PC Magazine - September 2014

DIGITAL EDITION SEPTEMBER 2014

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CONNECTED HOME Every room in your home can benefit from the addition of a little connectivity. Here re are the top products you should try.

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REVIEWS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Logitech X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker Panasonic TC-65AX800U

Logitech Logi Lo g tech gi ch hX X300 30 3 00

Epson Moverio BT-200

HARDWARE Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus Razer Blade Panasonic Toughpad 4K Performance Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive (5TB) Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H

SOFTWARE & APPS Bitdefender Total Security 2015 Enlocked 2 Our Favorite Apps

Zbox Sphere O1520 Plus

Epson Moverio BT-200

WHAT’S NEW NOW BLACK HAT’S 10 SCARIEST SECURITY THREATS Unless you’re a professional paranoid, you won’t believe these innovative new hack attacks.

WILL A ROBOT REVOLUTION LEAD TO MASS UNEMPLOYMENT? Despite the presence of many robot workers, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future.

UNDERSTANDING PARKINSON’S WITH WEARABLES An ambitious tracking project could provide new insight into a devastating disease.

TOP GEAR LAUNCH WINDOW

Launch Window: Mark One 3D Printer

OPINIONS DAN COSTA First Word

SASCHA SEGAN Why Are Tablet Sales Dropping? Because They Aren’t Phones

It’s almost like obsessing over new clip art. JOHN C. DVO DVORAK RAK

TIM BAJARIN

Last Word L W

The Real Difference Between Microsoft and Apple

DOUG NEWCOMB Don’t Dismiss Voice Recognition in Cars

DIGITAL LIFE GET ORGANIZED Make Your Workday More Productive

TIPS Become a Skype Guru

HOW TO Speed Up Netflix With a VPN

TECH ETIQUETTE Put Your Camera Behavior in Focus

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

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What’s New Now BLACK HAT’S 10 SCARIEST SECURITY THREATS

WILL A ROBOT REVOLUTION LEAD TO MASS UNEMPLOYMENT? UNDERSTANDING PARKINSON’S DISEASE WITH WEARABLES TOP GEAR LAUNCH WINDOW

WHAT’S NEW NOW SECURITY WATCH

Black Hat’s 10 Scariest Security Threats

ne of the things you can always count on at the Black Hat security conference is hearing about vulnerabilities in things you didn’t even think could be attacked. It’s reassuring to know that these demonstrations are primarily academic, and that these issues are not currently being exploited in the wild. But, by the same token, if Black Hat presenters KDYHIRXQGWKHÀDZVZKR¶VWRVD\WKDWVRPHRQHHOVHZLWKIDUPRUHPDOLFLRXV intentions (and possibly better funding) hasn’t—or won’t? Black Hat 2014 may be over, but we’ll be talking about the shocking things we saw there for quite some time. Hopefully it will be in the context of lessons learned that led to solutions implemented, and not as missed opportunities that led to terrible crimes. Here are the things we saw at Black Hat that will keep us up at night.

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Photo courtesy of Black Hat 2014

BY MAX EDDY, FAHMIDA Y. RASHID, AND NEIL J. RUBENKING

1. Internet of Fail Defending your computer or your phone is pretty easy: Just follow some commonsense tips and install security software, and you’re good to go. But what about the Internet of Things? In session after session at Black Hat, researchers showed that critical devices being connected to the Internet were easily accessible. Among the examples: The team hacking the Nest smart thermostat got their attack down to 15 seconds, and is hard at work at an over-the-air attack; and Billy Rios found default passwords hard-coded into the scanning machines mandated for use at TSA checkpoints across the country.

2. Hacking Airliners, Ships, and More! The devices that ships, airplanes, journalists, and (maybe) the military rely on to communicate aren’t as secure as we thought, either. IOActive’s Ruben Santamarta demonstrated that many of these systems have backdoors, ostensibly for maintenance or password recovery. Even though some of the backdoors were supposedly secured, he was able to circumvent the safeguards. What hit closest to home was, unsurprisingly, Santamarta’s claim that he could hack airplanes using inflight Wi-Fi. He was clear that this wouldn’t let him “crash airplanes,” but he also pointed out that critical communications run through this same system. In his talk, he hacked a nautical distress beacon to display a video slot machine instead of an SOS. Consider the same sort of hack on your jumbo jet, and you get the idea of how worrisome this might be.

3. Stealing Passwords With Google Glass, Smartwatches, Smartphones, and Camcorders There are many ways to steal a password, but one novel approach lets bad guys (or a government agency) discern your keystrokes without seeing your screen or installing malware. One presenter at Black Hat showed off his new system that automatically reads passwords with 90 percent accuracy. It even works when the target is at street level and the attacker four stories up and across the street. The method works best with digital camcorders, but the team found that smartphones, smartwatches, and even Google Glass could be used to capture usable video at short range.

Photo credit: JD Hancock

4. Forget MasterKey, Meet Fake ID Jeff Forristal turned heads last year when he unveiled the so-called MasterKey vulnerability that could let malicious apps pass themselves off as legitimate ones. This year, he came back with Fake ID, which takes advantage of fundamental flaws in Android’s security architecture. Specifically, how apps sign certificates and how Android processes those certificates. The practical upshot is that with one malicious app that requires no special permissions, Forristal was able to inject malicious code into five legitimate apps on a phone. From there, he had deep access and insight into what the infected phone was up to.

5. An Evil USB Drive Could Take Over Your PC You’ve heard that USB drives can be dangerous if you fail to disable AutoPlay. The latest USBbased threat is vastly worse. By hacking USB drive firmware, a pair of researchers managed a wide variety of hacks on Windows and Linux machines, including the equivalent of a boot sector virus. Their gimmicked USB drive emulated a USB keyboard and commanded one test system to download malware. It offered a fake Ethernet hub in another test, so when the victim visited PayPal in the browser it actually went to a password-stealing PayPal mimic site. This was no mere theoretical exercise; they demonstrated these and other hacks onstage.

Photo credit: Flickr/Martin Fisch

6. Does it Have a Radio? Let’s Hack it! Radio may seem like antiquated technology in the Internet age, but it’s still the best way for devices like baby monitors, home security systems, and remote car starters to wirelessly transmit information. And that makes it a prime target for hackers. In one talk, Silvio Cesare showed how he defeated each of these in turn using software-defined radio and a little bit of hobbyist zeal. His wasn’t the only talk on software-defined radio. Balint Seeber told a crowd how he was able to listen in on air-traffic radar dishes and track objects close to ground level. Not quite as scary, but very, very cool.

Photo credit: Flickr/Kevin Burkett

7. We Can’t Stop Government Malware You’ve heard about the government-sponsored Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program, the Chinese generals sued by our government for hacking, and more. F-Secure Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen warned that government-sponsored malware has been around for longer than you realize and will only increase with time. With the resources of a nation-state behind them, these attacks can be almost impossible to block. Lest you think our own government wouldn’t stoop so low, he flipped through a collection of job postings by military contractors specifically looking for malware and exploit writers.

8. One Swipe Hacks Credit Card Readers After the retail breaches of 2013 and 2014, everyone is talking about the current rollout of chip-and-PIN cards. It turns out that unless we change how payment processing works, we’re just trading one set of problems for another. We also saw how mobile point-of-sale devices that handle chip-and-PIN cards can be compromised using maliciously crafted cards. Attackers can just swipe a card into the reader and load a Trojan that harvests PINs onto the reader itself. A second rogue card then copies the file containing the harvested information. That card could even delete the Trojan, and the retailer might never be aware of the breach.

Photo credit: Flickr/Wonderferret

9. Your Network Drive Is Spying on You We’ve focused a lot of attention recently on home routers and how attackers compromise them. It turns out that network-attached storage (NAS) devices are just as problematic, if not more so, according to Jacob Holcomb from Independent Security Evaluators. He looked at NAS devices from ten manufacturers—Asustor, Trendnet, QNAP, Seagate, Netgear, D-Link, Lenovo, Buffalo, Western Digital, and ZyXEL—and found vulnerabilities in all of them. The issues are common flaws, such as command injection, cross-site request forgery, buffer overflows, authentication bypasses and failures, information disclosure, backdoor accounts, poor session management, and directory traversal. By combining some of these issues, attackers can get full control over the devices.

Photo credit: Flickr/Phalinn Ooi

10. Attacks on Medical Devices: A Matter of Life and Death No one in the information security industry laughed at the news that former Vice President Dick Cheney’s doctors were worried about his pacemaker getting hacked. The medical devices roundtable at Black Hat looked at how to balance patient health with security. The last thing we want is security that slows down healthcare, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death, noted moderator Jay Radcliffe. The sober realization that we can’t just use normal security best practices for medical devices followed us to DEF CON, where researchers from SecMedic discussed a project examining vulnerabilities in all kinds of devices, including defibrillators. The scariest part? Many of these flaws were found within an hour, using open-source tools.


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WHAT’S NEW NOW NEWS

Will a Robot Revolution Lead to Mass Unemployment? BY STEPHANIE MLOT

hey’re already living among us, controlling your smartphone, your refrigerator, your personal computer, and even your car. But should we embrace a cyborg future in which tasks great and small DUHFDUULHGRXWE\URERWVRU¿JKWIRURXUULJKWWRSDUW\DVKXPDQV"7KH3HZ Research Center recently surveyed almost 2,000 technology experts about what impact the increasing automation of our world will have on us, and particularly how it will affect human employment. 7KHVXUYH\LGHQWL¿HGDQXPEHURIUHDVRQVWREHKRSHIXOLQVWHDGRIIHDUIXORI our robot overlords. Among the pros: technology that frees us from day-to-day drudgery and the invention of new types of work.

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2QWKHÀLSVLGHVRPHH[SHUWVUHVSRQGLQJWR 3HZ¶VTXHVWLRQVVXJJHVWHGWKDWWKHQH[WZDYHRI innovation in robotics will focus more closely on white-collar work, leaving many highly skilled workers displaced into lower-paying industry jobs or permanent unemployment. Overall, a majority of those surveyed expect URERWLFVDQGDUWL¿FLDOLQWHOOLJHQFHWRVDWXUDWH industries like healthcare, transport and logistics, customer service, and home maintenance by 2025. But they remain divided over what sort of impact those advances will have on the economy and employment in the next decade. More than half of the experts believe in a positive future, in which robots and humans ZRUNWRJHWKHUWRIXO¿OOFXUUHQWMREVDQGFUHDWH new ones, “just as it [society] has been doing since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution,” 3HZVDLG -35DQJDVZDPLFKLHIVFLHQWLVWIRU Salesforce.com, was in the optimists’ camp, arguing that effects will differ by economy, and that although some classes of jobs will be given to “immigrants” of AI, “more will have been generated in creative and curating activities as demand for their services grows exponentially.” Historically, advances in technology have served as a net creator of jobs, not a destroyer, according to Microsoft’s principal researcher, Jonathan Grudin. ³7HFKQRORJ\ZLOOFRQWLQXHWRGLVUXSWMREVEXW PRUHMREVVHHPOLNHO\WREHFUHDWHG7KHUHLVQR shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” he said. But nearly half of the survey participants painted a much bleaker picture, where digital DJHQWVGLVSODFHVLJQL¿FDQWQXPEHUVRIEOXH

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and white-collar workers, eventually causing a breakdown in the social order. In the ever-expanding world of technology, each generation of gadgets and VHUYLFHVZLOOKDYHDPRUHSURIRXQGLPSDFWRQWKRVHWKDWFDPHEHIRUH7RP Standage, The Economist’s digital editor, contended. “Robots and AI threaten to make even some kinds of skilled work obsolete HJOHJDOFOHUNV ´KHVDLG³7KLVZLOOGLVSODFHSHRSOHLQWRVHUYLFHUROHVDQGWKH income gap between skilled workers whose jobs cannot be automated and HYHU\RQHHOVHZLOOZLGHQ7KLVLVDUHFLSHIRULQVWDELOLW\´ 7KHRSSRVLQJVLGHVPDQDJHGWRPHHWLQWKHPLGGOHRQDIHZSRLQWVLQFOXGLQJ a general concern over our lack of preparation for what will happen to the next JHQHUDWLRQRIZRUNHUVDQGTXHVWLRQVRYHUZKDWH[DFWO\³ZRUN´PD\FRPSULVH by 2025. A majority of experts envisioned major AI advances in the coming decade, but WRZKDWGHJUHHZLOOURERWLFVEHFRPHDSDUWRIRXUZRUOGLQWKDWWLPH"3HZDVNHG respondents to describe which parts of life will change the most and which will change the least. Self-driving cars will be mainstream, image and speech recognition will become pervasive, and genuine AI will be as widespread as mobile phones are now, a number of the experts predicted. ³3L]]DVZLOOQRWEHGHOLYHUHGE\WHHQDJHUVKRSLQJIRUDWLS
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WHAT’S NEW NOW NEWS

Understanding Parkinson’s Disease With Wearables BY DAMON POETER

ntel and the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) have announced a collaborative project to leverage wearable technology and big data analytics to track people with Parkinson’s disease, hopefully gaining insights into the progression of the disease. The project calls for a “multiphase research study using a new big data analytics platform that detects patterns in participant data collected from wearable technologies used to monitor symptoms,” the partners commented in a statement. The plan is to collect and analyze data from wearables worn by potentially thousands of people suffering from the disease, with the technology capable of tracking “measurable features of Parkinson’s, such as slowness of movement, tremor, and sleep quality.” The ultimate goal is to “speed progress toward

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breakthroughs in drug development,” Intel and the foundation said. Actor Michael J. Fox (Family Ties, Spin City) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and established the foundation that bears his name in 2000. MJFF has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to research Parkinson’s disease. ³1HDUO\\HDUVDIWHU3DUNLQVRQ¶VGLVHDVHZDV¿UVW described by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817, we are still subjectively measuring Parkinson’s disease largely the same way doctors did then,” Michael J. Fox Foundation CEO Dr. Todd Sherer said. “Data science and wearable computing hold the potential to transform our ability to capture and objectively measure patients’ actual experience of disease, with unprecedented implications for Parkinson’s drug development, diagnosis, and treatment.” Earlier this year, Intel and the foundation conducted a four-day pilot study, which included 16 participants with Parkinson’s and nine control volunteers, using wearable bands which tracked certain physiological features and sent the data collected to a big data analytics platform, the partners said. More than 300 observations per second were collected from the study participants, who wore their bands continuously over the four days. According to

BIG DATA MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE Diseases like Parkinson’s may be headed for a cure if researchers and physicians are able to take full advantage of what they learn in the new Intel-MJFF study.i ne ni

Intel, the big data analytics platform used in the study open-source Cloudera CDH and a number of other software components. The chip giant said it is now comparing the data collected in the pilot study with clinical observations DQGSDWLHQWGLDULHVWRUH¿QHWKHZHDUDEOHVDQG algorithms for larger studies. “The variability in Parkinson’s symptoms creates unique challenges in monitoring progression of the disease,” said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center Group. “Emerging technologies can not only create a new paradigm for measurement of Parkinson’s, but as more data is made available to the medical community, it PD\DOVRSRLQWWRFXUUHQWO\XQLGHQWL¿HGIHDWXUHVRIWKH disease that could lead to new areas of research.” The next phase of the collaboration will include a study that gives patients a mobile app to report medication intake and how they feel, the partners said. That will “enable medical researchers to study the effects of medication on motor symptoms via changes detected in sensor data from wearable devices,” Intel and MJFF said.


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COLLECTING THE DATA As part of the new IntelMJFF collaboration, anonymous data from hundreds of patients is aggregated and analyzed for new insight into Parkinson’s disease.ne ni

WHAT’S NEW NOW TOP GEAR

What We Love Most This Month BY STEPHANIE MLOT

BIKECHARGE DYNAMO The BikeCharge Dynamo combines the natural exercise and transportation benefits of cycling with the power of a cell-phone charger. The Dynamo snaps onto your wheel spokes and connects to the BikeCharge Power Pack and BikeConsole, strapped to the bike’s neck and handlebars, respectively. By converting your pedaling into electric power, the charger refills your USB-connected phone while you dodge car doors and oblivious pedestrians. $129.99 ibikeconsole.com



HEALBE GOBE If a run-of-the-mill fitness tracker just isn’t enough to keep up with your healthy lifestyle, give the GoBe a shot. The wrist-worn device calculates calorie intake, heart rate, and daily exertion level, and merges accelerometer data with heart rate info to calculate calorie burn and metabolic rate during athletic activities. The GoBe also provides stress and hydration levels, as well as sleep status, and you can track your vitals on a smartphone, tablet, or PC. $199.99 healbe.com



BIOLITE BASE CAMP For most, a weekend camping trip is a time to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. But what if you could have your steak and check Facebook, too? The BioLite BaseCamp is every modern camper’s dream. Using only found branches and small pieces of firewood, the grill cooks dinner and charges your mobile devices at the same time. A high-flying fire and 30 minutes of charging time provide an average of 5 hours talk and video, and 20 hours of audio. $299.95 biolitestove.com



FISHHUNTER FISHFINDER SONAR There’s no guarantee that just because you go fishing with all the right gear you’ll come home from the lake with dinner. But with the FishHunter, your chances will certainly increase. A military-grade portable fish-finding sonar, the floating device tracks fish 120 feet below the surface, then communicates with your smartphone from up to 80 feet away. The gadget calculates depth, temperature, and location of fish, and requires no underwater knowledge. $199 fishhunter.com


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WHAT’S NEW NOW LAUNCH WINDOW

Hot Future Tech Releases Wondering what’s coming out in the world of technology, gadgets, and games? This calendar tells you when the best new stuff ships. BY ANTONIO VILLAS-BOAS

1 ASUS GX500 rog.asus.com Release: Fall 2014 Asus is already well known for its gaming hardware, but it’s pushing things to the next level with its upcoming GX500 laptop. This latest Republic of Gamers model is incredibly thin (just 0.75 inch), unites a top-tier quad-core Intel processor with the latest Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics, and adds a 15.6-inch, 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) IPS display to help make every title look terrific. The company also claims it will be the coolest ultraportable gaming laptop ever with its intelligent dual-fan cooling system, and all while weighing only 4.85 pounds.



2 DESTINY destinythegame.com Release: September 2014 This “shared-world shooter” takes you 700 years into the future as a “Guardian,” and with RPG nuances and MMO-style cooperation with other players, you’re tasked to complete missions and ultimately protect the last human city (found in Russia) from hostile alien forces. If you notice some similarities with Halo, that’s because Destiny shares that classic game’s creators. But unlike Halo, Destiny will be available on Sony’s PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles as well as the Xbox 360 and One.



