Computers

Many of us have more data than we know what to do with. Digital photos, digital movies, MP3s and old school stuff like documents and spreadsheets can start to take up a lot of space on your PC. On your smartphone or tablet, it’s even worse —a lot of those photos get snapped on a smartphone and with limited storage, it doesn’t take long to fill them up. Cloud storage is always an option, but then you’re at the mercy of the provider and there may be charges associated with the service. Western Digital offers a compelling alternative —a “personal cloud”— with its My Cloud series of network hard drives. I tested a 3TB My Cloud drive and came away convinced that this is the best thing to happen to hard drives since USB.  

   Is your computer crawling along at a snail’s pace when you boot it up? Avoid the aggravation, save yourself some time, and try these tips to bring your machine back up to speed.

Chances are you’ve heard of a Chromebook —the hot new category in affordable, mobile computing— but what the heck is a Chromebox? The cardboard box a Samsung Chromebook ships in? Does it have anything to do with Battlestar Galactica and Cylons? No to both. Chromebox is the natural extension of the Chromebook, taking Google’s Chrome operating system and using it to run a compact, portable and affordable alternative to a traditional desktop Windows PC. The Chromebox isn’t for everyone, but when it comes to a desktop PC that features near instant boot-up, built-in security, the ability to work on documents and spreadsheets using free (and offline-capable) apps plus a complete web experience, a Chromebox is an appealing option.

 Calling the Linksys EA9500 router huge would be an understatement. Boasting 8 antennas, 8 ethernet ports and weighing about 4 pounds, this may be the biggest router on the market. Linksys claims it can stream up to 20 4K Videos simultaneously and with its Multi-Use MI-MUMO technology and prioritization features, it might just be the most comprehensive option out there. It was tasked to help me with my PC Gaming. How did it do? Read on to find out.