Computers, Laptops & Tablets

Intel describes its RealSense technology as enabling your PC to see more like you do. That sounds interesting, but once you realize what this actually means, it becomes clear that RealSense isn’t just another incremental upgrade. It’s a new direction for computers that has the potential to dramatically change the way we interact with PCs and what we do with them.

Dell’s ultimate ultraportable, the XPS 13, takes on Apple’s popular MacBook Air in a pound-for-pound battle of sub-portable notebook dominance. How does this PC challenger match up with Apple’s popular thin and light notebook?

With 802.11ac (Gigabit Wi-Fi) now mainstream, we are currently in the midst of a big wireless router replacement cycle. I’ve tested so many routers in the past year that I’ve lost count. Despite the potential payoff of a new router, many people are reluctant to make the upgrade. Routers can be intimidating, and once our Wi-Fi is working, it’s such an integral part of our homes now that we’re naturally reluctant to do anything that might rock the boat. After getting a taste of what the latest generation of 802.11ac routers can do, I finally made the jump myself, replacing my own aging router. And to help you understand everything that’s involved, I chronicled every step of the process. Hopefully this account of one person’s Wi-Fi router upgrade will help to demystify the process and show why it’s worth doing.

My wife was away at a conference last week and as she FaceTimed us to show the kids the view from her hotel room and then each evening to check in on their day at school, it really hit home how much we can make use of technology to keep in touch with our distant loved ones. And it’s not just when travelling or special occasions. When I think about it, the computers in our home have become the hub of interaction with distant relatives and friends. This connection has gone far beyond what a telephone ever offered, and by taking advantage of those capabilities a PC can help to make long distance relationships feel like personally interacting with someone on a daily basis.