3 BLACKBERRY PASSPORT blackberry.com Release: September 2014 BlackBerry is back! But it’s leaning more toward its traditional business executive target market with the square-shaped Passport. You’ll find the signature keyboard, a large 4.5-inch, 1,400-by-1,400-pixel display, and it will run on BlackBerry’s upcoming 10.3 OS. A large 3,450mAh battery will power the Passport’s quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor; that isn’t the newest CPU around, but it should suffice for even the most fervent email writer.



4 ORAL-B SMART SERIES 5000 connectedtoothbrush.com Release: Fall 2014 It’s happening. Your toothbrush will connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth. Combined with the Oral-B smartphone app, you’ll be able to record your brushing activity for your own tracking purposes—and dentists would love that info, too. You’ll also be able to personalize your brushing regimen, or let your dentist program the best routine for you to improve brushing behaviors and pay attention to specific problem zones in your mouth.



5 SKULPT AIM skulpt.me Release: Fall 2014 Fitness buffs and bodybuilders love using numbers and data to monitor their progress, and Skulpt’s Aim does just that for measuring your Muscle Quality (MQ). You place the Aim device onto a specific muscle, and it analyzes its MQ with thousands of data points obtained by zapping a small current through muscle and fat content. The Aim will display your results on the device itself, and, of course, you can connect it to your phone and associated app for further analysis and progress reports.



6 MARK ONE 3D PRINTER Markforged.com Release: Q4 2014 If 3D printing didn’t excite you before, Mark One’s 3D printer should get your juices flowing. It’s the first model on the market to print with carbon fiber, which is much stronger than the ABS or PLA plastic that most 3D printers use. This means it can print much stronger (and therefore more useful) parts, tools, and fixtures that have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminum. It’ll set you back $4,999, or you can get the $8,799 Developer Kit that includes Kevlar filament.



7 ANDROID L android.com Release: Fall 2014 We don’t know the official nomenclature of Google’s next iteration of Android operating system, but we do know it will be coming in the fall. There will be a few aesthetic and functional tweaks, including detailed notifications right on the lock screen, the ability to respond to messages from the notifications pull-down panel, a new Quick Settings pane, updated animation effects, fresh keyboard design, battery saver options, and a new multitasking screen.



8 THE WAND COMPANY STAR TREK PHASER REMOTE thewandcompany.com Release: November 2014 The Wand Company, makers of the Harry Potter Wand and the Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver remotes, are now releasing a Star Trek Phaser universal remote. It takes the exact shape and form of the weapons used in the original (1960s) Star Trek series—it’s been 3D laser-scanned from an actual on-screen prop. It might just be worth the clichés you can come up with when it comes time to change the channel.



9 LG 105-INCH CURVED ULTRA HD TV LG.COM/US Release: Q4 2014 LG claims that its 105-inch behemoth of a TV qualifies as 5K because it has five times the number of pixels of paltry 1080p HDTVs—specifically, a resolution of 5,120 by 2,160, in a 21:9 (CinemaScope) aspect ratio. Regardless, the curved screen and nine-channel sound system promise an immersive experience, and the resulting 11 million pixels will make supported content look great (assuming you can find any to take advantage of it). Expect the TV to be expensive, but maybe worth it if you want to gloat to your friends with their nowpedestrian 4K sets.



10 THALMIC LABS MYO ARMBAND thalmic.com Release: September 2014 We’ve seen the Leap Motion Controller use relatively antique infrared sensors to translate your hand movements into input your computer understands (sort of), but it was limited to say the least. The Myo Armband uses Thalmic Labs’ proprietary EMG sensors to sense the electrical activity on your arm’s muscles, as well as motions and rotations, to wirelessly control your computer or mobile device. It will work with Windows, Mac, and iOS, and connects via Bluetooth 4.0 LE.


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Opinions SASCHA SEGAN TIM BAJARIN DOUG NEWCOMB

Tablets aren’t a big deal in the business world yet. SASCHA SEGAN WHY ARE TABLET SALES DROPPING? BECAUSE THEY AREN’T PHONES

Sascha Sega

OPINIONS

Why Are Tablet Sales Dropping? Because They Aren’t Phones he CEO of Best Buy says tablet sales are “crashing.” Both Apple and Samsung have been seeing slowdowns in tablet sales, and though Apple may not have new iPads, Samsung has been rolling out new Tabs like gangbusters. What’s up? Anyone who thought that tablets would have the same U.S. sales trajectory as phones was wrong—smartphones, for various reasons, are unique. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 44 percent of adults in the United States owned a tablet at the end of 2013, and that number could eventually rise to as much as 70 percent. That’s well short of smartphone and PC penetration. But the question crops up of whether a tablet is a necessary personal device or a luxury that’s often shared across a whole family. I think it’s largely the latter. No other electronic device is as personal as a smartphone—at this point one is practically given to every American on their 14th birthday. Tablets sometimes replace PCs, but often they’re the extra screen in the home, handed around to whoever needs them. That makes for much lower potential penetration than smartphones. If tablets completely replaced PCs, that would make for huge sales. But even though Apple shows some great productivity apps in its

T

Sascha Segan is the lead mobile analyst for PC Magazine. His commentary has also appeared on Fox News, CNBC, CNN, and various radio stations and newspapers

Sascha Sega

iPad ads, laptop PCs still rule the productivity world. For serious work, we still want keyboards, as Microsoft discovered with Windows 8. WHY PHONES ARE DIFFERENT Phone sales in the U.S. are driven by a bunch of factors. The most obvious are the two-year contracts, which make new phones appear to be much cheaper than they actually are. Now, with AT&T Next, Verizon Edge, and other “fast upgrade” service plans, carriers are pushing new phones even sooner. Networks play a role. The wireless carriers are constantly upgrading their speeds and coverage, and new networks usually require new devices with new modems. You don’t see that push in any other CE category. Even batteries come into play. Phones are typically recharged every day, so they go through their batteries’ replacement cycles much more quickly than tablets or laptops, which may be charged every few days. No other category of consumer electronics has the short replacement cycles that phones do. PCs run for at least three to four years before most SHRSOHVZDSWKHPRXW:LWK79VLW¶V¿YHWRVHYHQ years. The printer industry estimates laser printer life at around four years. Other devices last even longer: I haven’t replaced a single one of my kitchen appliances in seven years. I personally think long replacement cycles are a good thing, not a bad thing. Hardware is expensive and creates environmentally toxic e-waste. Designing hardware that works well over several years doesn’t have to mean that innovation has slowed, just that innovation shifts to much more environmentally friendly software. Making upgradeable tablets that get new features

Sascha Sega

from new OS and app versions every year is good for consumers and good for the Earth—it just isn’t good for hardware manufacturers’ bottom lines. HAVE WE HIT PEAK TABLET? :HVDZWKH¿UVWPDMRUFRQVXPHUWDEOHWVWKHL3DG and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, hit the market in 2010—more than four years ago. So if tablet replacement cycles are like PC replacement cycles, we’re going to see more people replacing their tablets next year than we did before. If we’re headed to the 70 percent penetration the CEA predicts, that means we’ll have a lively tablet market for years to come. Apple’s deal with IBM to promote iPads in businesses could also help tablet makers in general. Tablets aren’t a big deal in the business ZRUOG\HWH[FHSWLQDIHZ¿HOGVOLNHUHWDLODQG logistics. Apple clearly thinks that a lot of the potential, untapped growth for tablets is to be IRXQGLQRI¿FHV Calling a dip in tablet sales a “crash” is going way overboard. Tablets are here to stay. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to buy a new one every year. [email protected]


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Making upgradeable tablets that get new features from new OS and app versions every year is good for consumers and good for the Earth.

Tim Bajari

OPINIONS

The Real Difference Between Microsoft and Apple fter spending a lot of time recently with many of Microsoft’s OEM partners and looking at the company’s overall strategic view of the PC and tablet markets of the future, it has become clear to me that there is really a huge difference between how Microsoft and its partners view the computing market compared with the way Apple designs and markets its Macs and tablets. In a sense, Microsoft approaches the market from the top down, but Apple goes after the market from the bottom up. Microsoft centralizes its strategy around its belief that everyone needs tools for a wide range of productivity tasks regardless of who they are, and Microsoft and its partners, including Intel, are designing all of their products around this focus. Of course, productivity is Microsoft’s sweet spot and in that sense a strong push to create productivity-focused products makes sense. This is why it keeps pushing the two-in-one concept. Is a two-in-one a tablet or is it a laptop? As far as Microsoft is concerned, it doesn’t matter to the customer. Microsoft believes that with the two-in-one it can push customers to cover all of their bases—a two-in-one is a PC when you need one, and a tablet when you want one—and hopefully revive the lagging PC market.

A

Tim Bajarin is the president of Creative Strategies and a consultant, analyst, and futurist covering personal computers and consumer technology.

Tim Bajari

The problem is that because these designs really emphasize the productivity aspect of the experience, two-in-ones generally turn out to be okay laptops but mediocre tablets. Apple’s approach is entirely different. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in 2010, he put a huge emphasis on the fact that it was a ³FRQVXPSWLRQ´GHYLFH¿UVW,QIDFWKH downplayed any possible productivity features, although he did hedge his bet by creating versions of the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps for those who “might” want them. But the ads Apple created for the iPad all focused on consumption, and only in the last 18 months have they even added the focus on the iPad as a serious “creation” tool. Notice the distinct difference even in terminology. For Microsoft the term “productivity” is key to its marketing; Apple uses “creativity” instead. Microsoft shows ads of people mostly working; Apple shows ads of people doing cool things with their iPhones and iPads. Microsoft is all about productivity; Apple wants to give people a break from work and let technology do cool things for its customers. This may seem like just semantics, but it actually drives a very different mental picture to consumers about how they view their devices. As Apple has proven, this approach is highly successful and brings into real question whether Microsoft’s productivity push will even work. In fact, Apple drives a solid line between productivity and content creation versus creativity and content consumption. CEO Tim Cook and his team are adamant that, when it comes to productivity, Macs are at the center. They have created some of the most innovative laptops, especially the MacBook Air, and these

Tim Bajari

products continue to defy the downward market trend in PCs. Every quarter Apple sells at least four million Macs worldwide. And when Apple then focused the iPads and iPhones on fun activities, it sold a massive amount of these SURGXFWVWRYHU\VDWLV¿HGFXVWRPHUV Of course, there is an actual dichotomy in the ultimate use of iPads in many people’s lives. Although Apple designs its iPads as pure tablets, people and companies have found their own ways to use them for actual work and productivity. But ironically it was never at the center of Steve Jobs’ design and the iPad’s role as a productivity tool has come mostly from third-party products like external keyboards, and companies and individuals that have created apps and tools that let them adapt iPads and even iPhones for work when needed. Microsoft’s heavy focus on productivity is interesting, and using two-in-ones to bridge the gap between a laptop and tablet will be driving the company’s strategy forward. And with the goal of streamlining its OS, Microsoft is at least creating an OS environment that is less confusing than in the past. But Apple has shown that there can be great success in making good laptops, tablets, and smartphones with different goals in mind. If Microsoft continues down this heavy productivity road I suspect it will continue to be challenged in its quest to gain any serious ground against Apple and even Google, which at the moment has the lion’s share of the mobile market. Apple’s Macs and Google’s Chromebooks are seriously eating into the Windows market share, and have changed the dynamics of the personal computing marketplace forever.


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Apple has shown that there can be great success in making good laptops, tablets, and smartphones with different goals in mind.

Doug Newcom

OPINIONS

Don’t Dismiss Voice Recognition in Cars t’s not surprising that a J.D. Power and Associates executive said recently that automotive voice recognition technology should receive a “failing grade.” Anyone who has ever used voice recognition in a car knows that it can range from frustratingly inconsistent to utterly useless. Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver LQWHUDFWLRQDW-'3RZHUFLWHGKHU¿UP¶VDQQXDO Initial Quality Study, which focuses on the problems new car buyers experience within the ¿UVWGD\VRIRZQHUVKLS7KHPRVWUHFHQW,46 found that 23 percent of reported issues were related to infotainment, and she added that a third of these problems were caused by voice recognition. “Any way you slice it,” Kolodge said, “that’s a failing grade.” Kolodge conceded that, unlike voice recognition on portable devices, the technology has to contend with lots of road and engine noise inside DPRYLQJFDU³7KHHQYLURQPHQWRIDYHKLFOHLV brutal,” she said, “and we can’t overlook that.” 7REHWWHUNHHSFDUEX\HUVVDWLV¿HG.RORGJH urged automakers to stick to the basics, such as simple audio and Bluetooth phone commands, before adding more advanced features. “Only one of the motorists we talked to wanted more IHDWXUHV´VKHVDLG³7KHPDMRULW\MXVWZDQWHG their systems to work.” I don’t disagree with Kolodge that voice

I

Car tech expert Doug Newcomb has written for Popular Mechanics, Road & Track, and other publications, and is the author of Car Audio for Dummies.

Doug Newcom

recognition must improve overall, and after test GULYLQJDERXWYHKLFOHVD\HDU,¶YHKDGSOHQW\RI aggravating experiences with the technology. But there are some notable exceptions, as well as consistent patterns I’ve observed from the hundreds of vehicles I’ve tested over the years. I’ve also found that some of the more advanced features that Kolodge advises automakers not to pursue can work well and help keep a driver’s hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. I found that voice recognition consistently performs better in some brands than others, and I’ve noticed that voice recognition sometimes works better in lower-priced vehicles than in luxury cars. Kia and Chrysler vehicles, for example, have excellent systems that consistently work well. When testing voice recognition, I usually pick a name in my phone’s address book or a song on my iPhone that I think the system will stumble on. But that rarely happens with a Kia or Chrysler. 7KHRWKHUWHVW,XVHLVZKHWKHUWKHYRLFH recognition system can understand a navigation destination as a “one-shot” entry: saying the house number, street name, city, and state in one utterance, as opposed to individual segments. Again, I’ve found Chrysler vehicles ranging from the Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Ram pickup usually have the ability to do this. 7KLVLVHVSHFLDOO\KDQG\ZKHQ\RX¶UHLQDKXUU\ and don’t want to stop to enter an address manually, which many vehicles require for safety reasons. Even auxiliary nav features, such as ]RRPLQJWKHPDSLQDQGRXWDQG¿QGLQJSRLQWVRI LQWHUHVWFDQEHDFFRPSOLVKHGLQWKH.LD6RXOMXVW by speaking a voice command. I’ve also been impressed with the Song by Voice feature in Honda and Acura vehicles. It can be

Doug Newcom

used to not only call up music on a connected iPod or loaded onto the car’s hard drive by artist, DOEXPVRQJDQGJHQUHEXWWRDOVR¿QGRXW what’s playing. It also works without having to XVHDVSHFL¿FFRPPDQG²DQGLW¶VEHWWHUWKDQ staring at a small portable device to get the same information. 2WKHUPRUHVRSKLVWLFDWHG²DQGVXFFHVVIXO² implementations of voice recognition I’ve encountered include accessing Pandora functions in a Mazda6, conducting a Yelp search in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and searching for gas stations and restaurants in a Hyundai Genesis. Although automakers certainly have no shortage of challenges with voice recognition WHFKQRORJ\²ZLWKPRUHWRFRPHDVWKHWHFKQRORJ\ LVXVHGWRDFFHVVPRUHIHDWXUHV²,GRQ¶WIHHODV Kolodge suggests, that automaker shouldn’t push forward. Voice recognition can be frustrating, but in this instance I’ll take progress over perfection if it helps to access the more features without getting distracted.


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Voice recognition can be frustrating, but in this instance I’ll take progress over perfection.

Reviews CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Logitech X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker Panasonic TC-65AX800U Epson Moverio BT-200

HARDWARE Zotac Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus Razer Blade Panasonic Toughpad 4K Performance Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive (5TB) Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H

SOFTWARE & APPS Bitdefender Total Security 2015 Enlocked 2 Our Favorite Apps for September

REVIEWS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Fill a Room With Sound, Don’t Empty Your Wallet Logitech has been on a tear when it comes to Bluetooth speakers. The new X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker continues that hot streak, GHOLYHULQJSRZHUIXOURRP¿OOLQJVRXQGLQD EDITORS’ CHOICE well-made, versatile form factor. You can get more power and more bass if you’re willing to spend more money, but for the price, it’s tough to beat. DESIGN AND PAIRING The X300 could have easily carried the Ultimate Ears (UE) brand, at least from a design standpoint, as it bears a close visual resemblance to that product line. It

Logitech X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker $69.99 L L L L m

comes in four bright color combinations: purple with white accents, black with gold, pink on pink, or blue on blue (which we tested). The speaker is surprisingly well made given the price; it isn’t ruggedized, but it feels sturdy and carefully built. Most of the X300 is made of rubberized plastic, which gives it a nice, grippy feel (and helps it stay anchored to your desktop). It measures 2.7 by 5.9 by 2.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 12.5 ounces, so it’s very portable, WKRXJKLWZRQ¶W¿WLQ\RXUSRFNHW The top of the speaker is home to most of the controls, including two Volume buttons and a Bluetooth button. The buttons are ZHOOVL]HGDQGGH¿QHGEXWQRWSDUWLFXODUO\ clicky. I’m not crazy about the Power button,, which is located on the rear end of the speaker and doesn’t actually look like a button. You grow used to it quickly, but the ¿UVWIHZWLPHV,XVHGWKH;,IRUJRWZKHUH UH the button was. Across from the Power button on \RX¶OO¿QGDPP$X[LQSXWDQGDPLFUR USB port for charging. Logitech estimates up to 5 hours of batteryy life per charge with the included micro USB cable. That number depends highly on volume me and whether you use Bluetooth, but it’s about ut average for a speaker this size. Unfortunately, y, there’s no easy way to tell when you’re running ng low on battery. A light below the Power button on will clue you in, but it’s in a spot you’re not likely ikely to see and only changes color when you’re in n need of a charge. To pair the speaker, simply hold down the Bluetooth button on the top edge for a few seconds. econds. $OLJKWEHORZWKH3RZHUEXWWRQÀDVKHVXQWLO\RX¶YH \RX¶YYH paired the speaker with another device, afterr which it turns solid. I had no trouble pairing the speaker eakeer with my iPhone 5s.

Logitech X300 Mobile Wireless Speaker PROS Inexpensive. Powerful, room-filling sound. Versatile design. CONS Hidden battery life indicator.

