Tech Advisorの April 2021 の目次

Microsoft has unexpectedly launched the Surface Pro 7+, a refreshed Surface Pro tablet with Intel’s 11th-gen ‘Tiger Lake’ processors inside, LTE options and the removable SSD that Microsoft first introduced with the Surface Pro X. Prices begin at £909. Adding the LTE Advanced option essentially tacks on a substantial premium, with the option only available on more powerful configurations whose price begins at £1,129. Neither price factors in a Signature Type Keyboard and Surface Pen, which cost about £149 and £99, respectively. Matte black and platinum colour options are available. The Surface Pro 7+ name is appropriate, as the Surface Pro 7 included Intel’s 10th-gen Ice Lake processors but was otherwise just a spec bump from its predecessor. With the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft is not only upgrading the internal…

CES 2021 may have been virtual, but the event still offered up a trove of PC innovations, and that goes doubly so in the mobile space. Intel, AMD and Nvidia all announced new laptop CPUs or GPUs, which in turn unleashed new generation of cutting-edge notebooks from every major vendor. We’ve already covered our favourite PC hardware announcements on page 11. Beyond specific products, we wanted to highlight some of the most fascinating laptop advances on display during the show. We didn’t see as many wild-and-crazy concept PCs as we normally do at CES – chalk it up to the difficulties of the past year. Nonetheless, several features and trends point to a bright future for notebook buyers, especially if you’re in the market for a gaming PC, as so…

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 is easily its best flagship bargain in years, with the latest flagship Snapdragon processor, a powerful triple-camera array, and a premium look and feel. But if you’re thinking it’s just an updated version of the S20 or even a smaller version of the new Galaxy S21+, there are a few things you need to know before you plunk down £769 to order. 1. THE SCREEN RESOLUTION IS FULL HD+ 1080P Galaxy S buyers are used to getting the very best screens around. The Galaxy S20 brought a 6.2in Quad HD+ 3,200x1,440 Infinity-O Edge display with a pixel density of 563ppi and a 120Hz refresh rate. While the size is the same, you’re not getting all that with the new Galaxy S21. Rather, you’re getting a flat…

Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Insider build adds a significant number of features to Windows 10, including weather and news widgets in the taskbar, new storage settings, and some additional command-line tweaks. They’re all part of Windows 10 Insider Build 21286, released in the Windows 10 Dev Channel. Technically, the features in this build are sample code, and there’s no guarantee that these features will ever come to pass. The ‘news and interests’ taskbar addition looks polished enough, however, that it could potentially be part of a reported UI redesign due to arrive in Windows, known as ‘Sun Valley’. Microsoft will make the new build available to all Insiders who subscribe to the Dev Channel. TASKBAR ADDS ‘NEWS AND INTERESTS’ FEATURE Microsoft already offers two apps within Windows that provide up-to-date…

Price: £899 (inc VAT) from fave.co/3p7yEbt The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 range includes a number of models powered by either Intel’s 10th-gen Core processors, or AMD’s Ryzen 4000 series APUs. Available to buy now, it follows in the footsteps of 2019’s Lenovo Yoga S730, but it’s not a direct successor to that laptop. Designed for mobile workers, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 gives you get plenty of ports for your money, as well as the latest Wi-Fi 6 radios for fast connectivity. Dolby Atmos-tuned speakers mean for those times when you’re not working, you can enjoy superior stereo sound when streaming movies and TV shows. Finally, while the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is not a fully tricked out gaming laptop, or a heavy-duty machine designed for video editing, you do…

Even in a year like 2020, one thing didn’t change in the tech world: Certain devices, technologies, and services shut down. The causes vary, as does the level of regret. Some things we’ll miss; some things we never cared about; and others, we’re glad to show the door. This year, we’re dividing the departed by how much we think most people will actually care. Check out our list below and wave goodbye or good riddance to: Tech we’ll actually miss: Good products we’re sad to lose. You’re still here? Products that died of indifference or neglect. Good riddance: Tech that can’t die too soon. TECH WE’LL ACTUALLY MISS FarmVille Few Flash games hitting end of life deserve their own entry, but few games have ever seized the public imagination like…

If you’re still smarting from the inability to buy AMD’s fantastic Ryzen 5000 CPUs and Radeon RX 6000 GPUs many months after their release, CEO Lisa Su feels your pain but says more products are on the way. “I do want to be very specific, and the main thing I want to say to our fans and enthusiasts is: I get it, I completely understand that there’s a huge desire for more Ryzen 5000 and Radeon 6000 graphics cards,” Su responded during a recent press briefing when asked what she would say to her exasperated customers. Her talk addressed supply issues, Apple’s M1 chip, the impact of tariffs, and whether 16-cores was the limit for consumers. Although AMD’s Ryzen 5000 chips have succeeded in kicking Intel’s Core CPU in the…

If you think judging a product based on what you can see and hear in a jam-packed and noisy convention centre is hard, imagine doing it over a Zoom connection. That being said, these smart home and home entertainment products impressed us despite the limitations of the venue. CHAMBERLAIN MYQ PET PORTAL Wait, three thousand bucks (around £2,200) for a doggie door? You heard right, but Chamberlain’s myQ Pet Portal (pictured) is no cut-rate plastic flap. Rather than a standard pet door that you install in an existing door, the myQ Pet Portal arrives pre-installed in an exterior door manufactured by the doormaking artisans at Kolbe Windows and Doors. The Pet Portal itself boasts doors that slide open like an elevator, while a camera, microphone and speaker sit in a…

