large “Liquid Teal” color scheme may be divisive Low battery life (obviously) Our Verdict The Alienware 16 Area-51 delivers serious gaming performance in an excellent package, complete with a mechanical keyboard and other high-end touches. It’s competitively priced for the hardware, too. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a high-end gaming laptop with a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics, which were both just recently released. It’s a beautiful machine with premium touches like a mechanical keyboard. While it’s no budget gaming laptop, it’s competitively priced compared to other laptops with similar hardware — and Alienware’s version may just be a better package. Alienware 16 Area-51: Specs The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a 16-inch gaming laptop that combines a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU along with an Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU. Our review model had an RTX 5080 GPU, but you can also get this machine with an RTX 5070 Ti or 5090 GPU. While the model we reviewed retails for $3,349, the base model starts at $2,999. That Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is worth highlighting! This Core Ultra (Series 2) processor is based on the Arrow Lake architecture and is screaming fast. In our benchmarks, this machine topped out the charts. However, it has a slow neural processing unit (NPU) and doesn’t meet the bar for Windows 11’s Copilot+ PC AI features, if those matter to you. (Unless this is something you know you care about, I wouldn’t worry about it — especially since Microsoft is signaling it may one day roll out these features more widely. But they aren’t here at launch, and that may matter to some people.) Model number: Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Memory: 32GB DDR5 RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 NPU: Intel AI Boost (up to 13 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 3200×1800 IPS display with 240Hz refresh rate Storage: 1 TB SSD Webcam: 8MP 3840×2160 camera Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C), 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio jack, 1x SD card slot Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello Battery capacity: 96 Watt-hours Dimensions: 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches Weight: 7.49 pounds MSRP: $3,349 as tested This thing looks like it’s about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. Alienware 16 Area-51: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware laptops I’ve reviewed have had solid build quality, and this laptop is no exception. The “Liquid Teal” color has a lid that looks a lot like forest green in some lighting. Dell describes it as “a dark iridescent finish on the anodized aluminum [that] gives the system a dynamic sheen.” At about seven and a half pounds, it’s no thin-and-light laptop, but it is very reasonable for a machine this powerful. With a glowing Alienware logo on the lid, a light bar on the bump at the back, and black used throughout the rest of the machine — including on the keyboard tray and lid, so you aren’t looking at that Liquid Teal all the time — this is very much an Alienware design. I like the look and how the color stands out. It doesn’t look like just another gaming laptop, but you’ll have to decide whether it’s the right look for you. I know not everyone is looking for this type of color scheme, and there’s a reason why so many gaming laptops are a traditional black or a sharp and clean white. IDG / Chris Hoffman On the bottom, there’s a “thermal bump” with gorilla glass that isn’t just about airflow intake: it lets you look inside the bottom of the machine. This is the kind of high-end touch you’ll find on this machine. It does look cool! The anodized aluminum finish does pick up fingerprints a little more than I’d like — something you’ll see in a few of the photos. That’s not unusual, but since we’re talking high-end touches, it’s worth noting. Alienware 16 Area-51: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51’s keyboard is absolutely excellent. Our review unit had a Cherry MX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard. A mechanical keyboard in a laptop is almost unheard of — I think the only time I’ve ever used a mechanical keyboard built into a laptop was when I reviewed another Alienware machine. It’s definitely a tiny bit louder than the usual non-mechanical keyboards, but it’s fairly quiet. There’s not much room to complain, although I will say that many gamers would probably prefer that the Copilot key wasn’t so large. Located just to the left of the arrow keys, it’s bound to get in the way. Sure, it seems laptops must have a Copilot key these days — but why does the key have to be so wide? Luckily, you can disable it or remap it to another function. The laptop’s keyboard also has per-key backlighting you can customize. Even the touchpad is an RGB touchpad that lights up when you touch it — and shortly after, so it’s not on all the time. The touchpad itself feels great to use, with a smooth surface, a crisp mechanical clicking action, and a good