PERFORMANCE AND CONCLUSIONS For its size, the X300 packs a pretty impressive sonic punch. It’s easily loud enough to ¿OODQHQWLUHURRPZLWKVRXQGZKLFK\RXFDQ¶WVD\IRU every speaker in this price range. Even on tracks with heavy sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the X300 doesn’t distort. It felt as though it was on the YHUJHRIGLVWRUWLRQRQFHRUWZLFHDWPD[LPXPYROXPH but it never actually popped or cracked no matter what type of music I played. On less intense tracks, such as Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android,” the X300 strikes an impressive balance that offers just the right amount of bass to add depth and warmth while allowing the mids and highs to remain clear. It sounds like there is some digital signal processing at work, which dials the bass down as you go louder to avoid distortion. Luckily, Logitech used a light hand in this, and it doesn’t seem to kick in until you’ve SXVKHGWKLQJVSDVWWKUHHTXDUWHUVPD[LPXPYROXPH Still, this isn’t really a speaker for lovers of truly heavy bass: You won’t get nearly the same rumble here as you will with the Bose SoundLink Mini, but then again, this speaker costs only a third of what that one does. Another nice feature is the versatile design, which lets you listen to music with the speaker either sitting horizontal or propped up vertically on either side. Although the speaker has an interesting, angular shape, LWVWDQGVXS¿QHQRPDWWHUKRZ\RXSRVLWLRQLW,W¶V FRQYHQLHQWLI\RX¶UHWU\LQJWR¿WLQRQDFURZGHGVKHOI

For its size, the X300 packs a pretty impressive sonic punch.

$QGEHFDXVHWKHWZRGULYHUVVLWVRFORVHWRJHWKHU,GLGQ¶W¿QGDQDSSUHFLDEOH difference in sound quality with the speaker in either position. The X300 also has a built-in speakerphone, which is good for when you’re listening to music from your phone and don’t want to miss a call. Call quality was solid on both ends in testing.

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This TV’s Plethora of Pixels Comes at a High Price OWUDKLJKGH¿QLWLRQ8+'RU. WHOHYLVLRQ VWLOOKDVDZD\WRJREHIRUHLW¶VIHDVLEOHIRU FRQVXPHUV3DQDVRQLF¶VLQFK7& $;879LVVWULNLQJIHDWXUH¿OOHGDQGEULJKW DQGFDSDEOHRIGLVSOD\LQJ8+'¶VIXOOE\ SL[HOUHVROXWLRQ%XWZLWKWKDWSULFHOLWWOHFRQWHQW DYDLODEOHLQLWVQDWLYHUHVROXWLRQHVSHFLDOO\ZLWKQR 1HWÀL[.VXSSRUWIRU3DQDVRQLF79V\HW DQGD GLVDSSRLQWLQJFRQWUDVWUDWLRWKH7&$;8LVD WRXJKVHOO
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Panasonic TC-65AX800U $4,499.99 L L L H m

DESIGN 3DQDVRQLFUHDOO\ZHQWRXWRQDOLPEZLWKLWVGHVLJQIRU WKH$;87KHVFUHHQLWVHOILVDIDLUO\VWDQGDUG E\E\LQFK+:' SRXQGÀDWSDQHO ZLWKDWKLQJORVV\EODFNPHWDOIUDPHUXQQLQJDURXQGLWV HGJH%XWLWVLWVRQDGHQVHEORFNRIDEDVHWKDWVWD\V DOPRVWFRPSOHWHO\KLGGHQE\WKHGLVSOD\LWVHOIEHFDXVH LW¶VDQJOHGVOLJKWO\EDFNDQGVWDELOL]HGIXUWKHUE\D UHODWLYHO\ÀLPV\VLOYHUFRORUHGPHWDOOLFIRRWWKDWUXQV WKHOHQJWKRIWKHVFUHHQ,WPDQDJHVWRORRNERWK PLQLPDOLVWDQGXQLTXHDQGWKHVOLJKWDQJOHPDNHVLWD ELWIULHQGOLHUIRUORZWHOHYLVLRQVWDQGVDQG HQWHUWDLQPHQWFHQWHUV
Panasonic TC-65AX800U PROS Loaded with features. Excellent color reproduction. Includes touchpad, conventional remote controls. CONS Expensive. Mediocre black levels, contrast ratio. Little native 4K content available. Doesn’t currently support Netflix 4K video.

TWO CONTROLS, ONE REMOTE Of the two remote controls included with the Panasonic TC-65AX800U, the traditional one is better for all but voice controls.

+RPH6FUHHQDVDPDLQPHQXZLWKDFKRLFHRIZLGJHWVDQGTXLFNOLQNVDUUDQJHG LQWLOHVDURXQGDSULPDU\ZLQGRZWKDWVKRZVWKHFXUUHQWYLGHRVRXUFH$EXLOW LQFDPHUDSRSVRXWRIWKHWRSRIWKHWHOHYLVLRQRQFRPPDQGWRWDNHYLGHR PHVVDJHVXVHIDFLDOUHFRJQLWLRQWRDXWRPDWLFDOO\ORJXVHUVLQRUYLGHRFKDWZLWK 6N\SH 7KHVHOHFWLRQRIDSSVLVZLGHZLWKXVXDOVXVSHFWVOLNH1HWÀL[DQG+XOX3OXV SUHVHQWSOXVDSSVIRU)DFHERRN7ZLWWHUZHDWKHUQHZVDQGHYHQDZRUOGFORFN \RXFDQSXWRQ\RXUKRPHVFUHHQ7KHWHOHYLVLRQDOVRVXSSRUWVSOD\LQJPHGLD IURPQHWZRUNHGVWRUDJHRYHU'/1$DQGFDQZLUHOHVVO\VWUHDPYLGHRIURPD PRELOHGHYLFHRUFRPSXWHUWKURXJK0LUDFDVWDQG:L'L %HFDXVHRIOLPLWHGDYDLODELOLW\RI.FRQWHQW\RX¶OOKDYHWRUHO\RQWKH $;¶V.)LQH5HPDVWHU(QJLQHWRXSFRQYHUWSYLGHR$OO.WHOHYLVLRQV XSFRQYHUWLQVRPHPDQQHUDQGQRQHFDQSURGXFHDGGLWLRQDOGHWDLOZKHUHWKHUH LVQRQHRURIIHUSLFWXUHTXDOLW\HTXDOWRQDWLYH.YLGHR%XWWKH\FDQVKDUSHQ HGJHVDQGSUHYHQWSYLGHRIURPDSSHDULQJEORWFK\RUEOXUU\DQGDWWKLVWKH .)LQH5HPDVWHU(QJLQHVXFFHHGV,I\RXGRQ¶WOLNHKRZLWSURFHVVHVYLGHR\RX FDQVHWWKH$;WRVLPSO\SHUIRUPDRQHWRIRXUSL[HOXSFRQYHUVLRQGLUHFWO\ H[SDQGLQJHDFKSL[HOLQDSYLGHRVLJQDOWREORFNVRIIRXURQWKH.VFUHHQ 7KH$;DOVRVXSSRUWV'ZLWKWZRSDLUVRIDFWLYHVKXWWHUJODVVHV LQFOXGHG,ZDWFKHGSharks 3DRQ%OXUD\DQGWKRXJKWKH'HIIHFWZDV SUHVHQWLWGLGQ¶WSDUWLFXODUO\SRSRXWDWPH7KHIRRWDJHORRNHGYHU\VKDUSRQ WKH.VFUHHQEXWLWGLGQ¶WVKRZDQDVWRXQGLQJDPRXQWRIGHSWK:RUVH\HW DGGLWLRQDOSDLUVRIJODVVHVDUHSULFH\DWHDFK

PERFORMANCE :HWHVW+'79VZLWKD.OHLQ.$FRORULPHWHU6SHFWUD&DO¶V&DO0$1 VRIWZDUHDQG'LVSOD\0DWHWHVWSDWWHUQV$IWHUDEDVLFGDUNURRPFDOLEUDWLRQWKH $;GLVSOD\HGDQLPSUHVVLYHSHDNEULJKWQHVVRIFDQGHODVSHUVTXDUH PHWHUFGP EXWDGLVDSSRLQWLQJEODFNOHYHORIFGPIRUDFRQWUDVWUDWLR :HDOVRPHDVXUHGWKHVFUHHQ¶VSUHFRQ¿JXUHG7+;&LQHPDPRGH ZKLFKSURGXFHGDPXFKEHWWHUFGPEODFNOHYHOEXWDPXFKGLPPHU FGPSHDNEULJKWQHVVIRUDQHYHQZRUVHFRQWUDVWUDWLR7KLVLVD SUREOHPWKDWKDVSODJXHGPRVW.+'79V,WVHHPVWKDWZLWKFXUUHQW WHFKQRORJ\KLJKHUUHVROXWLRQGLVSOD\VDUHQ¶WTXLWHDVFDSDEOHRIGHOLYHULQJGHHS EODFNVDVKLJKHQGSVFUHHQVDUH 7KH$;XVHV3DQDVRQLF¶V6WXGLR0DVWHU'ULYHV\VWHPZKLFKWKHFRPSDQ\ FODLPVOHWVWKH+'79FRYHUSHUFHQWRI'&,VWXGLRVWDQGDUGVFUHDWHGIRU FRPPHUFLDOGLJLWDOFLQHPDV 7KH$;UHDGLO\H[FHHGVQRUPDOERXQGDULHVRI WKH&,(VWDQGDUGVZKLFKLQGLFDWHVLWKDVJUHDWHUUDQJHHYHQLILWFDQ SRWHQWLDOO\DSSHDURYHUVDWXUDWHG$OWKRXJKWKHFRORUYDOXHVSXVKSDVWLGHDO OHYHOVWKH\JHQHUDOO\VWD\EDODQFHG:KLWHOHYHOVIHOODOPRVWSHUIHFWO\ZKHUHWKH\ VKRXOGEHDQRWKHULPSRUWDQWDVSHFWRIDVFUHHQ¶VDFFXUDF\ 7KH$;GLVSOD\HGDVXUSULVLQJO\TXLFNPVLQSXWODJZLWKLWV*DPH PRGHHQDEOHGPDNLQJLWRQHRIWKHIDVWHVWZH¶YHWHVWHGVLQFHZHEHJDQ PHDVXULQJLQSXWODJHDUOLHUWKLV\HDU'HGLFDWHGJDPLQJPRQLWRUVVWLOOVKRZ PXFKIDVWHUUHVSRQVHWLPHVRIXQGHUPVEXWIRUODUJHVFUHHQ+'79VWKH $;LVYHU\TXLFN The Amazing Spider-ManRQ%OXUD\JHQHUDOO\ORRNHGH[FHOOHQWRQWKH $;'HVSLWHWKHSRRUEODFNOHYHOVRIWKHVFUHHQ3HWHU¶VGDUNFORWKHVORRNHG GHHSDQGUHWDLQHGSOHQW\RIGHWDLOLQEULJKWVFHQHV,QGDUNHUVFHQHVOLNHWKHDOOH\ ¿JKWVWKHVFUHHQJRWVDWLVI\LQJO\LQN\WKRXJKWKHGDUNHVWVKDGRZVRFFDVLRQDOO\ VZDOORZHGXS¿QHGHWDLOVThe Big LebowskiDOVRIDUHGZHOOWKRXJKWKHJUDLQLHU ¿OPIRRWDJHGLGQ¶WXSFRQYHUWLQWRTXLWHDVFULVSDSLFWXUHDVSpider-Man

POP-UP VIDEO A pop-out camera in the top of the screen lets you easily take advantage of video messages, facial recognition, or chatting services such as Skype.

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Epson Moverio BT-200 $699.99 L L L H m

These Better AR Glasses Aren’t Right for Everyone ugmented reality and head-mounted displays are funky technologies that haven’t quite found their place yet, even though many other forms of wearable tech have become widely adopted. Google Glass is the best-known example that marries the two concepts, offering a display over one eye and the ability to take pictures and scan information, among other things, wherever you are. But it’s also clunky, extremely expensive at $1,500, and those who use it invariably draw scorn for wearing it everywhere they go. (SVRQ¶VDOWHUQDWLYHWKH0RYHULR%7GRHVQ¶WH[DFWO\¿[WKHVFRUQSUREOHP But it delivers more theoretical functionality and a much friendlier price in an appealing package for enterprise and education applications.

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CLUNKY, BUT FUNCTIONAL Where Google Glass is relatively unobtrusive (and yet very conspicuous), the Moverio BT-200 is unquestionably a pair of high-tech glasses. The 1.3-by-7.1-

E\LQFKQRWLQFOXGLQJWKHÀH[LEOHSODVWLFDUPV 3.7-ounce techno-shades have big, thick, and clear UHFWDQJXODUOHQVHVDQGEORFN\WLQWHGIURQW¿OWHUVWKDW make the BT-200 look like something out of Johnny Mnemonic. Still, the BT-200 offers more functionality than Google Glass. A bright, colorful display, projected across angled surfaces inside the lenses, sits in front of each eye rather than hovering in a corner over the right eye, as is the case with Google Glass. This lets an image appear directly in the middle of your view rather than at the edge. 7KH%7GRHVQ¶WKDYHDQ\VSHFL¿FVL]LQJRU diopter adjustments, but the bendable nose guard, the ÀH[LEOHSODVWLFDUPVDQGDVHWRILQFOXGHGUHPRYDEOH UXEEHUVWDELOL]HU¿QVIRUWKHDUPVKHOSHQVXUHWKH glasses stay in place. Epson also includes clip-in frames \RXFDQ¿WZLWKSUHVFULSWLRQOHQVHVDORQJZLWKDPXFK GDUNHU¿OWHU\RXFDQVZDSZLWKWKHOLJKWHU¿OWHUWRPDNH the projected display seem brighter and more LPPHUVLYH
Epson Moverio BT-200 PROS Less than half the price of Google Glass. Runs Android 4.0. Relatively easy to wear, use. Comes with handy carrying case. CONS Currently no real consumer purpose unless you’re a developer or a dedicated gadgeteer. Can be uncomfortable when worn with glasses.

THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT The Epson Moverio BT-200 looks more like an actual pair of glasses than does Google Glass.

transparent enough that you can easily see through them to whatever is physically in front of you. Also unlike Google Glass, the BT-200 neither builds all of its brains into the glasses themselves nor requires a smartphone or tablet connection to get the most out of it. The included wired controller takes care of everything. The smartphone-shaped box measures 4.8 by 2.2 by 0.7 inches, weighs 4.3 ounces, and connects to the glasses by a cable through a wide 30-pin plug. The front consists of a large touchpad that controls an onscreen cursor on the glasses’ display, plus an indicator light and standard Android Home, Menu, and Back buttons. The top edge holds a sliding, locking Power switch. A Mute button and microSD card slot are along the left edge, and a micro USB port and Volume Up/ Down buttons occupy the right edge. The cable connecting the box to the glasses has a clip-on secondary module that holds a 3.5mm port for the included earbuds with in-line microphone. The glasses project a 960-by-540-resolution picture over each eye, creating a stereoscopic image equivalent to an 80-inch screen viewed from 16 feet away. Each image has a resolution equal to that of the display on the Sony PlayStation Vita portable game console, and they can combine across both eyes for what is effectively a 1080i HD screen. The display offers 24-bit color and looks surprisingly bright, even when using the lighter

The BT-200 neither builds all of its brains into the glasses themselves nor requires a smartphone or tablet to make the most of it.

¿OWHURUQR¿OWHURYHUWKHJODVVHV7KHUH¶VDOVRDIURQWIDFLQJ9*$FDPHUDIRU augmented reality (AR) apps. The control box runs Android 4.0 with very modest hardware including a *+]GXDOFRUH7,20$3&38ZLWKDVFDQW*%RI5$0WKH*%RI internal storage can be easily expanded with a microSD card. The box also features GPS, plus compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer sensors. The WRXFKSDGLVRFFDVLRQDOO\¿QLFN\ZKHQFRPSDUHGZLWKDFDSDFLWLYHWRXFKVFUHHQ but it’s capable of multitouch and is much more functional than the awkward on-glasses control of Google Glass. 7KHJODVVHVFRQWUROER[DQGWKH¿OWHUVHDUEXGVDQGRWKHULQER[DFFHVVRULHV DOO¿WFRPIRUWDEO\LQWRWKHPROGHGIRDPVORWVLQVLGHWKHLQFOXGHGKDUGVKHOO nylon carrying case. USES Don’t mistake this for a pair of AR glasses you can just pick up and use anywhere. The BT-200 comes loaded with a few demonstration programs, but there’s no access to the Google Play store. Epson also plans to launch its own Moverio app store later this year, but for now you’ll have to make do with VLGHORDGLQJ$3.¿OHVWKURXJKWKHPLFUR6'FDUGVORWWKH:HEEURZVHURUD USB connection and the debugging console. Because the BT-200 is primarily intended for developers and enterprise DSSOLFDWLRQV\RXZRQ¶W¿QGPXFKXVDELOLW\ZLWKLWXQOHVV\RXKDYHD EDFNJURXQGLQ$QGURLGGHYHORSPHQWRUDQ,7WHDPWKDWFDQVHWXSHYHU\WKLQJ you need for you. (SVRQSURYLGHGXVZLWKD%7SUHORDGHGZLWK1HWÀL[WRGHPRQVWUDWH some entertainment applications, and though the glasses aren’t strictly

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON The handy, hardshell nylon carrying case that comes with the Moverio BT-200 makes it a cinch to carry the glasses with you anywhere.

designed for it, they work very well as a mobile video YLHZHU,ZDWFKHGStar Trek Into Darkness and The AvengersLQUHODWLYHFRPIRUWWKRXJK,KDGWREHFDUHIXO with the pressure both the BT-200 and my own glasses put on my nose over time. The included earbuds ZRUNHG¿QHWRR DEMO SOFTWARE )RUXVHIXO$5DSSOLFDWLRQV,WULHGDIHZGHPRV(SVRQ SUHORDGHGRQWKH%72QHOHWPHSODFHDEOXHSULQW RQDWDEOHDQGYLVXDOL]HLWDVD¿QLVKHGKRXVH,FRXOG WXUQPRYHDQGHYHQÀLSWKURXJKGLIIHUHQWSODQQLQJ and construction steps from empty lot to completed building. Another walked me through assembling a ¿JXUHRI/HJROLNHEXLOGLQJEORFNVE\SURMHFWLQJHDFK step of construction onto the table, using a specially PDUNHGSLHFHRISDSHUWRDOLJQWKHYLHZ,FRXOGORRNDW WKHPRGHOIURPGLIIHUHQWDQJOHVDQGLI,ZLVKHGEXLOGLW P\VHOIQH[WWRWKHSURMHFWLRQWRPDNHVXUH,JRWHYHU\ step right. Another demo was a mock-up inventory management and store display app that compared how pictures of shelves were stocked with snacks. And a simple game VLPLODUWRD'6SDFH,QYDGHUVKDGPHDLPLQJDQG VKRRWLQJDWURERWVÀRDWLQJDWPHIURPDOOGLUHFWLRQV Both of these demos nicely showed off the technology’s

Though the glasses aren’t strictly designed for it, they work very well as a mobile video viewer.

potential, even if they weren’t particularly exciting. ,FRXOGVHHWKH%7JODVVHVRUDWOHDVWDPXFKOLJKWHUDQGVOHHNHUIXWXUH version of them, becoming common in workshops and labs, where 3D models and references directly next to a workspace can be very useful. They could even replace those headphones you can rent at museums and historical sites, turning audio tours into augmented reality tours with helpful holograms next to the exhibits. There’s a lot of potential here, but it depends on developers. The Epson Moverio BT-200 is one of the most functional and affordable examples of a head-mounted display designed for augmented reality. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should get it, even if it costs less than half of Google Glass and has the potential to be much more useful. This is developer JHDUGHVLJQHGIRUH[SHULPHQWLQJZLWKWKHWHFKQRORJ\DQG¿JXULQJRXW FRPPHUFLDOXVHV,I\RXKDYHWRVSHQGRQWKLVNLQGRISURGXFWLW¶VD fantastic way to get a taste of what AR can offer, and it’s much easier to use than *RRJOH*ODVV,WMXVWGRHVQ¶WKDYHPXFKRIDSRLQWIRUFRQVXPHUV\HW%XWLI you’re a tinkerer, a maker, or an engineer, keep an eye on the BT-200. WILL GREENWALD


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Computing Just Got a Lot Cheaper, Rounder he Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus is Zotac’s latest addition to its line of tiny project PCs, but this little desktop looks different from its squareshaped siblings. The Zbox Sphere replaces utilitarian corners with roundness and whimsy, but still manages to be a compact system that’s perfect for home entertainment or as an everyday desktop PC. The only caveat? Bring your own operating system.