Apple isn’t exactly known for its low prices. The iPhone X was the first handset to cost more than a thousand pounds, the wheels for the Mac Pro cost £400, and just last December it launched a £549 pair of AirPods. Heck, it sells a charger that isn’t even very good for £129. But when it comes to its phones, Apple consistently gets it right. It’s true that the most expensive iPhone 12 tops out at £1,399, but for the most part, the iPhone 12 is very attainable, even with 5G and OLED displays across the board. When compared to the top flagship phones of 2020, in fact, the iPhone 12 slides in well under the average premium Android handset. But with the launch of the Galaxy S21, it seems…

Microsoft’s latest version of its Edge browser, in conjunction with Microsoft Bing, are rolling out some intriguing new features as part of the latest Microsoft Edge version 88 update. The most unique: Edge will now show a few new emails when you open a new tab page. Edge 88 offers some nifty new security features, such as the long-awaited password generator. The company has also added some useful personalization and productivity features, including what could be my favourite: the Edge sidebar search function, which is now generally available. Here’s a list of the fun and productive features Microsoft is adding to Edge. SIDEBAR SEARCH: GENUINELY USEFUL While browser sidebars aren’t unique to Edge at all, sidebar search has been thoughtfully integrated within Edge. Highlight a word, and right-click it to…

Price: £1,099 (inc VAT) from fave.co/3mULOHR I’ve had the Mate 40 Pro a month now and I’ve been waiting for a promised software update before writing this review. In the meantime, Huawei has decided to sell off its Honor business, cutting ties completely in the hope that the sub-brand will survive and live on. The problem, of course, is that both Huawei and Honor are hampered by the same trade restrictions which prevent them working with US companies. And this causes not just the absence of Google services but also limitations in which components Huawei can put in its phones. What this means is that the Mate 40 Pro could never score well in this review. Not because of the hardware – that’s exemplary – but because you can’t get…

CES 2021 was virtual, but the parade of PC hardware went on regardless. Big names AMD, Intel, and Nvidia all made splashy announcements, and PC manufacturers followed in their wake with new products, many coming soon. No time to sift through all our CES coverage? No problem. Read on for our Best of CES picks – the most intriguing and innovative products we saw. AMD RYZEN 5000 MOBILE Last year you couldn’t find a high-end gaming laptop with a Ryzen CPU In it to save your life. This year the tables are turning, with probably a dozen different designs announced or in the works. That should confirm the confidence laptop makers have in AMD’s Ryzen 5000 Mobile, based on the award-winning Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 desktop chip. While we don’t…

Last year’s Galaxy S20 line-up was such a massive change that Samsung introduced a new naming scheme to hammer home how consequential the upgrade was. This year, the Galaxy S21 series refines that vision at much lower prices. Samsung has launched three Galaxy S21 models in very similar sizes. The S21 and S21+ have 6.2- and 6.7in screens like their S20 predecessors, while the S21 Ultra is slightly smaller, 6.8 inches versus the S20 Ultra’s 6.9in screen. The top and bottom bezels are a bit slimmer as well to create a near-all-screen look, but all three models are essentially the same size as last year’s. Galaxy S21 S21: 151.7x71.2x7.9mm S21+: 161.5x75.6x7.8mm S21 Ultra: 165.1x75.6x8.9mm Galaxy S20 S20: 151.7x69.1x7.9mm S20+: 161.9x73.7x7.8mm S20 Ultra: 166.9x76x8.8mm They also weigh quite a bit more…

Microsoft’s Windows 10X has leaked and it’s boring. Well, it’s designed to be boring. Simple, really – uncomplicated, straightforward, without the fuss and clutter of ‘traditional’ Windows. We wrote last year that Windows 10X now appears to be the new Windows 10 S (Windows 10 in S Mode); after spending some hands-on time with the leaked build, we believe those impressions have been confirmed. We’d like to say that Windows 10X has been graphically overhauled, with a variety of new features. However, the fact is that if you read our early Windows 10X coverage a year ago – when Microsoft was visualizing Windows 10X as the future of dual-screen devices – little has changed. (You can see our original Windows 10X hands-on video at fave.co./3o7DbcW.) Well, there’s been one major…

Price: £899 (inc VAT) from fave.co/2MfreV1 When the Surface range began life as a single 2-in-1 back in 2012, few could have imagined just how quickly Microsoft’s hardware would expand. There are now a staggering nine product lines, with four brand-new devices launching in the past three years alone. The latest of these is the Surface Laptop Go, a traditional clamshell device pitched as an affordable alternative to the flagship Surface Laptop 3. Microsoft is attempting to repeat the success it’s enjoyed with the Surface Go line, which began life in 2018 as a cheaper Surface Pro and is now in its second generation. With demand for laptops extremely high, it would appear to be a great time to launch a budget device. But is the money you save over…

Price: £329 (inc VAT) from fave.co/36NQWrJ The OnePlus Nord – the company’s return to the mid-range market since its first outing back in 2015 – benefited from just as much (if not more) hype than the company has placed on some of its recent flagship launches. It was preceded by a four-part documentary (which has since reached Amazon Prime Video), covering its development in the face of COVID-19, it spurred a dedicated Instagram account which still serves up related posts multiple times a day and the phone’s gone on to become one of the most well-received mid-range handsets of 2020. With all this in mind, when rumblings that the company would be expanding the Nord line to include more affordable devices, we were excited and intrigued to see how OnePlus…