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  Henry  wants a PC with the advantages of both a desktop and a laptop. But he can’t afford to buy two computers. There’s no way to get all of the advantages of a desktop and laptop without buying two computers. You simply can’t slide next year’s most powerful graphics card into a PC that could count as carry-on luggage. Laptops are generally less powerful than similarly priced desktops, and always less upgradable. But if you’re willing to make a few compromises, you get something close to your needs and desires. One solution—and the one I use—is a laptop with a docking station. Typically, when you plug the laptop into one of these devices, you get multiple USB ports (some 3.0), one or more video connections, audio input and output, and ethernet (not available on all laptops these days). In other words, by plugging in one cable, you get a full-sized keyboard, a mouse, a large monitor, speakers, a second hard drive (I strongly ...

    Digging deep into Windows 10 Despite still being very much an early preview, Windows 10 is already brimming with dozens of handy tweaks and tricks—and, because the operating is still in preview, a handful of those tricks unlock powerful functionality hidden to everyday users. Others, though, simply let you mold some of Windows 10’s new features into the shape you see fit. Here are some of the most useful Windows 10 tweaks, tricks, and tips we’ve found. Be warned: Some of these may break as the operating system evolves, though we plan to update this article over time. Got any tricks of your own? Share them in the comments! This is(n't quite) Sparta(n) Let’s start by unlocking one of those powerful new features. Micr...

BARCELONA— Samsung Electronics Co. introduced a flagship smartphone with a curved screen and mobile-payment system, seeking to spark sales after a painful year that saw its leadership eroded by Apple Inc. and Chinese upstarts like Xiaomi Corp. The new Galaxy S6 and its double curved-screen variant the Galaxy S6 Edge, released Sunday on the sidelines of an annual trade show here, outlines Samsung’s latest strategy for finding its footing: take on Apple’s iPhone head on, while bringing even more of the manufacturing process under its control. The new phone will be available globally starting April 10. In the U.S., Samsung said it will be offered by all the major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.  The stakes are high for Samsung, which saw its previous flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, fall flat with consumers. In the one year since that launch, the smartphone market has become more challenging for the South Korean te...

Parallels Access allows users to control their PC or Mac remotely with their mobile devices. While the service only supported iOS after its initial launch a year ago, Android support was added with the release of Parallels Access 2.0 in mid-June. Getting set up with Parallels Access is pretty foolproof: Just head over to the Parallels website to set up an account and download the Windows client. You don’t have to enter any payment information for a free 14-day trial of the software (it’s $20 per year after that). After installing the software, the program will ask you for your account email and password when it first launches. When you log in, you’ll be dropped at the Parallels Access account information window. You can change your account information by clicking Account Settings... or choose whether your current computer is accessible. After logging in with your Parallels credentials, you will be able to change your account options and enable or disable access ...

If you’re a Steam fan running Linux, the last thing you’ll want to do in the next few days is mess with your Steam files. Users on Valve’s GitHub Steam for Linux page are complaining about a nasty bug that has the potential to wipe out every single personal file on your PC. Even worse, users say the bug will even wipe out documents on USB connected drives. So much for local backups. The impact on you at home: The obvious implication if you’re running Steam on Linux is to be wary of the program right now. As a precaution, don’t connect any local external hard drives while you’re running Steam. Users complaining of this bug appear to have moved their .steam  or ~/.local/share/steam directories , or invoked Steam’s Bash script with the —reset option enabled. Ouch Steam’s bug appears to be caused by a line in the Steam.sh Bash script: rm -rf “$STEAMROOT/“* . That command is a basic Bash instruction that tells the computer to remove the STEAMROOT directory and al...

Bloatware, crapware, shovelware: No matter what you call it, the junk that PC makers dump onto new PCs is nothing short of a mess. The situation was thrust into the spotlight last week when it was revealed that several Lenovo PCs were preloaded with “Superfish” adware that actively left users vulnerable to attack. The software compromised secure HTTPS web connections in a quest to inject ads on the sites you visit... and make Lenovo a few nickels. There’s no doubt about it: Even though the root vulnerability came from Superfish, Lenovo messed up. Hard . This shouldn’t have happened, period. But Lenovo didn’t toss its users to the wolves out of malice—instead, the Superfish debacle is a natural extension of the entire bloatware epidemic. Why do hardware vendors knowingly stuff new PCs with junk that makes your experience worse? And what can you do about it? Let’s dig in. Dolla dolla bills y’all Bloatware exists because we’re all cheap bastards, and rightfully so. ...

Should you buy a Hewlett-Packard PC (or tablet, or printer)? That question that certainly is on some customers’ minds after the company’s announcement Monday that it will split its PC and printer operation from its enterprise, software and services business. HP’s customers had a similar concern when HP first floated the idea of breaking up the company in 2011. At that time, HP had no plan in place, but the company this time knows what it is doing, said Patrick Moorhead, president at Moor Insights and Strategy. When former HP CEO Leo Apotheker proposed the breakup three years ago, “it was just the PC business he was going to separate, not PC plus printer, and he didn’t actually have a plan, but a communication that he was looking into a spin-off,” Moorhead said. Apotheker was booted out of the company, partly for voicing the idea of a split-up without having a firm idea of how to do it. When Meg Whitman took the helm as CEO and chairman, she initially quashed the ...

PCs aren't as pricey as they used to be, but that doesn't mean you want to swap them out all the time, especially since processor technology long ago reached a "good enough" point for many people. Most modern programs can run just fine on PCs that are six or seven years old—or even older!—and the push to move many services to the cloud is only making older PCs less of a drag on productivity. Upgrades like installing RAM or increasing hard drive capacity are great ways to help improve performance right away, but there are simpler ways to help extend the useful life of your PC. Keeping your system physically clean, following some basic preventive measures, and exercising common sense in daily use can add years of life to your PC. Keep it sparkling Unless you're working in a clean room, virtually every PC becomes filthy with dust, dirt, hairballs, and other unfriendly goop given enough time. Left to linger long enough, the grime can suffocate ...

 Your old smartphone has a greater destiny than your junk drawer. Believe it or not, you can turn it into, say, a mini-PC or media streamer. Assuming it packs both USB On The Go support (OTG) and a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) compatible port, there’s a ton of additional functionality lurking under that its hood. Heck, you can even use a smartphone with a broken screen for this. Without further ado, here’s how to transform your old smartphone into the brains of an Android-powered PC. It starts with MHL ports and USB OTG support Many smartphones from companies like Google, Samsung, LG, HTC, and Sony—among others—ship with MHL ports and have built-in compatibility for USB OTG as well. The MHL port essentially adds HDMI output capabilities (with 1080p and 7.1-channel digital multi-channel audio support) and remote control functionality to the phone’s micro-USB port—the port you most likely use to charge the phone. USB OTG support gives mobile devices the...

After selling off the Vaio PC business to an investment firm in February, Sony's old computer brand has reappeared under new management. Japan Industrial Partners officially reintroduced Vaio laptops on Tuesday, focusing purely on the Japanese market. When it picked up the Vaio brand from Sony earlier in 2014, JIP said it would roll out its PCs only in Japan to start. Sony elected to sell off its PC unit to focus on smartphone and tablets. Even though it's under new management, the new Vaio isn't all that different from the old one. Vaio PCs will continue to be sold through Sony's online Japanese storefont (Sony retained a 5 percent stake in the Vaio PC business). The new Vaio models are also pretty much the same Vaio Fit and Pro laptops that Sony introduced in 2013. On the Vaio website right now, Japanese consumers can pick-up an 11- or 13-inch Vaio Pro with an Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 with prices starting at ¥120,000 (about $1181). The laptops...