T

Zotac Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus $479.99 L L L L m

DESIGN AND FEATURES The aptly named Zbox Sphere is about the size of a small cantaloupe. Its globe-like chassis is molded black SODVWLFZLWKDVPRRWKPDWWH¿QLVKXQDGRUQHGH[FHSW for a blue, glowing ring that lights up when the PC is powered on. The Zotac logo is printed on the top of the spherical case. The sphere is not a perfect globe, KRZHYHUDVLWDOVRKDVDFXEHVKDSHGEDVHZLWKDÀDW bottom for facilitating stable footing, and a rear panel for ports. There are vents on the bottom and at the rear of the chassis. Measuring 6.3 by 6.1 by 6.1 inches (HWD) and weighing only 1.73 pounds, the Zbox Sphere is tiny enough to be in the same class as ultra-small-formfactor desktops like the Polywell i2304-i5 or the Editors’ Choice Apple Mac mini. Although such PCs are usually designed to be tucked out of sight, the Zbox Sphere is really meant to be a little more conspicuous. Its design, which seems to emulate that of Google’s ill-fated Nexus Q media hub, is sure to grab people’s attention and start conversations. The round front of the chassis comes off with a twist— no tools necessary—to reveal the guts of the system, beginning with a small Zotac motherboard mounted horizontally. On top of that board is a 2.5-inch, 500GB, 5,400rpm hard drive, and next to it is 4GB of memory (with DIMM slots for up to 16GB). On the underside, you’ll ¿QGDQ,QWHO&RUHL8&38DQGDVXUSULVLQJO\ up-to-date 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi module (the system also has Bluetooth 4.0). Below that, in the base, is a small cooling fan.

Zotac Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus PROS Unique design is futuristic, funky. Easy interior access. Compact chassis works for desktop, home entertainment use. Outputs up to 4K. Low price. CONS Price does not include operating system.

There are plenty of ports located on the back panel, next to the Power button: DisplayPort and HDMI outputs; a Gigabit Ethernet port; Line-In and Line-Out MDFNVIRUDXGLRDQ6'FDUGVORWDQGVL[86%SRUWVIRXU86%WZR86% 7KHGLVSOD\RXWSXWVSURYLGHDQLFHELWRIIXWXUHSURR¿QJDVERWKWKH+'0,DQG 'LVSOD\3RUWFRQQHFWRUVVXSSRUWKLJKHUWKDQ+'RXWSXWXSWR.
THE SPHERE IS NOT ALL HERE The Zbox Sphere is not perfectly round— the rectangular rear panel provides easy access to a number of crucial ports.

COMPLETING THE SPHERE The design of the Zbox Sphere will definitely turn heads, but you’ll need to supply your own operating system.

WKHODSWRSFODVVGXDOFRUH&38ZKLFKLVVXI¿FLHQWO\VSHHG\DQGNHHSVWKH system running cool—an essential quality in a small chassis. In PCMark 8 Work Conventional, our general-use test, the Zbox Sphere scored 2,713, nearly identical to the result we saw from the Polywell i2304-i5 (2,733). The Zbox Sphere took 5 minutes, 48 seconds, to complete our Photoshop test. That time also places it comfortably between the Core i7–powered Apple Mac PLQL DQGWKHOHVVLPSUHVVLYH,QWHO18&.LW':<. 7KH 3RO\ZHOOLLFRXOGQ¶WUXQWKHWHVWGXHWRVRIWZDUHFRQÀLFWV Because the Sphere relies on Intel’s integrated graphics, it lagged behind the Polywell desktop in our 3D graphics tests. The system scored 4,063 in 3DMark CloudGate, our medium graphics test, and 236 in the more-demanding 3DMark FireStrike Extreme. Similarly, the Zbox Sphere fell behind the Polywell system in gaming tests, but neither one produced playable results in any case. CONCLUSION If you want a small PC for entertainment and home use, but prefer something a little more eye-catching than the typical black-box designs of so many ultraVPDOOIRUPIDFWRUGHVNWRSVWKH=RWDF=ER[6SKHUH2,3OXV¿WVWKHELOO7KH round design is fun, and the small desktop offers decent capability for a low price. Even factoring in the expense of the operating system, it’s one of the more affordable small PCs on the market. It doesn’t replace the Editors’ Choice Apple 0DFPLQLZKLFKKDVDPRUHUH¿QHGGHVLJQDQGFRPHVZLWKDVOLFNRSHUDWLQJ system and software, but it should still be considered a top choice. BRIAN WESTOVER PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

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The New Version of Razer’s Gaming Laptop Is a Bit Dull hange is hard, and continued innovation is even harder. Case in point: the newest iteration of the Razer Blade. Razer has revamped its gaming laptop, keeping the original’s ultraportable design but ramping up the display quality, adding touch-screen capability, and upgrading to Nvidia’s newer mobile graphics options. But the shift to higherresolution graphics and more powerful hardware hit battery life (and thus overall portability) severely, and the price has jumped up by $400. Although the Blade

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Razer Blade $2,399 L L L H m

LVVWLOOH[WUHPHO\ZHOOPDGHLW¶VWKH¿UVW5D]HUJDPLQJ laptop to not get our strongest recommendation. DESIGN The Blade’s external design remains unchanged from that of its predecessor. It has the same slim MacBooklike aluminum chassis, measuring 0.7 by 13.6 by 9.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 4.47 pounds. The black paint job is tinged with a number of bright-green accents, including the glowing Razer snake-triskelion logo on the lid, the distinctive green USB ports, and the glowing keyboard. The biggest change to the Blade is the display, a sharp Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) panel that now RIIHUVE\UHVROXWLRQ7KDW¶VDVLJQL¿FDQW step up from the previous Blade’s 1,600 by 900, and it results in a stunning improvement in detail. In the past, Razer claimed that the Blade had lower resolution in order to deliver better frame rates and smoother gameplay. That reasoning made sense then, and even though the hardware has improved and 4K gaming is looming large, that logic still works. But even though it looks amazing, that high-res display may be the weakest point of the new Blade—I’ll discuss that more later. 7KHRWKHUPDMRUDGGLWLRQWRWKHGLVSOD\LVWHQ¿QJHU touch. This is especially rare among gaming PCs, which

Razer Blade PROS Slim, ultraportable design. Upgraded graphics. Display has superhigh resolution, touch capability. CONS Runs very hot. High-resolution display may actually hamper performance. Shorter battery life than previous model reduces portability.

ALL THAT GLITTERS The brilliant new highresolution touch display on the Blade turns out astonishing graphical detail—but introduces some troubling problems.

have thus far shunned touch as unnecessary, despite the touch-centric nature of Windows 8. The speakers, found RQHLWKHUVLGHRIWKHNH\ERDUGRIIHUHQRXJKYROXPHWR¿OO a room, and even a bit more bass than we expected. The chiclet-style keybord and large touchpad seem to be exactly like the ones used on the previous model, and remain excellent. The keyboard has Razer’s distinctive block font and the same antighosting capability found on the company’s gaming peripherals. The touchpad is calibrated for precision, and by default is set to match the dimensions of the display, meaning you can move the cursor from one side of the laptop to the other without KDYLQJWROLIW\RXU¿QJHUVIURPWKHWRXFKSDG6LPLODUO\ the right and left mouse buttons are discrete physical buttons and not integrated into the touchpad. Unfortunately, heat is still a major concern with the Blade, because the narrow chassis doesn’t leave much room to circulate air. While running tests and games, I routinely saw temperatures of up to 126° F (as measured with a Fluke IR thermometer)—not only around the hinge and vents, but on the keyboard as well. Fan noise is DOVRDELJLVVXH:LWKLQPRPHQWVRI¿ULQJXSDJDPHWKH fans inside the laptop rev up like the laptop’s trying to WDNHÀLJKWDQGWKHLQVLVWHQWKLJKSLWFKHGZKLQHLV GLI¿FXOWWRLJQRUHHYHQLI\RX¶UHZHDULQJKHDGSKRQHV

Heat is still a major concern with the Blade, because the narrow chassis doesn’t leave much room to circulate air.

IT’S PRETTY EASY BEING GREEN Unique aesthetic touches, such as green USB ports, give the Blade a look that instantly sets it apart from all other gaming laptops.

FEATURES The Blade’s slim design is still fairly light in terms of ports and features. On the ULJKW\RX¶OO¿QGDVLQJOH86%SRUWDQGDQ+'0,RXWSRUW2QWKHOHIWDUH two more USB 3.0 ports, along with a headset jack. Inside, the Blade boasts 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. Another small detail made for the sake of portability is the design of the compact 150-watt power adapter. Where many gaming rigs have giant AC adapter bricks weighing a pound or more, the Blade’s adapter measures less than an inch thick and weighs less than a pound. Our review unit came with a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), though Razer also lets you purchase the Blade with either a 128GB or 512GB SSD (for $2,199.99 and $2,699.99, respectively). There’s very little preinstalled on the drive, except for the Windows 8.1 operating system, and programs such as Nvidia GeForce Experience, which includes drivers and a settings dashboard for the graphics hardware, along with features for tweaking performance, recording video, streaming games to an Nvidia Shield handheld, and so on. Razer includes its RZQ6\QDSVHZKLFKDGMXVWVGHYLFHVHWWLQJVDQGVDYHVXVHUSUR¿OHVIRUDQ\ of a dozen Razer peripherals. Razer covers the Blade with a one-year warranty. PERFORMANCE Armed with a quad-core Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor and 8GB of RAM—the same CPU and memory allotment used in the previous-generation Blade—the system offers excellent processing power, putting it in line with some of the best ultraportables on the market. It cranked through our processor-intensive Photoshop CS6 test in 4 minutes, 54 seconds, which puts it alongside the similarly equipped Maingear Pulse 14 (4:52). That said, both the previous Blade

model and the MSI GE40 2OC-009US completed the same test in just 4 minutes. A new Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M with 3GB of dedicated memory provides the most graphics power we’ve seen yet in a Razer laptop. In our 3DMark graphics test, it garnered a score of 15,713 in Cloud Gate and 2,098 in Fire Strike Extreme. That sort of performance would have been amazing on the previous model, with its lower resolution. Despite the higher-resolution capabilities of the display, the system still couldn’t produce playable results in our gaming tests when dialed up to those higher resolutions. At a paltry 1,366 by 768, the Blade cranked through Heaven with 77 frames per second (fps) and reached 84fps in Valley; but at 1,920 by 1,080 and with anti-aliasing on, it only produced 10fps in Heaven and 14fps in Valley. This may suggest that the decision to stick with a lower-resolution display in the past was the correct one, but with some tweaks to the resolution and detail settings, even the newest games will still be playable on the Blade—you may want to play some games in a smaller window, however.

The Blade lasted 4 hours, 15 minutes, in our battery rundown test, down from the 6:52 of the previous model, a difference that can largely be attributed to the new display. Unfortunately, this puts the Blade at the bottom of the list for battery life; both the Maingear Pulse 14 (4:52) and the MSI GE40 2OC-009US (6:14) did better. If anything, this puts the blade in the same range as regular notso-portable gaming systems, like the Digital Storm Krypton (4:07). CONCLUSION The newest Razer Blade is disappointing, mostly because we had such high hopes. Razer still PDQDJHVWRRXW¿WWKHODSWRSZLWKVRPHDPD]LQJ capabilities, but it feels like the company reached too far, too soon, stepping up the resolution at the expense of gameplay, and opting for powerful hardware that chews through battery life and runs alarmingly hot. The previous model is still available through Razer and other retailers, so it remains our top pick for ultraportable gaming, thanks to better battery life and a more affordable price. BRIAN WESTOVER


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Razer still manages to outfit the laptop with some amazing capabilities, but it feels like the company reached too far, too soon.

REVIEWS HARDWARE

A Rugged Business Tablet With an Identity Crisis n one sense, Panasonic’s Toughpad 4K is a business tablet, but one with a gorgeous 20-inch 4K-resolution display that makes it best suited for retail displays, video production, or jobs where computing on the go is key (such as healthcare or architecture). Or perhaps it’s more of a portable all-inone desktop PC, if one with no built-in stand or included keyboard or mouse. Despite premium components, it’s like no workstation we’ve seen before. Add to that a hefty rugged design and a sky-high price and you have a product that’s uncategorizable: impressive, but puzzling.

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DESIGN The Toughpad 4K is technically portable, but mobile XVHZLOOGH¿QLWHO\EHOLPLWHGE\LWVGLPHQVLRQVE\

Panasonic Toughpad 4K Performance $6,999.99 L L L m m

E\LQFKHV+:' DQGZHLJKWSRXQGV Even so, that ratio is quite remarkable, given that most 20-inch monitors weigh considerably more, and don’t offer the same sort of touch capability or processing hardware; nor is the Toughpad 4K heavier than competing laptops, such as the MacBook Pro. The large tablet is wrapped in layer of woven glass ¿EHUWKDWORRNVDORWOLNHOHVVEULWWOHFDUERQ¿EHU Beneath it is a magnesium alloy frame, and Panasonic has built in some of the expected Toughpad ruggedness. The Toughpad 4K is built to handle drops of up to 30 inches on its back, and up to 12 inches from any other direction, including face-down onto the display. That ruggedness is essential for a 20-inch display that will be toted around, but that’s it for ruggedness—there’s no further protection against damage or the elements. That 20-inch screen is the real star of the show, ERDVWLQJDUD]RUVKDUSE\UHVROXWLRQ SL[HOVSHULQFKSSL GLVSOD\GHQVLW\DDVSHFWUDWLR (ideal for displaying 11-by-17-inch documents, such as blueprints and schematics, at nearly full size), and tenpoint touch. Colors are bright and vibrant, with a wide gamut, and the viewing angles are superb, allowing excellent visibility from nearly any direction. Although the 20-inch display is too big for regular tablet use, it is uniquely suited to serving as a portable presentation device, with Panasonic’s In-Plane Switching (IPS) Alpha display technology offering nearly 180 degrees of crystal-clear viewing from any angle, both horizontally and vertically. FEATURES 2QWKHULJKWHGJHRIWKHFKDVVLV\RX¶OO¿QGRQH86% port, an SD card slot (SD, SDHC, SDXC), a power connector, Gigabit Ethernet, and a Mini DisplayPort jack (which supports 4K output to a second display). On the left are a smart card reader and four physical EXWWRQV3RZHU9ROXPH8SDQG'RZQDQG6FUHHQ

Panasonic Toughpad 4K Performance PROS Impressive, huge 4K display. Good-looking, lightweight, ruggedized design. CONS Expensive. Extremely unwieldy. Most uses require pricey optional accessories. Short battery life. Limited appeal, even for a niche product.

A TABLET YOU CAN TAKE (ALMOST) ANYWHERE The Toughpad 4K Performance is designed to resist drops from pretty much any angle, but lacks the stronger protection you’ll find on more traditional rugged laptops.

Rotation Lock). A physical Windows button and a 720p HD webcam are on the front, and the system has a PHJDSL[HOUHDUIDFLQJFDPHUDRQWKHEDFN)RU ZLUHOHVVFRQQHFWLYLW\WKHUH¶VQ:L)LDQG %OXHWRRWK,W¶VDOVRRXW¿WWHGZLWKWKHXVXDOWDEOHW sensors, like an ambient light sensor, magnetometer, gyro sensor, and accelerometer. The rear-facing camera delivers decent-looking images in full light, though the quality drops off in lowlight settings. Additionally, the 4K display is roughly equivalent to a 10-megapixel image, so zooming in or viewing images full-screen will mean grainy and pixelated photos. The front-facing camera offers only 720p video capture (about 1.2 megapixels), but it’s VXI¿FLHQWIRUXVHZLWK6N\SHDQGVLPLODUVHUYLFHV7KH biggest problem with the webcam is that, without the EHQH¿WRIDGHVNWRSVWDQG\RX¶OOQHHGWRKROGXSWKH oversize display for the duration of your call. A few security features help to protect your large investment, with Computrace theft protection, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v1.2, and Intel’s Anti-Theft technology in addition to the usual password protection and the smart card reader mentioned above. There’s also a pop-out security cable loop for locking down the tablet so no one walks off with it.

The biggest problem with the webcam is that, without the benefit of a desktop stand, you’ll need to hold up the oversize display for the duration of your call.