position below the keyboard. Alienware 16 Area-51: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51 has a 16-inch IPS display with a QHD+ resolution (that’s 3200×1800) along with a fast 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, Nvidia G-Sync, and 500 nits of brightness. On paper, these are great specs — and they look great in real life, too. It’s an awesome display that makes games look great, and the fast refresh rate and response time are part of what makes it feel so good. Combined with the speedy hardware, this laptop delivered excellent performance in Doom: The Dark Ages, rendering high detail settings at a high frame rate. The downsides are the same ones you see on paper. There’s no support for HDR in games here, and the resolution comes short of 4K. This isn’t an OLED—some people will prefer the more vivid colors of an OLED display, even if it comes with a lower refresh rate or lower response time. But, if you aren’t itching for HDR or an OLED display, I think you’ll be happy with this display. The speakers are also unusually good for a laptop. Many gaming laptops — even expensive ones — cut corners on the speakers. Audio sounded great and punchy in games like Doom: The Dark Ages. Music was unusually good for a laptop, but I’ll be honest: when it came to the clarity of the instruments in Steely Dan’s Aja and the bass in Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, the speakers didn’t wow as much as the other components on this laptop. The experience is always best with a good pair of headphones or external speakers — no surprise there. Alienware 16 Area-51: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Alienware 16 Area-51’s 8MP 3840×2160 camera sounds impressive on paper. And it looks fine in the real world, but it doesn’t wow. Look at a good external webcam. This is more than good enough for online meetings and video chats. But, this being a gaming laptop, I’d plan to get an external webcam if you plan on streaming. There’s no physical camera privacy shutter, which I know many people like to see. The microphone setup also just sounds fine to me — it can pick up clear enough audio, but you won’t be getting the kind of crisp, high-quality audio you would with an external microphone. It’s fine, but you’ll always have a better gaming experience with external audio. When it comes to biometrics, this machine has an IR camera for Windows Hello so you can sign in with your face. As usual on Windows 11 laptops, it worked well. There’s no fingerprint reader here, however. Alienware 16 Area-51: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51 has a solid collection of connectivity options. On the left side, you’ve got a combo audio jack as well as a full-size SD card reader. You’ll find most of the ports on the back — which is where I prefer to see them, as it gets them out of the way of your mouse and minimizes annoying cable clutter on your desk. On the back of the machine, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C) ports, three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a place to plug in the power adapter. Thunderbolt 5 has been missing in action, so it’s impressive to see it at all — although configurations with an RTX 5070 and below get those ports in Thunderbolt 4 form. While it’s always nice to see higher-end hardware, it likely won’t make a difference in the real world. On the other hand, that’s it. If you were looking for an Ethernet port, for example, you’ll have to add it via a dongle. Wireless connectivity is good now that Intel’s hardware has caught up — this laptop supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless standards, and I had no problems with the Wi-Fi. Alienware 16 Area-51: Performance The Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered screaming-good gaming performance, and I was tearing through demons in the just-released Doom: The Dark Ages on the highest “Ultra Nightmare” settings with smooth performance. Dell has a lot to say about the “cryo-tech cooling technology” and this laptop’s increased airflow, quieter fans, and all-around improved cooling performance. While gaming, the cooling worked well, with the keyboard staying reasonably cool and the machine blasting most of the hot air straight out of the back where it won’t bother you. As always, though, we ran the Alienware 16 Area-51 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 overall PCMark 10 score of 8,768, this Alienware machine beat other recent gaming laptops we tested with Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs. It noticeably outpaced the HP Omen Max 16, despite both machines having the same CPU. IDG / 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 Cinebench R20 multi-threaded score of 14,145, the Alienware 16 Area-51 topped out the charts once again, narrowly scraping ahead of the Asus ROG Strix G16 and its AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D. (Although, to be fair, the results are basically within the margin of error here.) 