,QVLGHWKHLQFKFKDVVLVD*%VROLGVWDWHGULYH66' RIIHUVIDVW VWRUDJHEXWZLWK.PHGLDWDNLQJXSVLJQL¿FDQWO\PRUHVSDFHWKDQ+'YLGHR content, you’ll probably want an external drive for your media storage. Our system came with Windows 7 Professional, available through Windows 8 Pro downgrade rights. Panasonic Dashboard lets you adjust and monitor the tablet’s settings and performance, including aspects of the display, such as icon and text size, and FRORUSUR¿OH7KH)LUHIR[:HEEURZVHULVSUHLQVWDOOHGDVLVDGD\WULDORI 0LFURVRIW2I¿FHZLWKDQRSWLRQWRSXUFKDVHWKHIXOOSURJUDP Panasonic covers the Toughpad 4K Performance tablet with a three-year warranty, which includes both coverage on parts and labor as well as 24/7 tech support via phone. ACCESSORIES )RUWKH7RXJKSDGWRIXOO\IXQFWLRQDVHLWKHUDZRUNWDEOHWRUDQDOOLQRQH3& you’ll need to pick up a few accessories, none of which are included in the $7,000 price. 7KH7RXJKSDG6W\OXV3HQFRQQHFWVWRWKHWDEOHWYLD%OXHWRRWKDQGXVHV an infrared-based optical sensing technology to provide 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and almost pixel-level accuracy. You can even use more than one pen on the same tablet, opening up collaborative capability. If you need to use the tablet in a more traditional desktop setup, Panasonic’s Desktop Stand/Cradle ($399.99) docks the tablet using a 24-pin connection, DQGRIIHUVWKUHHDGGLWLRQDO86%SRUWVIRUDWWDFKLQJDNH\ERDUGDPRXVH and external storage), an HDMI-out port for connecting a second display, and a second Ethernet port.

A specially designed portfolio-style tote ($299.99) features a shoulder strap, a fold-away screen cover, and a built-in easel, so you can prop up the tablet for easier use. And soon to be available is a wall-mounted cradle with a VESA mount. PERFORMANCE When we started looking at the system’s performance, ance, we again ran into the question of how to o categorize the 7RXJKSDG.:LWKD*+],QWHO&RUHL8GXDO &RUH L8 GXDO FRUHSURFHVVRU²DQROGHU&38WKDWSUHGDWHVWKHFXUUHQW SUHGDWHV WKH FXUUHQW +DVZHOOSURFHVVRUVRQWKHPDUNHW²DQG*%RI5$0 DQG *% RI 5$0 it’s a unique mix of design and capabilities. lities. In some respects, it’s a high-end tablet, let, designed for the user who needs a stunning display and nd the ability to work with the images directly. When looking king at our 3KRWRVKRS&6WHVWZKLFKDSSUR[LPDWHVDKHDY\ D KHDY\ JUDSKLFDOZRUNORDGWKH7RXJKSDG.¿QLVKHGWKHWHVW KHG WKH WHVW LQPLQXWHVVHFRQGV7KLVLVJRRGFRPSDUHGDJDLQVW DUHG DJDLQVW the Wacom Cintiq Companion design tablet (which took EXWQRWODSWRSVVXFKDVWKH0DF%RRN3UR UR RUWKH7RVKLED6DWHOOLWH37%671 ERWKRI ERWK RI which have similar high-resolution displays. The Toughpad 4K is speedier than some portable ble all-in-one desktops, such as the Sony VAIO Tap 21, ZKLFKQHHGHGWR¿QLVK3KRWRVKRS²EXWFRVWV more than six times as much. On the other hand, the HP Z1 G2 workstation all-in-one cranked through the same Photoshop test in 2:49—and costs less than half of what the Toughpad does. 7KHWDEOHW¶V1YLGLD.0*38RIIHUVVLJQL¿FDQWO\ PRUHSRWHQWJUDSKLFVFDSDELOLW\WKDQ\RX¶G¿QGIURP the integrated graphics on the Cintiq Companion or the Tap 21, but it doesn’t really compete with workstations. 7KH7RXJKSDG.VFRUHGRQO\LQ'0DUN &ORXG*DWHDQGLQ'0DUN)LUH6WULNH([WUHPHWKH 'HOO0PDQDJHGRQ&ORXG*DWHDQGRQ )LUH6WULNH([WUHPHDQGWKH+3=*RQ

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD (AND JUST AS PRICEY) The Toughpad Stylus Pen lets you write and draw on your h tablet with onsiderable considerable precision, but you need to buy it separately— for $260.

&ORXG*DWHDQGRQ)LUH6WULNH([WUHPH Don’t expect all-day battery life, either. The Toughpad 4K Performance lasted just 2 hours, 4 minutes, in our rundown test, putting it dead last against all of our batteryequipped comparison devices. In discussions with Panasonic representatives, I learned that the design uses a smaller (read thinner and lighter) battery to reduce the bulk and weight of the overall design. Honestly, given that the slim battery is powering 9.8 million glowing pixels and still supporting the performance indicated above, 2 hours is downright impressive. CONCLUSION In the end, not many devices offer anything like the Panasonic Toughpad 4K Performance’s blend of portable design, ODUJH8OWUD+'GLVSOD\DQGIXQFWLRQDO SURFHVVLQJSRZHU8QIRUWXQDWHO\WKHUHDOVR aren’t many people or businesses that will have a need for it, let alone need it enough to spend thousands of dollars on a single GHYLFH)RUWKRVHZKRUHTXLUHDZRUNVWDWLRQ with a large display, there’s the HP Z1 G2; for artists on the go, there’s the Wacom Cintiq Companion. Many portable all-in-one PCs and desktop-replacement laptops with .RU5HWLQDGLVSOD\VDUHVLJQL¿FDQWO\PRUH affordable than the Toughpad 4K. Given all this, it’s not easy to recommend the Toughpad 4: It’s a well-made product, but it’s a solution in search of a problem that other systems have already solved. BRIAN WESTOVER


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Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive (5TB) $219.99 L L L L m

You Get Tons of Storage on This Easy-to-Use Drive The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive is basic, utilitarian storage GHVLJQHGWR¿WWKHZLGHVWSRVVLEOHVWUDWDRIJHQHUDOXVHUV7KLVKDUG GULYHKDVORWVRIURRPIRUGRZQORDGHGYLGHRVDQGJHQHUDWLRQVRI KLVWRULFDOEDFNXSVDQGLVDUHODWLYHO\LQH[SHQVLYHEXFNHWIRUDQ\RQH EDITORS’ CHOICE ZKRQHHGVWRWUDQVSRUWVFDGVRIODUJH¿OHVIURPRQH3&WRDQRWKHU 7KLVLVWKHKLJKHVWFDSDFLW\KDUGGULYH\RXFDQEX\ZLWKRXWFRPSOLFDWLRQVOLNH 5$,'DUUD\VDQGRWKHUPXOWLSOHGULYHFRPELQDWLRQV$QGLWFRVWVMXVWSHQQLHV SHUJLJDE\WH DESIGN AND FEATURES 7KHFKDVVLVLVPDGHRIEODFNSRO\FDUERQDWHZLWKSHUIRUDWLRQVRQWKUHHIDFHVIRU FRROLQJ7KHIURQWKDVWKH6HDJDWHORJRPROGHGLQWRDFRUQHUWKHEDFNKDVD 86%SRUWDQGWKHMDFNIRUWKHLQFOXGHG$&DGDSWHUDQGWKHIDFHWHGERWWRP

SDQHOVSRUWVUXEEHUIHHWIRUH[WUDHOHYDWLRQ7KHGULYH PHDVXUHVDERXWE\E\LQFKHV+:' 7KH%DFNXS3OXV'HVNWRSLVDYDLODEOHLQIRXU FRQ¿JXUDWLRQVSULFHGIURPIRUWKH7%YHUVLRQXS WRIRUWKH7%XQLWZHUHYLHZHG7KDW¶VHQRXJK VSDFHWRKROGWKRXVDQGVRIPRYLHVRUKXQGUHGVRI WKRXVDQGVRIVRQJVSOXVPXOWLSOHEDFNXSYHUVLRQVRI \RXU¿OHVSDUWLFXODUO\LI\RXXVHDQDUFKLYLQJSURJUDP OLNH7LPH0DFKLQHRQD0DF7KHGULYH¶VSULFHZRUNV RXWWRFHQWVSHUJLJDE\WH²RQHRIWKHYHU\EHVW\RXFDQ ¿QGRQWKHPDUNHW)RUFRPSDULVRQWKH6HDJDWH %DFNXS3OXV)DVWRXU(GLWRUV¶&KRLFHIRUSRUWDEOHKDUG GULYHVFRPHVLQDWFHQWVSHUJLJDE\WH
NO SHORTAGE OF SPACE The 5TB version of the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive can hold an entire PC’s worth of video, music, and document files.

Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive (5TB) PROS High capacity. Low price. Comes with Dashboard software. CONS Wall-wart power adapter. Limited warranty.

7KHEXQGOHG'DVKERDUGSURJUDPFDQEDFNXS¿OHVIURP\RXUVRFLDOQHWZRUN DFFRXQWVDQGVPDUWSKRQH,QVWDOOWKHIUHHDSSRQ\RXU$QGURLGRU$SSOHSKRQH DQG\RX¶OOEHDEOHWRVHWXSDXWRPDWLFEDFNXSVWR\RXUGULYHRYHU:L)LRUWKH FORXG

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REVIEWS HARDWARE

Dell’s Feature-Rich Monitor Comes at a Midrange Price Dell’s newest desktop monitor line, the UltraSharp UZ series, is all about collaboration and improved productivity through video conferencing. The UltraSharp EDITORS’ CHOICE UZ2315H is a 23-inch, In-Plane Switching (IPS) model that features a fully adjustable ergonomic stand, a built-in webcam and microphone array, stereo speakers, and lots of I/O ports. Throw in solid dark grayscale performance and rich, accurate colors, and you have maximum capabilities at a midrange price.

Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H $299 L L L L m

DESIGN AND FEATURES The UZ2315H uses the same matte-black-and-brushedsilver-trim motif found on previous UltraSharp models. The 1-inch bezels are relatively thick, and the speaker enclosure attached to the bottom bezel adds an additional 0.75 inch. The cabinet measures 1.7 inches thick and has a curved back panel containing four VESAcompliant mounting holes. The 1,920-by-1,080 panel has a matte coating that reduces glare and is nonUHÀHFWLYH7KRXJKSOHDVDQWORRNLQJWKLVPRQLWRUGRHVQ¶W offer much in the way of sleek aesthetics. The brushed silver stand has a hinge that lets you pivot the panel 90 degrees for portrait-mode viewing, and it has a 26-degree tilt range. The hinge slides up and down the mounting arm for a total height adjustment of 4.9 inches, and the arm has a 90-degree swivel range. Behind the aforementioned speaker enclosure are two 3-watt stereo speakers that are strong and can be cranked up without fear of distortion. Quality-wise, they’re a notch above most monitor speakers, but not nearly as powerful as the 7-watt speakers on the AOC i2373PWM. That said, they are more than adequate for listening to low- to mid-volume music, movie soundtracks, and video conferencing dialogue, courtesy of the 2-megapixel webcam and dual digital microphone array embedded in the upper bezel. There are plenty of I/O ports to be found at the rear of the cabinet, including two HDMI inputs with Mobile +LJK'H¿QLWLRQ/LQN0+/ VXSSRUWWKDWOHWV\RX charge and view content from compatible mobile devices. There are also DisplayPort and VGA inputs, a USB 3.0 upstream port, and two USB 3.0 downstream ports. Conveniently located on the left side of the cabinet is a combination headphone-out/microphone-in jack. Picture settings are relatively basic. You can adjust Brightness, Contrast, and Preset Modes, which includes Standard, Multimedia, Movie, Game, Paper, Color Temperature, and Custom Color with red,

Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H PROS Accurate colors. Strong feature set. Wide viewing angles. CONS Slow pixel response rate. Mixed grayscale performance.

green, and blue adjustments. Display settings include Aspect Ratio, Sharpness, ess, and Overdrive. The Overdrive setting is supposed to reduce motion blur by speeding up pixel response, but I saw no difference in performance when I tested ed the monitor with it enabled. Dell covers the UZ2315H with a threeeeyear warranty for parts, labor, and backlighting. The monitor comes with h HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB cables, a quick-setup guide, and a resource CD with drivers and documentation. PERFORMANCE The UZ2315H’s IPS panel delivered rich, ch, accurate colors RXWRIWKHER[,WDOVRGLGD¿QHMRERIGLVSOD\LQJPLG GL O L LG and dark shades of gray from the DisplayMate 64-Step Gray-Scale test, but had trouble with the two lightest shades, which were identical (each shade should

MIGHTY MIDRANGE MONITOR Though it may not be a trailblazer in the design department, the Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H offers accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and plenty of features, all for a reasonable price (less than $300).

gradually transition toward white). This is known as clipping, and in many cases will result in a noticeable loss of highlight detail. In this case, I noticed a slight washout in the highlights of my test images, but the effect was minor. The panel also did an excellent job of displaying small text from our DisplayMate Scaled Fonts test. With an 8ms (gray-to-gray) pixel response, the UZ23315H isn’t the best choice for discerning gamers. Some motion blur was apparent while playing Aliens vs. Predator on the PC. Motion artifacts were also noticeable while playing Burnout Paradise on the Sony PlayStation 3 console; as mentioned above, the Overdrive setting did nothing to minimize the blurring. On the plus side, input lag (the time it takes for the panel to react to a command from a controller or keyboard) was minimal, measuring a very DFFHSWDEOHPVRQWKH/HR%RGQDU/DJ7HVWHU Power consumption was in line with other similarly sized monitors we’ve tested. The UZ2315H used 18 watts of power during testing while set to the Standard preset, and results were the same when using the MultiMedia preset. CONCLUSION With the Dell UltraSharp UZ2315H, you don’t always get the most pleasing aesthetics and highest-quality audio output, but performance is strong and there are plenty of features, including a high-speed USB hub, a webcam, a DisplayPort input, and a highly adjustable stand. The monitor’s light grayscale performance could be better, and its slow pixel response isn’t well suited to gaming, but neither issue prevents the UZ2315H from becoming our newest Editors’ Choice for midsize, midrange monitors. JOHN R. DELANEY PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

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You don’t always get the most pleasing aesthetics and highestquality audio output, but performance is strong.

REVIEWS SOFTWARE

All Your Security Needs in One Powerful Mega-Suite :KHQ\RXFRPELQHDQWLYLUXVDQG¿UHZDOO VRIWZDUHZLWKDIHZRWKHULPSRUWDQWVHFXULW\ FRPSRQHQWV\RXJHWDVHFXULW\VXLWH$GG EDFNXS3&WXQHXSDQGRWKHUVXFKJRRGLHV EDITORS’ CHOICE DQG\RXKDYHZKDW,OLNHWRFDOOD³PHJD VXLWH´%LWGHIHQGHU7RWDO6HFXULW\LVDSHUIHFW H[DPSOH,WSXOOVWRJHWKHUDOPRVWHYHU\LPDJLQDEOH VHFXULW\IHDWXUHLQRQHSDFNDJHDQGWKH\DOOZRUNZHOO SHARED ANTIVIRUS FEATURES %LWGHIHQGHUSDUWLFLSDWHVLQWHVWLQJZLWKWKHPRVW VLJQL¿FDQWLQGHSHQGHQWODEVDQGWKH\DOOJLYHLWV DQWLYLUXVSURGXFWYHU\JRRGPDUNV,WMXVWUHFHLYHG

Bitdefender Total Security 2015 $69.95 (single license) $89.95 (three-license subscription)

$$OHYHOFHUWL¿FDWLRQIURP'HQQLV7HFKQRORJ\/DEVWKH VHFRQGKLJKHVWRI¿YHFHUWL¿FDWLRQOHYHOV%LWGHIHQGHU GLGQ¶WVFRUHDVZHOOLQP\RZQKDQGVRQPDOZDUH EORFNLQJWHVW,WHDUQHGRISRVVLEOHSRLQWVEHWWHU WKDQWKHSRLQWVHDUQHGE\.DVSHUVN\,QWHUQHW 6HFXULW\EXWQRWQHDUO\DVKLJKDVVRPHSURGXFWVWHVWHG ZLWKP\SUHYLRXVPDOZDUHFROOHFWLRQ%LWGHIHQGHUDOVR EORFNHGSHUFHQWRIIUHVKPDOZDUHKRVWLQJ85/VIURP GRZQORDGLQJDOLWWOHRYHUKDOIWKHFXUUHQWDYHUDJHRI SHUFHQWVXJJHVWLQJLWIRFXVHVPRUHRQRWKHUOD\HUVRI SURWHFWLRQVXFKDVEHKDYLRUEDVHGPDOZDUHEORFNLQJ $OVRLQFOXGHGLQWKHDQWLYLUXVFRPSRQHQWDUHTXLWHD IHZIHDWXUHVWKDWPDQ\YHQGRUVZRXOGUHVHUYHIRUWKHLU VHFXULW\VXLWH$PRQJWKHVHDUH:DOOHWDEDVLF SDVVZRUGPDQDJHUDQG6DIH3D\DKDUGHQHGEURZVLQJ HQYLURQPHQWIRU¿QDQFLDOWUDQVDFWLRQV,QYRNLQJ 5HVFXH0RGHUHERRWVWKH3&LQWRDQRQ:LQGRZV HQYLURQPHQWOLNHXVLQJDUHVFXHGLVFZLWKRXWWKHKDVVOH RIEXUQLQJD&'7KHSURGXFWZLOODOVR¿QGDQG¿[ XQSDWFKHGYXOQHUDELOLWLHVDQGPDUNXSTXHVWLRQDEOH OLQNVLQVHDUFKUHVXOWVRUVRFLDOPHGLD 7KHEXLOWLQ¿OHVKUHGGHUZLOOHQVXUHWKDWGHOHWHG VHQVLWLYH¿OHVFDQ¶WEHUHFRYHUHG
Bitdefender Total Security 2015 PROS Award-winning antivirus protection. Outstanding antiphishing protection. Tools include system tuneup, online backup, file encryption, firewall, parental controls, antitheft. Minimally affects performance. CONS Parental IM monitoring works only with Yahoo Messenger. Lower score in our hands-on antivirus tests.

ORFDWHH[WUDFRSLHVRIGDWD¿OHVRQ\RXUVWRUDJHGULYH DQGGHOHWHDOOEXWRQHIURPHDFKJURXSRIGXSOLFDWHV STAYING SECURE 2WKHUIHDWXUHVERUURZIURP%LWGHIHQGHU¶V,QWHUQHW 6HFXULW\SURGXFW7KHVSDP¿OWHULVH[WUHPHO\VLPSOHWR XVHHVSHFLDOO\LI\RXUHPDLOFOLHQWLV2XWORRN2XWORRN ([SUHVV:LQGRZV0DLORU7KXQGHUELUG,QWHVWLQJWKH ¿OWHURQO\WKUHZSHUFHQWRIYDOLGPDLOLQWRWKHVSDP IROGHUDQGLWFRUUHFWO\WUDVKHGSHUFHQWRIPHVVDJHV WKDWZHUHXQGHQLDEOHVSDP %LWGHIHQGHU¶V¿UHZDOOQHYHUIRUFHV\RXWRPDNH VHFXULW\GHFLVLRQVEDVHGRQDUFDQHLQIRUPDWLRQ5DWKHU LWZDWFKHVFORVHO\IRUVNHWFK\EHKDYLRUE\DQ\SURJUDP LWFDQ¶WLGHQWLI\DVOHJLW,QP\WHVWLQJWKH¿UHZDOOSXW DOOWKHV\VWHP¶VSRUWVLQVWHDOWKPRGHGHWHFWHGDQG UHVLVWHGSRUWVFDQVDQGVKUXJJHGRIIP\DWWHPSWVWR GLVDEOHLWLQZD\VWKDWDPDOLFLRXVSURJUDPFRXOG:KHQ ,DWWDFNHGP\WHVWV\VWHPXVLQJWKH&25(,PSDFW SHQHWUDWLRQWRROLWGHWHFWHGDQGEORFNHGDOPRVW SHUFHQWRIH[SORLWV.DVSHUVN\DFWLYHO\EORFNHGQHDUO\ SHUFHQWDQG1RUWRQFDXJKWWKHPDOO
SCRUB EVERYTHING CLEAN Lots of system cleanup and optimization tools can be found in Bitdefender Total Security 2015.

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This is definitely a more complete parental control system than most suites offer.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE KIDS A strong suite of parental controls lets you control almost every aspect of your children’s computer usage.

PDQDJHWRUHFRYHULW\RXFDQXQORFNLWXVLQJWKH3,1\RXGH¿QHGXULQJWKHORFN SURFHVV,I\RXGHWHUPLQHWKDWWKHUH¶VQRFKDQFHRIUHFRYHU\\RXFDQUHPRWHO\ ZLSHWKHKDUGGULYH ONLINE BACKUP
RQP\ERRWWLPHWHVW,WLPHGDVFULSWWKDWPRYHV DQGFRSLHVPDQ\YHU\ODUJH¿OHVEHWZHHQGULYHV ¿UVWZLWKQRVXLWHDQGWKHQZLWK%LWGHIHQGHU $YHUDJLQJWKHUHVXOWRIWHQUXQVHDFKZD\,IRXQG WKHVFULSWWRRNSHUFHQWORQJHUZLWK%LWGHIHQGHU DFWLYH$QRWKHUVFULSWWKDW]LSVDQGXQ]LSVWKDW VDPH¿OHFROOHFWLRQWRRNSHUFHQWORQJHU7KH DYHUDJHRIWKHWKUHHWHVWVFRUHVURXQGVWRSHUFHQW -XVWIRXURWKHUSURGXFWVVFRUHGEHWWHU:HEURRW ZLWKWKHOLJKWHVWWRXFKDYHUDJHGSHUFHQW A DO-ALL SUITE 7KHIHDWXUHVHWIRUGLIIHUHQWPHJDVXLWHVFDQYDU\ ZLOGO\VRGHFLGLQJZKLFKRQHLVEHVWUHDOO\GHSHQGV RQZKLFKIHDWXUHV\RXQHHG,I\RXGRQ¶WQHHG DQWLVSDPRUSDUHQWDOFRQWUROVZHUHFRPPHQG :HEURRW6HFXUH$Q\ZKHUH,QWHUQHW6HFXULW\ &RPSOHWHDQG1RUWRQERDVWVWKHEHVW¿UHZDOO %XW%LWGHIHQGHULVULJKWEHVLGHWKHPDVDQ(GLWRUV¶ &KRLFHZLQQHUZLWKLWVYDVWFROOHFWLRQRI FRPSRQHQWVDQGDZDUGZLQQLQJDQWLYLUXV SURWHFWLRQLWZRQ¶WOHW\RXGRZQ NEIL J. RUBENKING


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STEELED AGAINST STEALING Bitdefender’s antitheft tools let you locate and lock a missing device, or even wipe out its storage altogether.

REVIEWS SOFTWARE

Secure Your Email With This Solid, Simple Software When you send an ordinary email message, it bounces around various servers as plain text, subject to snooping. For privacy, you’d be better off using encryption, but encryption is EDITORS’ CHOICE no good unless it’s really, really easy for both the sender and the recipient. Enlocked 2 is just that easy, and with prices ranging from free to $29.99 per month, it’s practical for individuals, small businesses, and even corporations.

Enlocked 2 Free to $29.99 per month L L L L m

PRICING Anybody can set up an Enlocked account and receive unlimited emails at no charge, and send up to ten encrypted messages per month. A basic paid subscription costs $9.99 per month (or $99 per year) and can send 100 messages each month. At the gold level, you’ll pay $19.99 per month (or $199 per year) and receive a quota of 2,000 secured messages per month. For someone needing to send up to 10,000 encrypted emails per month, a platinum subscription costs $29.99 per month or $299 annually. If you decide to use Enlocked company-wide, there’s a plan for that, too. You purchase as many subscriptions as you think you’ll need and assign subscriptions to all XVHUVLQ\RXUGRPDLQRUWRDVSHFL¿FOLVWRIXVHUV Those who don’t send ten messages per month won’t even count; those who use more are automatically upgraded to the appropriate level and you’re charged accordingly. Of course, you must negotiate this arrangement directly with Enlocked. SIMPLE SETUP Before you set up an Enlocked account, you can try the service from the recipient’s point of view. Just navigate to the website and enter your email address. The sample message you will receive from the company contains decryption instructions for desktop use and for mobile (both iOS and Android). Before you can perform the decryption, you have to set up an Enlocked account, but, once again, you can receive an unlimited number of messages with a free account. 7KHHQFU\SWHGPHVVDJHDUULYHVDVDQ+70/¿OH,I \RXPDNHDORFDOFRS\DQGODXQFKWKDW¿OHLWZDONV you through the sign-up process, or invites you to log in if you already have an account. You can also open the “Enlocked Anywhere” webpage and drop WKH¿OHRQWRLW

Enlocked 2 PROS Encrypts, decrypts messages locally. Free to receive unlimited messages, send ten messages per month. Company has no access to your content. Plug-ins make secure emailing even easier. CONS If you forget your password, you lose access to associated messages.

FULL-FEATURED MESSAGING From the Enlocked website you can compose messages using a WYSIWYG editor that lets you apply indentation and text styles, create numbered or EXOOHWHGOLVWVDQGDWWDFK¿OHV By default, when you click “Send Secured” the service sends the message and CCs you. The message includes an introduction, explaining that you’ve sent an encrypted message. You can tweak the introduction as you please. There’s also an option to prepare the secure attachment locally, so you can send it directly to the recipient without going through Enlocked’s servers. Note that you must log in to Enlocked using precisely the email address that received the message. If necessary, you can set up an alternate email account as a “reader,” giving it the ability to view the main account’s messages. WHY IS IT SECURE? Enlocked encrypts your message locally using a key based on your password. Decryption happens using a key based on the recipient’s password. Nothing is stored on Enlocked’s website except your password-encrypted key. If the NSA demands that Enlocked turn over your encrypted messages, tough luck. The messages themselves aren’t stored, and the key is encrypted using your password, which nobody at Enlocked knows. On the downside, if you forget your password, you’re the one who’s out of luck. You can reset it to a new

password, but you’ll lose the ability to decrypt messages sent using the old, forgotten one. 7KH¿UVWWLPH\RXVHQGDPHVVDJHWRDUHFLSLHQWZKRKDVQ¶WXVHG(QORFNHG before, that message gets encrypted using a temporary key. If you have the slightest concern about that temporary key, you can simply send a non-sensitive PHVVDJHDVWKH¿UVWFRQQHFWLRQZLWKDQHZVHFXUHFRQWDFW2QFHWKDWXVHUKDV created an Enlocked account, all communication uses secure, passwordencrypted keys. PLUG-INS AND MOBILE Those using Outlook 2010 or later can simplify things by installing the Outlook plug-in. When you receive an Enlocked message, the secure message contents DSSHDUDXWRPDWLFDOO\LQDVSHFLDOSDQHO2IFRXUVH\RXPD\KDYHWRORJLQ¿UVW To send a secure message, you simply click Send Secure in the Enlocked panel that appears in the ribbon. If you’re using Outlook 2013 with its in-window editing for replies, you’ll have to click “Pop out” in order to see that button when composing a reply. If you send a message containing certain keywords like “password” or “account” without using Enlocked, it pops up a last-minute prompt that lets you switch to secure messaging. There’s also a Chrome plug-in that automates use of Enlocked for Gmail. To send mail, you simply click Send Secured. Incoming secure mail gets decrypted automatically, once you supply your password. Managing secure mail using the iOS app is a little different. When you receive

AUTOMATIC DECRYPTION The Outlook plug-in for Enlocked 2 automatically decrypts secured messages and displays the text in a slide-out panel.

an Enlocked message in your regular email client, \RXVLPSO\KROGD¿QJHURQWKHDWWDFKPHQWXQWLO the menu of options appears, then tap “Open in Enlocked.” I assume it works in much the same way on Android. Note that when composing a message on mobile, you don’t have the full WYSIWYG editing that you get when using Enlocked Anywhere. OTHER AVENUES Various other encrypted communication products share some features with Enlocked. Dstrux is VSHFL¿FDOO\GHVLJQHGIRU¿OHVKDULQJEXWOLNH (QORFNHGLWHQFU\SWVDQGGHFU\SWV¿OHVORFDOO\+3 Trust Circles manages encryption and decryption locally, but it leaves the actual transmission of HQFU\SWHG¿OHVWR\RX Some of the old standbys in encrypted email have fallen by the wayside. VaporStream went corporate; individual accounts are no longer available. And Certivox took down PrivateSky in 2013 because the company couldn’t keep it running and still comply with legal statutes. THE BEST SO FAR Though other new and nimble secure email services are popping up, Enlocked is the best I’ve seen to date. Local-only encryption and zero-knowledge passwords mean nobody can view your encrypted communication, not even the company itself. And the handy plug-ins for Outlook and Chrome make sending encrypted mail effortless. Enlocked 2 is deservedly our Editors’ Choice for encrypted email services. NEIL J. RUBENKING


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Our Favorite Apps

Dark Sky

iPad

$3.99

L L L L m Considering how good Apple’s built-in weather app is, it can be difficult to justify using another one—especially if you have to pay for it. But Dark Sky is surprisingly compelling, showing you current conditions, actual temperature, and the “feels like” temperature, with more information (wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure, and so on) just a tap away. Dark Sky’s most striking features are its radar map, which shows storm systems on a fully interactive 3D globe and animates them over the course of a week, and detailed precipitation alerts.

REVIEWS APPSCOUT

Our Favorite Apps

Disco Zoo EDITORS’ CHOICE

Android, iOS

Free

L L L L m

In Disco Zoo, you play a zookeeper, scouting all over the world to find animals to add to your menagerie. You start rescuing familiar creatures (pigs, cows, sheep, and horses) from farms with a hot air balloon, and move up to more interesting specimens (including mythological ones) and more exciting aircraft. To do this you’ll need money, which you can acquire from zoo visitors, reasonable in-app purchases, or a disco party you throw at your park. The whimsical premise, zany gameplay, and funky graphics help make this game a winner.

REVIEWS APPSCOUT

Our Favorite Apps

Ocean Science EDITORS’ CHOICE

iPad

$2.99

L L L L m

It’s often been claimed that we know more about the surface of the Moon than the depths of the sea. Be that as it may, scientists are solving many aquatic mysteries, and Ocean Science is an educational app that introduces key concepts in oceanography in an informative and visually appealing multimedia format. Strong, focused content, good illustrations and animations, thorough references, and extras like built-in quizzes make this a terrific entry point to a fascinating science for students or interested laymen.

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Our Favorite Apps

Rotten WiFi EDITORS’ CHOICE

Android, iOS

Free

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If you’re a frequent traveler, chances are you spend a lot of time looking for good Internet service. In that case, Rotten WiFi is ideal for you. This simple-to-use app lets you measure and rate the connection of any Wi-Fi or 3G hotspot anywhere in the world, so you (and other users) will always know where to find the fastest connections. The mobile version doesn’t give you the same depth of information that you can get from the website, but as it stands it’s clever and incredibly useful.


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Features Connected Home LIVING ROOM

BATHROOM

BEDROOM

KITCHEN

BACKYARD

FEATURES

INSIDE YOUR

CONNECTED HOME BY ALEX COLON

C

onnected devices have finally reached a point where you’re likely to find some in just about every home, and they’re becoming increasingly more useful and geared toward a mainstream audience. With more and more manufacturers hopping on the connectivity bandwagon—and better solutions that make it even easier to control all of your connected devices from one place—the average household is poised to become even more connected in the months ahead. We’ve gathered some of our favorite connected devices and organized them to show you where they fit in every room in the house. You might find that some of the devices in our living room seem better suited for your bedroom, or maybe the other way around. That’s the beauty about devices for the connected home: It doesn’t matter where they live as long as they work for you.

LIV

ROO When you hear ar the phrase “connected home,” ome,” chances are the living room immediately mmediately comes to mind. That makes akes sense, as for most people the living ing room is essentially the nucleus off the household. It’s the room you’re most likely to entertain in, as well as the room you’re mostly likely tto o fall asleep on the couch after eating Chinese food in front of the TV in. It’s also o tthe he room where you’re ou’re most likely to find tech. Lots and lots of tech. From full-on home theater setups ps to automation and security, the living room m is definitely the most fun space to outfit fit with a host of digital gadgets.

SAMSUNG UN50F6300 50-INCH SLIM SMART LED HDTV $999 samsung.com The centerpiece of any living room is the television, but you don’t need one with the latest curved 4K screen—just a good picture and the features you’re looking for. This Samsung model has a super-slim design, as well as an attractive base, which is important if you’re not planning to mount it on the wall. Samsung’s Smart TV features are useful as well, delivering a full Web browser along with all of the apps you want to use (like Netflix). It also supports AllShare, which makes it easy to stream content to the TV from compatible Samsung devices.

MICROSOFT XBOX ONE $499 (WITH KINECT), $399 (WITHOUT KINECT) xbox.com You’re not putting your HDTV to full use if you’re simply watching the new season of Orange Is the New Black— you’re also going to need the ultimate gaming system. Not only is the Xbox One excellent in that regard, but when paired with the Kinect and the helpful OneGuide, it’s also a fullfledged entertainment hub. Kinect voice controls, television integration, and multitasking features truly make it an ideal combination of game system, media streamer, universal remote, program guide, and Blu-ray disc player.

AMAZON FIRE TV $99.99 amazon.com Want to upgrade an older television rather than buy a new one? All you need is a free HDMI port in order to connect the Amazon Fire TV. This is our favorite media hub on the market, with a well-curated, feature-rich Amazon experience built on Amazon’s Android-based Fire OS. It gives you access to Amazon’s extensive library of movies and TV shows, as well as a solid selection of online apps and services, including Netflix. It also has admirable graphics prowess for gaming with an optional gamepad, and potential Android OS flexibility for users willing to do some tinkering.

LOGITECH HARMONY ULTIMATE $349.99 logitech.com What better way to control your home theater experience than with the ultimate universal remote control? The Logitech Harmony Ultimate certainly isn’t cheap, but it has the ability to automate nearly any home theater activity with the tap of its 2.4inch color touch screen. It’s a remote and hub combo that’s super-easy to set up, and lets you control everything from game systems to smartphones and tablets, all the way to connected lighting.

SONY HT-CT260 HOME THEATER SOUNDBAR $ 299.99 sony.com Once your home theater gear is in place, you’ll want a solid sound system for listening to it. You can’t go wrong with the Sony HT-CT260, a high-quality, flexible home theater soundbar and subwoofer combination. It offers plenty of power for bass-heavy music, movies, and games. The subwoofer is wireless and the whole system is really easy to set up. Better yet, built-in Bluetooth support means you can stream music from your smartphone or tablet right to the soundbar, making it the only speaker you need in the living room.

SONOS PLAY:1 $299.99 sonos.com Of course, it’s always fun to have more than one option. The Play:1 is Sonos’ most affordable speaker, and despite the fact that it’s small enough to fit on a bookshelf, it delivers plenty of sound. The beauty of a Sonos system is that it lets you form a network of speakers throughout your home, which you can then control from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. This means you can control the flow of music throughout the house even if you happen to be outside.

NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT $249.99 nest.com The Nest is a smart thermostat that automatically learns your schedule and programs itself accordingly. You can also control it from your smartphone, which means you can set it from anywhere, so whenever you get home the temperature will always be just right. It’s a good deal more expensive than a traditional thermostat, but Nest claims it can save up to 20 percent on your heating and cooling bills, something our testing showed might be true for certain users.

SMARTTHINGS SH HUB UB $99 smartthings.com Once you have your home e ffully ully ant to think automated, you might wa want hat lets you about investing in a hub tthat evices from a control a wide range of d devices Things Hub single place. The SmartThings e, and Wi-Fi supports Z-Wave, ZigBee, ns s, as well as wireless communications, t) service. the IFTTT (If This Then That That) m appr roach to It takes an open-platform approach ducts, and connecting multiple products, provides you with a single app to control all of your supported connected devices.

LOCKSTATE LS-500I REMOTELOCK WI-FI DOOR LOCK $249.95 lockstateconnect.com One important way to keep your home protected is with a powerful door lock. Unfortunately, that can also lead to the occasional lockout, in which your only recourse is an expensive locksmith. LockState’s LS-500I RemoteLock Wi-Fi Door Lock is an electronic push-button Fi deadbolt lock that connects to your Wi-Fi network, so you can control it from a PC, or an Android- or iOS-based device. You’ll never lock yourself out again—as long as you don’t leave your phone inside the house.


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ISMARTALARM PREMIUM PACKAGE $349 ismartalarm.com Most traditional home alarm systems are expensive, so many people wind up leaving their homes completely unprotected. You’re far better off with a setup like the iSmartAlarm Premium Package, an affordable home security system that you can control right from your smartphone. And although it can’t prevent break-ins, it can let you know when someone is trying to enter your home. Better yet, the Premium Package includes a camera, so you can capture a snapshot of the thief in action.

CONNECTED HOME

BED

ROOM There’s no other room in the house se in which you’re likely to spend more time than the bedroom, yet most bedrooms ooms remain relatively gadget-free zones. es. If the only tech in your boudoir is a computer puter or a TV, you’re missing out on a number ber of devices that can make your life simpler, mpler, healthier, and yes, more relaxing.

SLEEP NUMBER X12 BED D $7,999.99 sleepnumber.com Having trouble finding a bed that works for both th you and your partner? With the Sleep Numberr x12 Bed you can change the firmness on each side by simply touching a button, and elevate your upper and lower body until you find a es position that’s just right. Plus, the bed measures your breathing rate, heart rate, and movementt to n is track how well you’re sleeping. The information w displayed in a corresponding app, so you’ll know if you need to make some adjustments to get a better night’s sleep.