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 Alienware 16 Area-51 completed the encode process in an average of 434 seconds, which is just over seven minutes. The only other machine even within spitting distance was the HP Omen Max 16, which has the same CPU. (HP’s machine was ahead here for some reason, but we can put it down to the margin of error.) The results show just how powerful Intel’s 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU is for multithreaded performance. This thing is a beast. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, getting to gaming performance, we start with a standard graphical benchmark. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 20960, the Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered high performance — coming second to the HP Omen Max 16. Both have the same Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU. Again, this may be the margin of error, or the HP Omen Max 16’s cooling may be a bit more effective. Both machines beat the Razer Blade 16 despite that machine having a faster RTX 5090 GPU. That machine lags in performance, sacrificing it for a sleeker design. This shows how important benchmarks are instead of just on-paper specs! After that, we run the benchmarks built into some standard games. First, we use the benchmark in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to test all the gaming laptops we review. It’s an older game, but it’s a great way to compare graphical performance across different PCs. IDG / Chris Hoffman With an average FPS of 213, the Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered high-end performance and left many similar systems in the dust. Finally, we run the benchmark in Metro Exodus. This is a more demanding game, and we set the benchmark to 1080p resolution at the extreme detail setting. IDG / Chris Hoffman With an average FPS of 92 in this high-end Metro Exodus benchmark, the Alienware 16 Area-51 topped all its competitors — even the Razer Blade with its RTX 5090 GPU couldn’t outpace it, which just goes to show the downsides of packing such powerful hardware into such a thin machine. Overall, the Alienware 16 Area-51 is an absolute monster that squeezes an incredible amount of performance out of its high-end Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU. There’s not much room to improve here — outside of splurging for an upgrade to an RTX 5090 GPU in this machine or getting a desktop gaming PC instead! Alienware 16 Area-51: Battery life The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a gaming laptop designed for maximum performance, not for long battery life. However, Dell has put a huge 96 watt-hour battery in this machine — it couldn’t be much larger or the U.S. Transportation Security Administration wouldn’t allow it on an airplane. IDG / 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 at 250 nits screen brightness until the laptop suspends itself. 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 Alienware 16 Area-51 ran for an average of 253 minutes before suspending itself — that’s just over four hours. It’s lower than some of its competitors, though not by much. And that doesn’t really matter if you’re looking for a beefy gaming laptop to use while plugged into an outlet. In other words, you can use this laptop away from an outlet for a few hours in a pinch, but you won’t want to. Also, it’s worth mentioning that, for serious gaming performance, you need to have the laptop plugged into an outlet anyway. Alienware 16 Area-51: Conclusion The Alienware 16 Area-51 is an amazing 16-inch gaming laptop. Yes, it’s a good amount of money — but it’s competitively priced with other high-end gaming laptops with similar hardware, and you also get an amazing package. I love having a mechanical keyboard in a laptop. If you’re looking for a capable PC with the latest high-end hardware and this fits your budget, you’ll be happy with this machine. It’s excellent. But not everything is for everyone! Be sure to consider what type of display you want — if you want an OLED screen, the HP Omen Max 16 may be a better pick. That greenish “Liquid Teal” may give some people pause, too — I like the look, but I imagine it’s not everyone’s style. It’d be nice if Dell offered multiple color options for this laptop. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Easy to install Excellent app makes the system operation simple Can be used without a subscription Ideal for an apartment or condo Cons Adding enough sensors for a large home can be pricey Users must provide their own microSD card for offline video storage Professional monitoring not available, not even as a paid option Our Verdict The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 is one of the easiest to install and set up tech products I’ve tested, and it does an outstanding job of monitoring a relatively small space. But steer clear if you’re looking for a professional monitoring option, as that’s not on offer. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 Retailer Price $119.99 ($30.00 / Count) View Deal $139.99 ($35.00 / Count) View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 bundles the company’s flagship Camera Hub G3—a Zigbee and Matter bridge—with a door and window sensor, a Motion Sensor P1, and a Vibration Sensor T1 for a solid entry-level security system at a bargain asking price of $140 ($120 street). But before I get too deep into this review, be aware that Aqara does not offer any professional monitoring service, where someone in a central office monitors your security system and can dispatch first responders in the event of a break-in, fire, or medical emergency. While such plans are always paid subscriptions, its absence here will be a deal-breaker for some (Aqara does manufacture a Zigbee smart smoke detector if self-monitoring is all you’re looking for). The Matter-compatible Aqara Camera Hub G3 includes a Zigbee radio and a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. James Barber/Foundry The camera is a pan/tilt model with 340 degrees of pan, 45 degrees upward tilt, and 15 degrees downward tilt. It has a stationary field of view of 110 degrees. While I can’t imagine anyone setting up a smart home hub outside the house, the camera does boast an IP65 weatherization rating. According to our IP code guide, that means it’s impervious to dust ingress and that it’s protected against water projected in jets from any direction. The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 is ideal for a small apartment or condo. Each of the bundled smart home components comes from the factory pre-paired to the hub, so the system works almost immediately after you take it out of the box. Matter compatibility means it can be integrated into any of the major smart home platforms, including Alexa, Apple Home (along with support for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video), and Google Home. There’s also support for Home Assistant, IFTTT, and SmartThings. The hub itself supports the Zigbee smart home protocol, and it connects to your home Wi-Fi network via either 2.4- or 5GHz spectrum (with support for WPA3). Buyers also get up to 7 days of cloud storage for video recordings, 24/7 local recording to a user-provided microSD card, and full remote access, all without paying for a subscription. Aqara’s optional HomeGuardian service offers a more extensive set of features, including up to 90 days of cloud storage for video recordings. Installation and setup Installation was incredibly simple and took less than five minutes. I rotated the camera-hub’s face up to reveal the microSD card slot and inserted one of my own (Aqara doesn’t include one, but the camera can support cards with capacities up to 128GB). You should consider these features when shopping for a microSD card for a home security camera. Once I plugged in the camera, the Aqara iOS app walked me through adding the unit to my home’s Wi-Fi network, and I used its setting to adjust the tracking and alarm capabilities for the preconfigured Home, Away, and Night profiles. The starter kit includes all the basics, but most people will want to buy more sensors for complete protection. James Barber/Foundry Setting up the door/window sensor, vibration sensor, and motion sensor was just as easy. The app offers suggestions as to where to place these devices, and the batteries come preinstalled. Once I pulled out the plastic strips and made the batteries active, each of the sensors was automatically added to the network. Users can activate or disarm any of those profiles from a pane on the app’s home screen. Just below that pane is the live-camera view. Scroll down to see panels that display the status of each of the kit’s four devices. Real-time usage The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 seemed perfect for a small apartment, so I set it up in my home media room. My dog assisted in the testing, playing the role of intruder. Aqara’s app is well made, easy to use, and responsive. James Barber/Foundry Over the course of a couple of weeks, I learned just how much time he spends snoozing on my ottoman. The system alerted me whenever he nudged the door open (triggering the door/window sensor), nudged a cabinet door (doing the same with the vibration sensor), and bolted in and out of the room (thanks to both the camera and the motion sensor). The camera’s 2K video recordings (encoded as MPEG4 files) were clear when the room was lit, and its night vision was equally good when the room was dark. When I had the system in Away mode, the piercing sound triggered by the tripped sensors sent the dog scrambling from the room. Made for expansion If you have exceedingly modest home-security needs, the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 might be all you need; most people, however, will want to avail themselves of the wide variety of compatible add-on products that are also available. And those expenditures can add up quickly. Most people’s homes have both doors and windows, for example, so if you want to monitor multiple entry points, you’ll need to spend $30 for each additional door/window sensor or $20 for each additional vibration sensor. An alternative means of security would be to install a motion sensor in a room with several windows, but then you might not be notified of a break-in until an intruder is already in the house. One motion sensor can substitute for mounting contact sensors on several doors