PHILIPS HUE CONNECTED BULB $199.95 meethue.com For some people, getting to sleep can be a long and arduous process no matter how comfortable the bed. To control every little detail, consider the Philips hue Connected Bulb. You can control it wirelessly using your smartphone or tablet, customize the color and intensity of each bulb on the fly, and set timers so that individual bulbs will go dark when you do. Even if you don’t use them as a sleeping aid, hue bulbs are ideal for constructing just the right mood lighting so you always feel comfortable.

WITHINGS AURA $299 withings.com If you need to break out the big guns to get to sleep, give the Withings Aura a try. It d combines a sleep sensor, a mobile app, and a bedside device to make sure you’re getting the best sleep possible. With the Aura you can track body movement, breathing, and heart rate, visualize sleep cycles, and understand what wakes you up.. The most intriguing part is the bedside device, which records factors in your sleep environment like light, noise pollution, and room temperature, and then emits its own light and sound patterns to compensate.

BASIS CARBON STEEL EDITION $199 mybasis.com If you already sleep soundly, perhaps you’re just interested in quantifying the amount of rest you get. You can track this information, along with pretty much all the activity you perform in your waking life, by wearing the Basis Carbon Steel Edition. It’s a watch-style activity tracker that measures everything from sleep time and quality to steps, exercise, and heart rate. It costs a bit more than many of its competitors, but it delivers a ton of useful information that other trackers can’t match.

HONEYWELL BLUETOOTH AIR PURIFIER $269.99 honeywellcleanair.com It’s easier to get plenty of rest when you’re not up all night sneezing from allergies. This air purifier tracks local pollen counts via your smartphone and adjusts its fan levels automatically. Additional features at include allergen alert settings, a proximity sensor that will automatically turn the unit on and off when you’re in range, and custom operation schedules so itt will only turn on when you want it to. It uses a HEPA filter capable of removing up to 99.97 percent of airborne allergens, and covers up to 310 square feet.

DYSON COOL AM06 $299.99 dyson.com The Dyson Cool AM06 might be a bit pricey for a desk fan, but it’s certainly the most elegant desk fan I’ve ever seen. And thanks to its bladeless design, it’s also safer and quieter than virtually any other fan on the market. It’s super-easy to clean, and comes with a remote control that allows for ten precise airflow settings. The remote is magnetized, so you can store it right on the machine when not in use.

QUIRKY AROS $279 quirky.com Even air conditioners are being enhanced through wireless connectivity. Design-wise, the Quirky Aros is a classic, window-mounted 8,000 BTU unit intended for medium-sized rooms (up to 350 square feet). The twist is that it works with a companion Wink app on Android and iOS devices, so you can program and control the Aros from anywhere. You can even configure the app to turn on the unit automatically based on your phone’s GPS settings.

TIVOLI AUDIO ALBERGO $249.99 tivoliaudio.com Plenty of people rely on their phones to wake up ut a nowadays, but no bedroom is complete without ock genuine alarm clock. And the Tivoli Albergo Clock mply Radio with Bluetooth does a lot more than simply tell time. It has the feel of a vintage table radio,, but hes incorporates some contemporary design touches that make it beautiful to look at and simple to use. /FM In addition to dual alarms, it has a built-in AM/FM radio tuner, and doubles as a solid Bluetooth he speaker, so you can lull yourself to sleep with the music of your choice.

PIVOT POWER GENIUS $59.99 quirky.com With all these gadgets in your bedroom, you might run out of places to plug them in. But instead of breaking out an old, dusty power strip, why not try Quirky’s Pivot Power Genius instead? It’s a four-outlet power strip with a hinged construction that lets you pivot each outlet. Its versatile design fits every size of plug or adapter—even mammoth power bricks. And two of those outlets are connected via Wi-Fi, so you can control whatever’s plugged in through an app on your Android or iOS device.

BELKIN WEMO INSIGHT SWITCH $59.99 belkin.com If you don’t need a full power strip, you can still tap into the benefits of home automation using the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch. It’s a single outlet that connects to your Wi-Fi network so you can turn your devices on and off remotely. It also lets you to create schedules for every day of the week, and supports IFTTT. It even monitors the amount of power you use, telling you how long the outlet has been on each day, how much power you’re using, and, most important, how much it’s costing you.


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CONNECTED H

KITC For many of the New Yorkers I know, the closest they’ve come to a connected kitchen is using Seamless ess on an iPad to order dinner. That’s a shame, because modern connected cted appliances are smarter, sleeker, leeker, and greener than ever. They ey can help you cook meals, clean up, and even stick to healthy eating ting habits. If you use your oven for or more than just extra storage, you’ll definitely find something useful ul among today’s connected kitchen offerings. rings.

QUIRKY EGG MINDER $49.99 quirky.com Even if you don’t own a smart refrigerator, you can make sure you’re never in a scramble for fresh eggs by using Quirky’s Egg Minder. It’s an egg tray that wirelessly connects to your mobile device via an app to tell y you the number of eggs you have left a and when they’re going bad. Push notifications automatically remind you when you’re running low, and built-in LED D lights help you identify which eggs are oldes st. oldest.

SAMSUNG RF4289HARS REFRIGERATOR $3,499 samsung.com Refrigerators haven’t changed d much as since the top-mount model was amsung’s introduced in the 1940s. But Samsung’s -inch model comes with a built-in 8-inch u browse touch-screen LCD that lets you n eye on Epicurious for recipes, keep an cast, the daily news or weather forecast, ith track your family’s activities with e cooking Google Calendar, or play some (or dining) mood music with Pandora. Oh yeah: With 28 cubic feet off space and a stainless steel exterior, the fourdoor fridge is also spacious and beautiful, too.

CLICK & GROW SMART HERB GARDEN $99.95 clickandgrow.com If you’re into eating local, you can’t get much closer than homegrown produce. And it doesn’t matter if you lack a green thumb or natural sunlight with the Click & Grow Smart Herb Garden. It comes with everything you need to grow your own basil, lemon balm, and thyme right in your home. All you have to do is plug it into the wall and occasionally add water, which it will signal for you to do. Sensors automatically measure and distribute the proper amount of water needed by the soil, and a built-in grow light means you can keep fresh herbs all year long.

PREP PAD $149.95 theorangechef.com You can measure the nutritional value of your herbs—and everything else you cook—with the Prep Pad from The Orange Chef Co. It’s a smart food scale that gives you real-time insight into what you’re eating. It can measure up to 15 pounds, and works with a corresponding Countertop app for iOS tablets. After measuring your ingredients, the app creates visualizations of carbs, fats, proteins, and more. The Prep Pad looks good, too, with an aluminum base and a nonporous recycled paper composite top.

LY SIMPLEHUMAN BUTTERFLY .com SENSOR CAN $275 simplehuman.com n You may not think that even the humble trash can ut it could benefit from the addition of connectivity, but can. The Simplehuman Butterfly Sensor Can has a touch-free sensor that lets you open the lid with a wave of your hand. This is excellent for when yourr hands are dirty and you’re trying to throw away nd discarded chicken scraps without getting slime and bacteria all over the place. And it adapts to your e behavior so it won’t suddenly open or close before you’ve finished disposing of something.

BELKIN CHEF STAND + STYLUS S $39.99 belkin.com Sometimes the only thing harder than taking a stab at beef bourguignon is keeping a recipe book propped open to the right page, and keeping your iPad near your prep area could be risky (if not dangerous). Thankfully, the Belkin Chef Stand + Stylus makes using it much safer. This case-compatible stand has a rubber nonslip base that props up your tablet at one of two easy-to-read angles. The Stylus is more of a wand, and lets you browse the recipe on your screen without ever actually needing to touch it with your finger. When you’re done, both components can be washed by hand.

THERMOWORKS THERMAPEN $96 thermoworks.com If you want to know when food (meat, bread, whatever) is perfectly done, you can’t get much quicker or more accurate than the Thermapen. Equipped with a thermocouple sensor, it can take a temperature reading in just a second or two—much quicker than is the case with many less-expensive instantread thermometers. The Thermapen’s speed and precision make it well worth its hefty price for serious home cooks.

BELKIN CROCK-POT SMART SLOW COOKER $129.95 belkin.com Slow cookers have long let you create full meals while you’re away from home, but they’ve never been more convenient than the Smart version from Belkin. It’s the first smartphone-controllable slow cooker, which means you can turn the turn the cooker on or off, and change temperature or time settings no matter where you are. You can even check on the status of your dish or receive reminders throughout the cooking process. It has manual controls, too, but who needs those?

WHIRLPOOL SMART DISHWASHER $949 whirlpool.com If you have the space, a dishwasher is the best way to cut down on time spent cleaning in the kitchen. Not only does the Whirlpool Smart Dishwasher take care of all your typical dishwashing duties, it has two separate sensors that measure load size, soil level, and temperature to automatically select the right wash and dry settings. You can also monitor the machine from afar on your smartphone, tablet, or computer to track how much energy the dishwasher is using, and learn when it’s time to replace an accessory or part.

IROBOT BRAAVA 380T $599.99 irobot.com Once you’ve taken out the garbage and washed the dishes, it’s time to clean your floors. As long as you have traditional tiles, or any other hard floor, there’s no better robot for the job than iRobot’s Scooba 450. It uses a three-cycle cleaning process to sweep and presoak, scrub, and squeegee your floors dry. It’s one of the best ’bots we’ve tested, and whether you run it nightly or just once or twice a week, it should keep your kitchen floors looking shiny and new.


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CONNEC

BAT ROO

In the well-equipped pped digita digital al home, home, useful new technology can pop up where y you’d ou’d least expect it—like the bathroom. hroom. But when you stop and think about it, the bathroom is actually a perfect place for gadgets. ts. From a toilet that flushes itself to a scale that sends your weight to the cloud, there are plenty y of devices out there to help make your bathroom a cleaner and more relaxing place.

SIMPLEHUMAN SENSOR PUMP $40 simplehuman.com Simplehuman has given one of the most commonly y used bathroom items, the humble soap pump, a much-needed upgrade. The Sensor Pump is an efficient, touch-free way to wash your hands that’llll look great on any sink or countertop. It features a sensor with a precise trigger zone for accurate, e high-speed dispensing in just 0.2 second. A silicone valve prevents messy clogs or drips, and it lasts up to a year with just four AA batteries.

SIMPLEHUMAN SENSOR MIRROR $200 simplehuman.com You’ll also find Simplehuman’s sensor technology in its Sensor Mirror. It automatically lights up as your face approaches, and uses a light system that simulates natural sunlight, so you can see your full color variation. That should make it easier (or at least more accurate) to do your hair and makeup. It uses a superlong-life LED, and it becomes more sensitive during use, so it won’t shut off unexpectedly. A cordless design minimizes any clutter on your counter, and the mirror is rechargeable via a standard USB port.

KOHLER TOUCHLESS TOILET FLUSH KIT $99 kohler.com If you can’t imagine spending a small fortune on a connected toilet (see below), you can add motion control to your existing bowl for less than $100 using the Kohler Touchless Toilet Flush Kit. It’s an easy-to-install retrofit kit that brings a touchless flush to most canister and flapper toilets. The flush is activated by a no-touch sensor mounted inside the tank—just hold your hand over the tank sensor to activate the flush. Installation should take less than 20 minutes, and standard AA batteries mean you don’t have to reach into your tank often for a recharge.

KOHLER NUMI $6,000 kohler.com Reduce your worry about bathroom germs with the Kohler Numi, a toilet that doesn’t even have a physical handle. It flushes automatically, and features a motion-activated, hands-free toilet seat and cover that also opens and closes. But it doesn’t stop there. The Numi also has built-in ambient lighting with a number of colors and programming options. The Numi has everything else you want in a toilet as well, like water conservation features that help it use 20 percent less water than most other 1.6-gallon toilets. It even has built-in speakers, which can connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth.

BODY DRYER $230 bodydryer1.com If you’re still using towels to dry off, rest assured that there will soon be a better way. The Body Dryer is an environmentally friendly, bacteria-free drying system that eliminates the need for bath towels. The Body Dryer is a step-on device that looks like a scale (and, in fact, includes a scale function) and uses compressed air to fully dry your body. You can choose hot or cold air depending on your preference, and it only takes about 30 seconds to push moisture off of your body, ated by which gets evaporated circulating air.

KOHLER MOXIE SHOWERHEAD + WIRELESS SPEAKER $199 kohler.com Kohler’s Moxie Showerhead + Wireless Speaker combines an attractive, highquality showerhead with a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that fits right inside. It has better sound quality than most other speakers made for the shower. And the showerhead itself is a winner, with 60 angled nozzles and just the right amount of force. The only problem you might run into is that you’ll find you don’t want to get out of the shower.

FITBIT ARIA WI-FI SMART SCALE $129.95 fitbit.com The Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale measures your weight and body fat, and sends that information to the cloud. You can then view it through your Fitbit Web account, which makes it a lot easier to track your progress. It also lets you log fitness activities, food intake, and sleep in e one place, so it paints a clear picture s of your overall health. The Aria works well as a standard scale, too, but integration within the Fitbit ecosystem is where it really shines.

IROBOT BRAAVA 380T $299.99 irobot.com If you do happen to get some water on the bathroom floor, cleanup is as simple as pressing the Power button on the iRobot Braava 380t. This floor-cleaning robot dry and wet mops using reusable microfiber cleaning cloths. Its smaller profile makes it ideal for bathrooms, and it’s far less expensive than many robotic vacuums on the market (though the Braava doesn’t actually have any suction)—and better still, it’s far less noisy.

KOLIBREE $99.99 kolibree.com Proper dental care is essential for good health, but brushing your teeth for the recommended 2 minutes can feel like a chore—especially when you’re still half asleep in the morning. But that might change with the Kolibree, a gamified electric toothbrush coming out later this year. The Kolibree connects to a dongle that attaches to an Android or iOS smartphone, and an accelerometer and gyrometer in the toothbrush check how long you’ve been brushing, as well as whether you’ve missed a spot. This information can then be presented in the form of a game, which could make it easy to hit that 2-minute mark, and maybe even stick around longer.

WITHINGS WIRELESS BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR $129.95 withings.com A bit more specialized than a scale, but no less important for many people, is a blood pressure monitor. With Withings’ model, all you have to do is slip on the cuff and turn on the monitor and a companion Health Mate app will automatically launch on your phone. As with the connected scale, the app here is key because it makes sense to track your blood pressure over time. Health Mate stores your readings and syncs with the Withings Health Cloud to create a chart that’s easy for you to understand. The app also gives you instant feedback based on official standards that come from the World Health Organization.


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CONNECTED HOME

BACK YARD Although most technology ology lives inside the house, there are plenty ty of cool gadgets you can use outdoors. rs. Some of these are practical, designed d to make it easier to clean your grill or gutters. Others are more leisurefocused, aimed at bringing the comforts of home outside. Whether you have a big backyard or a tiny fire escape, it’s not hard to find a gadget that makes it even easier to enjoy the great outdoors.

IIROBOT LOOJ 330 $299.99 irobot.com $ H Hate cleaning gutters? The iRobot Looj is a gutterc cleaning robot that uses a high-velocity, four-stage a auger to blast away leaves, dirt, and clogs while b brushing your gutters clean. Once you’ve placed it in tthe gutter, the Looj travels down on its own, sensing a and adapting to debris to provide the most effective c cleaning. It’s waterproof in up to 8 inches of water, e easily cleanable with a hose, and can travel under g gutter straps and over downspout holes, so it should b be able to tackle just about any mess.

ROBOMOW RS612

$1,499 robomow.com

If you want the nicest lawn on the block but don’t want to lift a finger, try the Robomow RS612. It’s a robotic lawn mower designed to automatically cut your grass, from the perimeter in, on any terrain and without hiccup. It’s completely weatherproof, so you can leave it outside year-round, and an automatic rain sensor will tell you if it’s too wet to mow the lawn. You can program the unit to schedule how often it should work, and you can even control the action yourself with a companion app for Android and iOS devices.

GRILLBOT $129.95 grillbots.com Barbecuing is lots of fun, but cleaning up afterward isn’t—but now you can leave the heavy-duty brush behind. Instead, place a Grillbot on your dirty grill, turn it on, and it will automatically get down to business scrubbing it down. It features three electric motors that power its wire brushes and propel it across your grill. A chip inside controls movement, speed, and direction of the brushes. You don’t even need to stick around until the job is done—the Grillbot will sound an alarm to let you know it’s finished.

SUNBRITE SIGNATURE SERIES $2,795 sunbritetv.com If the beauty of nature alone isn’t enough to relax you, perhaps a big-screen HDTV would help? The SunBrite Signature Series of LCD HDTVs are built to withstand rain, wind, sleet, snow, and bugs, making them ideal for backyard use. SunBrite makes a number of other screen sizes, and they can handle temperatures as hot as 122° F and as low as -24° across the board. If you’re looking to bring stunning high-definition TV and video to your deck or patio, it’s worth checking out.

LOGITECH ALERT 750E OUTDOOR MASTER SYSTEM M $349.99 logitech.com nt to As nice as indoor security systems are, don’t you want ll? know what’s going on outside your front door as well? ster The weatherproof Logitech Alert 750e Outdoor Master System captures high-definition video outside your iew home, with support for up to six cameras. You can view e, the footage via Web browser or on your smartphone, ere. which lets you keep tabs on your home from anywhere. ox It captures video in stunning 720p (albeit in letterbox ks format), and even does a good job in the dark, thanks to night vision.

BRAVEN BRV-X $199.99 braven.com The Braven BRV-X is a portable Bluetooth speaker that does an excellent job balancing sound quality with functionality in a supremely rugged design. It sounds far more powerful than most speakers its size, and its shockproof rubber exterior is also IPX5 water-resistant, so you can use it near the pool. It also has one of the better outdoor speaker enhancements we’ve seen: an Indoor/Outdoor switch that truly boosts sound quality when using the speaker outside.

TAGG THE PET TRACKER $99.95 pettracker.com Have pets that roam outdoors? Keep a close watch on them with Tagg the Pet Tracker. Though it looks like a bark collar, Tagg is actually home to a GPS chip that monitors your pet’s whereabouts through the company’s tracking service. It will automatically send you notifications if your pet has travelled outside of its designated home zone, and will show its location on a map in case it strays too far. Tagg also uses a built-in accelerometer to measure your pet’s activity level throughout the day, so you can make sure it’s getting enough exercise.

PARROT AR.DRONE 2.0 $299.99 ardrone2.parrot.com If ground surveillance isn’t enough, you can get a glimpse of your property from above, too. Okay, technically, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is more of a toy than an actual surveillance medium, but it does come equipped with two cameras that can capture photos and silent video as it flies around. You control the Wi-Fi quadricopter using your smartphone, tablet, or Nvidia Shield, and it’s easy to fly without much risk of flipping or crashing.