and windows, with the caveat that an intruder will already be in the house when the system gets triggered. James Barber/Foundry You can also go beyond basic home security to build out a complete smart home system by adding the Matter-compatible Aqara Smart Lock U200 ($270), Aqara LED Bulb T2 color LED smart bulbs ($23 each), the Aqara Water Leak Sensor ($20), and/or the Aqara Climate Sensor W100 ($40). You can start with the Y100 kit and expand one sensor or complementary product at a time if you decide you need them. I’m sure I could cover my entire house with an added investment of $200 for additional door/window and vibration sensors, while continuing to depend on my doorbell camera to see what’s going on outside. Users can purchase a HomeGuardian subscription from within the app. If you’re using a single camera, the “limited offer” price is $4.99/month or $49.99/year (marked down from $6.99/month or $83.88/year. HomeGuardian also supports an unlimited number of Aqara cameras for $9.99/month or $99.99/year (marked down from $14.99/month or $179.88/year). With that subscription, you get 90 days of cloud storage for event-triggered recordings (in 2K resolution); plus, logs of security events and camera recordings for the same period. Subscribers in North America and select countries in Europe will also receive security alerts via SMS and email. A 30-day free trial is included with your purchase. Placing these stickers on your windows might deter the casual burglars, but Aqara doesn’t offer professional monitoring, even as a paid option.James Barber/Foundry One of the several things I like about Aqara’s offering is that I don’t think I’ll ever need the HomeGuardian plan after installing a 128GB microSD card in the camera (that’s the max supported capacity, by the way). I get alerts on my phone when anything trips the sensors, so I don’t think I need the SMS/email security alerts that come with that plan. Without the automatic back up of video recordings to the cloud, I might lose the camera footage in a fire or a flood. I don’t think making those backups would be top of mind during that kind of disaster. And if a burglar steals the camera, I won’t have any evidence of the crime to provide the police. So, having a subscription is more than a simple matter of convenience. Should you buy the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100? Aqara has created a bundle that’s incredibly easy to set up and even easier to use. Most users will find they can use the well-designed app with minimal or even no tweaks required.  This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best DIY home security systems. I’ve previously tried a Ring Alarm Pro system, and that experience involved watching a lot of installation guide videos at the beginning and ended up with what seemed like endless tweaks to unreliable door and window sensors. The Aqara sensors have worked exactly as advertised, and the camera’s video quality is excellent. Aqara’s support for Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home means this security setup can grow with an owner’s interest in smart home technology. Anyone who’s taking their first steps into home security will find the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 a strong way to start. Read...

Ancient technologies like Windows XP, Commodore 64, and legacy COBOL programs are still being used for all kinds of critical functions, and here’s another example to add to the list. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still relies on Windows 95 and floppy disks for air travel, though hopefully not for too much longer. NPR reports that the FAA wants to finally bring the United States’ aviation control system up to 21st century standards—and that means getting rid of floppy disks. The legacy storage format is still used in many air traffic control towers, in computers that still run on Windows 95. In some cases, paper flight strips are still used. The 1990s control air traffic in the USA The lives of millions of passengers and crew members depend on software and hardware from the 1990s. Back then, Bill Clinton was still President and Bill Gates was still head of Microsoft. According to the FAA, this antiquated technology is used on about one-third of all flight control systems, and some of these systems are now starting to fail. A recent example is the radar and communication failures that led to significant delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. On top of this, maintaining such old IT equipment requires a lot of money and arcane knowledge. The US Secretary of Transportation now wants a brand new air traffic control system (PDF). So far, there’s been no official word on costs, but it could surpass tens of billions of dollars. The switch to a modern air traffic control system (PDF) could be completed in four years if all goes well, but it does sound like a very ambitious plan. Further reading: Yes, you can still use floppy disks with Windows 11! Read...

Peel High School in Tamworth has upgraded its AV system with Amber Technology, enhancing learning and performance with professional-grade audio-visual tools. Read...