NETATMO CONNECTED WEATHER STATION $179 netatmo.com

PARROT FLOWER POWER $59.99 parrot.com Should you experience some particularly dry weather, be sure to spend enough time watering your plants. Or use Parrot’s Flower Power, a small sensor meant to be “planted” close to a plant. It works both indoors and out, and in a pot or straight into the soil. The sensor offers real-time measurements of factors such as ambient temperature, fertilizer, light intensity, and soil moisture, and sends the data to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, providing you with a snapshot of everything you need to grow a healthy plant. It can monitor several plants at once, and will even send you alerts when a plant needs your attention.


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Don’t settle for the local weather report. The Netatmo Connected Weather Station provides you with current weather updates as local as your very own backyard. But it’s not just about tracking weather outdoors. It also monitors various metrics inside your home, including temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, noise levels, and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. It delivers all this data in a companion app that offers a snapshot of indoor and outdoor conditions, plus timeline charts and an extended weather forecast.

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1. MAP YOUR PRODUCTIVITY CYCLE The most important thing you can do to boost your productivity at work is learn your productivity cycle. Everyone has times during the day when they are able to focus and get work done, and other times when their attention wanes. “For PRVWSHRSOHWKHPRVWSURGXFWLYHKRXUVDUH¿UVWWKLQJLQWKHGD\²QRWZKHQ\RX ¿UVWZDNHXSEXWUHODWLYHO\HDUO\´VD\V'DQ$ULHO\EHKDYLRUDOHFRQRPLVWDQG SURIHVVRUDW'XNH8QLYHUVLW\³)RUH[DPSOH´$ULHO\DGGHG³GRLQJHPDLOLQWKH morning is usually wasteful because the minutes in the morning are more YDOXDEOH´1RWDOOPLQXWHVDUHFUHDWHGHTXDO Figuring out your periods of high and low productivity, or high and low FDSDFLW\DV$ULHO\SUHIHUVWRFDOOWKHPLVWKH¿UVWVWHSWKHQLQPDNLQJWKHPRVW RIWKRVHSUHFLRXVÀHHWLQJPLQXWHV Though many people think they know which times of day they are at their best and worst, it doesn’t hurt to check. RescueTime is by far the best tool I’ve IRXQGIRU¿JXULQJRXW\RXUSURGXFWLYLW\F\FOH,W¶VDVPDOOGHVNWRSDSSOLFDWLRQ that records which programs you use and what sites you visit throughout the GD\DQGIRUKRZORQJ,WFODVVL¿HVWKRVHGLIIHUHQWDSSVDQGVLWHVDVYHU\ productive, productive, neutral, distracting, or very distracting) and generates a UHSRUWDERXWKRZ\RXVSHQG\RXUWLPH)RUH[DPSOHVRFLDOQHWZRUNLQJVLWHVDUH ³YHU\GLVWUDFWLQJÉ\GHIDXOW
When you have some data, look at the times of day when you spent a good FKXQNRIWLPHPLQXWHVRUPRUH RQRQHKLJKO\SURGXFWLYHWDVN7KHQORRN for times of day when you switched quickly among different tasks or spent long stretches of time on distractions. )RUH[DPSOH,¶PDWP\PRVWIRFXVHGEHWZHHQURXJKO\DPDQGDP Then my productivity decreases. I’m usually very distracted around lunchtime. Sometimes, but not always, I have another strong period of productivity in the afternoon, but it’s not reliable. 2. CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE Once you know your productivity cycle, you should FKDQJH\RXUURXWLQHWR¿WLW )RUH[DPSOHVFKHGXOHPHHWLQJVIRUWLPHVRIGD\ZKHQ you have lower focus. Meetings rarely require us to be at RXUEHVW6RIRUH[DPSOHPDNHLWDKDELWWRQHYHUWDNH morning meetings if mornings are your productive time. Conversely, tackle your most important, high-focus tasks during the times of day when your mind is at its best. Often, we don’t schedule our most important work. We just get to it when we can. That’s okay, as long as you make it a habit to do it during the times of day when you can truly focus. Seeing as most people can do high-focus tasks earlier, get into the habit of launching only the programs that you use for these tasks during your peak productivity hours. For H[DPSOHLIHPDLOLVQRWYHU\ productive for you, don’t open it. Just don’t even launch the program. If you really need to check your email, glance WKURXJK\RXULQER[RQ\RXU mobile phone or tablet, and then put it away so you can get back to the tasks that really demand your attention.

WEBSITE BLOCKING FOR BUSY PEOPLE Apps like StayFocusd can lock out websites that sap your productivity, for the amount of time you specify.

What if much of your high-productivity work happens in the browser, but your biggest time-wasters are there, too? There are a few tricks for minimizing distractions of this sort. For starters, you could put the active tab into full-screen mode. That will help you stay with the task at hand. You can also install browser plug-ins and H[WHQVLRQVWKDWORFN\RXRXWRIZHEVLWHV\RXVSHFLI\0\ IDYRULWHIRU&KURPH LVFDOOHG6WD\)RFXVG 3. REVIEW YOUR DAY $QRWKHUFKDQJHWRPDNHWR\RXUURXWLQH$OZD\VUHYLHZ HYLHZ your day before it starts. Look over your calendar and \RXUWRGROLVW¿UVWWKLQJVR\RXZRQ¶WEHFDXJKWRII I guard for a 3 p.m. meeting you scheduled two weeks ks DJR:KHWKHULW¶VRYHU\RXU¿UVWFXSRIFRIIHHRUZKLOH KLOH FRPPXWLQJKDYLQJDVLQJOHPRPHQWWKHVDPHPRPHQW PHQW every day, so it becomes a habit) to review your plans ans for the whole day really makes a difference. This is easier said than done. One mobile app that at can KHOSUHPLQG\RXLV$Q\GRZKLFKKDVDIHDWXUHFDOOHG HG WKH$Q\GR0RPHQW,WSOD\VDSOHDVDQWWRQHDQGSXVKHV XVKHV DQRWL¿FDWLRQDWWKHVDPHWLPHHYHU\ZHHNGD\WHOOLQJ QJ you it’s time to review your day. The app then lists everything on your calendar and to-do list, and asks ks whether you want to keep it on the schedule or move ve it to another day. 4. SCHEDULE BREAKS 7DNHEUHDNV$QGQRWMXVWRQHEUHDNIRUOXQFK
ANY MOMENT, EVERY MOMENT The Any.do app has a feature called Any.do Moment that lets you review your entire day with one glance.

away from the computer screen for a bit. Some activity trackers also have idle alerts. These cause the tracker to vibrate if you’ve been sitting still for DSHULRGRIWLPHXVXDOO\KRXU7KH\DUHGHVLJQHGWR remind you to get up and move, but I think they’re equally valuable as reminders to stop working for 2 minutes and take a break. You might also want to install a break app, a lightweight program that reminds you take breaks and can even lock you out of your computer for a short period of time to force the issue. Our favorite is the Mac app TimeOut Free; another good one forr Windows, Mac, and Web browsers is Focus Booster. r. 5. LINE UP END-OF-DAY CHORES Imagine your day is going along just swimmingly. Then SPKLWV
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GIMME A BREAK Some fitness trackers, like the Jawbone UP, have apps that remind you to take breaks at regular intervals.

DIGITAL LIFE TIPS

Become a Skype Guru It’s the program that’s synonymous with Internet calls and video chat. Boost your Skype experiences with these little-known tips and tricks. BY ERIC GRIFFITH

veryone knows what it means to “skype”—it’s the modern verb for Internet phone calls and video conferencing, all on the cheap. No matter which mobile or desktop OS you use, there’s a version of Skype that can connect you to friends, loved ones, and business associates far and wide. Making a call can be as easy as double-clicking on a name in your contacts list, but Skype can do much, much more than that. Whether you’re talking Skype-to-phone, video chatting, texting, looking for Wi-Fi, having meetings, or in need of a record of all your calls, Skype can handle it. Here’s how you can make it all happen.

E

BACK UP YOUR FRIENDS This is found under Contacts> Advanced>Backup Contacts to File. It lets you save contacts to a VCF file, which you can later restore from the same menu.

GIVE FAVORITES A STAR Your Skype contacts list can get pretty big after you add people, people add you, or you turn each number that calls you into a new contact. But to show only the people you like best, favorite them. In the desktop app, either drag a contact from “All” up to “Favorites” so they’ll show at

CALLER ID FOR YOUR OTHER NUMBER

the top of the list, or just click the star

When you make a call from Skype to a

viewing the contact. It works for contacts

regular phone, the caller ID won’t show

that aren’t even using Skype.SE

much. But you can change that. Under Skype Menu>Account (which takes you to a webpage) find the Caller ID settings and put in a number—your cell, your Skype number if you have one, your home landline, whatever. We all know Caller ID isn’t always displayed on the other end of a call, but when it is, it will show the number you selected. And if the person maps the number to your name in contacts, it’ll show your name.

SET UP HOTKEYS Under Tools> Options >Advanced you’ll be able to set up the hotkeys you want. Some are hard-coded (like answer call, answer with video, hang up, and decline call); the rest you can assign a hotkey of your own choosing.

next to their name at the top when

SKYPE HOTSPOT Yes, of course, you can use Skype at a Wi-Fi hotspot, especially if you like it when other patrons get angry enough to throw coffee on you. Skype WiFi isn’t that; it’s an entirely separate, free app that’s available for Windows 8, Android, and iOS. Download it at home, set it up with your

SEND VIDEO VOICE MAIL If you and another user are both on Skype, you can leave a video message rather than a voice mail. When a call doesn’t seem to be going through on the desktop version of Skype, the software will give you the option of making a video message. Or you can cut to the chase: Right-click a contact and select “Leave Video Message,” even if that contact isn’t currently online. You’ll get a recorder window to make a 3-minute-or-less vid. Be sure to explicitly send it after you finish recording.

CONTROL GROUP CHAT VIA CHAT With a group, you can send a chat invite link by doing this: Type /set options JOINING_ENABLED, hit Enter, then type /get uri. Password protect the chat from interlopers by typing /set password [PasswordText] (take out the brackets and put in your own password). /clearpassword removes that. If you do get an interloper, /kickban [SkypeName] will ban them and kick them from the chat. You can leave the chat yourself by typing /leave. You can find the full list of chat commands in Skype help.

Skype account, and make sure you’ve got some Skype Credit. You can also use it with the desktop versions of Skype itself for Mac, Windows and Linux; in Windows you can enable it under Tools>Options>Skype WiFi.

(That second line is for people with 64-bit versions of Windows.) Hit Enter and the second instance of Skype will launch. If you do this a lot, right-click on the desktop, select New>Shortcut and type the appropriate line with quotation marks around the path, but not around the / secondary part. You’ll get an icon on the desktop for quick launch.

CHANGE HISTORY IN CHAT Here’s a weird feature: You can edit the messages you’ve sent via Skype chat

TURN OFF CONTACT LIST ADS Your contact list in the Windows version of Skype has a constant rotating advertisement at the bottom. You can click the X to turn it off, but it comes right back. The way to delete it: Go to Tools>Options>Notifications. Select “Alerts & Messages” and then uncheck the box next to “Promotions.”

USE MULTIPLE SKYPE ACCOUNTS IN WINDOWS There are lots of reasons to have multiple Skype accounts—one for work and one for play being the most obvious. Skype doesn’t let you access both at the same time—but with Windows, you can do it. Just run two instances of Skype. With one launched, go to the command line (hit Windows key+R) and type either C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype. exe /secondary or C:\Program Files (x86)\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe /secondary

after they’ve been sent and seen and read by the recipient. Just right-click on the message and select “Edit Message,” and you can change it. Or just delete it. It seems somewhat useless, but might be wish fulfillment for all the times we wished we could take back a text. And it is nice if the person on the other end hasn’t yet seen the message.

If you want to be able to send, but don’t want replies via SMS, go into Tools>Options>IMs&SMS, and select “SMS Settings.” Check off “My Skype Name” so that’s all the recipient can see; they won’t be able to reply and cost you another 11.2 cents.

RECORD CALLS TO MP3 OR VIDEO

SHARE YOUR SCREEN

Skype is a top-notch collaborative tool,

screen sharing—letting you see what

and the ability to record calls you make or

someone else has on their screen, or vice

receive over the Windows desktop version

versa. But don’t pay extra for your

of Skype couldn’t be easier. The

meetings. Skype offers screen sharing for

recommended tools: For unlimited audio

free. Use the share icon (a plus sign) at

recording only, go with MP3 Skype

the bottom of the window to start a

Recorder, now at version 4.5. To record

share, even in a video call. You can share

video streams (either just one side or

the whole screen, or just a specific

both) you’ll want to pay the $21 fee for

window (handy if you’re using a dual-

Pamela. Mac OS users should grab the

monitor setup). Sharing a screen is

$29.95 Call Recorder for Skype.

limited to one user at a time, and

Many a meeting app out there is all about

everyone has to have the most recent

SWITCH FROM CHAT TO SMS—FOR A PRICE

version of Skype for it to work. You can

When you’re instant messaging with

back and forth while sharing.

another Skype user, you have the option to switch over to SMS messaging, if you also have that contact’s mobile number entered. But here’s the rub: It’ll cost you. Both sending and receiving in the U.S. via Skype is 11.2 cents per message! The rate is displayed at the bottom of the chat window. And naturally, it’s a lot more to send to other countries. It’ll eat up your Skype Credit fast, so only use it in emergencies. Heck, it’s cheaper to make calls with Skype’s Pay-as-You-Go plan at 2.3 cents per minute.

still video chat, text chat, and send files

CHAT VIA SMARTGLASS WITH XBOX ONE Skype on Xbox One is as Jetsons-like as it gets, but there’s no way you want to use the chat function without a keyboard. If you don’t have one, there’s another option: Download the Xbox One SmartGlass app for your tablet or smartphone (iOS, Android, and Windows 8)—don’t get the version for Xbox 360! Hook the app to your Xbox account, and you can use it as a new remote control for the console—and use the on-screen keyboard for chats via Skype.

EXPLOIT UNLIMITED FILE TRANSFERS Sending files via email can be limited by their size—even Gmail limits attachment totals to 25MB. Skype file transfers actually have no size limit. Nor is there a limit to the number of files you can send. Skype even says a lost connection will pick the transfer back up when the Internet connectivity returns. You send a file to someone—or a group!—with the share button (plus sign). You can send files with Android, but not via iOS; that’s a limitation of the OS, not Skype’s fault.

MULTIPLE-DEVICE SKYPE MASTERY VIA CHAT Whether chatting with one person on Skype or a whole group, there are options you can type into that instant messaging window that control what Skype does. If you put a forward slash in front of these commands, the person with whom you’re chatting won’t see it. But you’ll get some help. For example, /showplaces will show you all the “online endpoints” where you are currently logged into Skype.

AUTO-ANSWER AS MONITOR

/remotelogout will sign you out of all the

Having that second Skype account is a

other Skype sessions you have open (but

good way to keep track of things. If you

not on the session where you type it in).

have a laptop with a webcam around, going unused, set it up on the shelf, plug it in, and turn on Skype. Go into Tools>Options>Calls, and check the box to “Answer incoming calls automatically” plus “Start my video automatically when I am in a call.” Then, use that first Skype account to make a call to the second— instant video monitor on the scene to spy on the babysitter, pets, kids, you name it. For some extra security, make sure the account is set only to answer calls from people in the contact list, and that your first account is that only contact listed. For extra stealth, go into Sounds and make sure the “ringtone” and “hang up” options are unchecked. Or just disable the sound and screen on the “stealth” laptop so it doesn’t give you away. If you’ve got an external webcam, you can also place that somewhere away from the laptop to still keep an eye on things—you’ll just need a long USB cable.


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DIGITAL LIFE HOW TO

Speed Up Netflix With a VPN BY JOEL HRUSKA

here have been a few reports over the last few years that using a virtual private network (VPN) can help you avoid the congestion between your ,63DQG1HWÀL[JLYLQJ\RXIXOODFFHVVWRWKHEDQGZLGWK\RX¶YHSDLGIRU $IWHUWKHUHFHQWQHZVWKDW9HUL]RQLVVWLOOFULSSOLQJ1HWÀL[SHUIRUPDQFHVRWKDW HYHQD0ESV)L26FRQQHFWLRQFDQ¶WUHFHLYHDWRSTXDOLW\YLGHRVWUHDPZH GHFLGHGWRVHHLIWKH931WULFNUHDOO\GHOLYHUVDVLJQL¿FDQWSHUIRUPDQFHERRVW $QGZHGLVFRYHUHGWKDWLWGRHV+HUH¶VKRZ\RXFDQWDNHDGYDQWDJHRIWKDW VSHHGIRU\RXUVHOI

T

SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE %HIRUHVHWWLQJRXW,KRQHVWO\GLGQ¶WWKLQNWKDWD 931ZRXOGLPSURYH1HWÀL[SHUIRUPDQFHPXFK 0\FRQQHFWLRQLVQ¶WSDUWLFXODUO\IDVWEXW,FDQ reliably haul down about 14Mbps when GRZQORDGLQJ¿OHVDQG,OLYHRXWLQDUXUDODUHD ZKHUHWKHUHFDQ¶WEHPDQ\RWKHUSHRSOHRQWKH VDPHOLQH,QWKHQDPHRIVFLHQFH,GHFLGHGWRWHVW WKLVWKHRU\²,VLJQHGXSIRUDIUHHGD\WULDORI 1HWÀL[DQGJRWLQWRXFKZLWK*ROGHQ)URJWKH FRPSDQ\WKDWRZQV9\SHU931WKHVDPHFRPSDQ\ that provides the VPN service the irate FiOS FXVWRPHUZDVXVLQJ ,¶YHXVHGWZR931VHUYLFHVWRGDWH%7*XDUG DQGQRZ9\SU%7*XDUGRIIHUVDPRUHEDUHERQHV VHWXSWKDQ9\SUEXWERWKDUHVLPSOH
NETWORK HOPPING Vypr is a simple-to-use virtual private network (VPN) service that lets you pretend to be on a network other than the one you’re actually using.

GO ON LOCKDOWN Protect your data while you’re protecting your identity. Choose a VPN provider that offers good security options for your connection.

DPLQXWHRUVRIDVWHUWKDQWKHQRQ931WHVWEXWLW¶VGLI¿FXOWWREHVXUH² GRZQORDGVSHHGVFDQYDU\HYHQLQWKHEHVWRIFDVHV ,GHFLGHGWRGRDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIWHVW1HWÀL[DOVRRIIHUVVRPHVDPSOH. FRQWHQWVRZH¿UHGXSRQHRIWKRVHVWUHDPVDQGXVHG:LQGRZV¶V3HUIRUPDQFH 0RQLWRU3HUIPRQ WRZDWFKWRWDOE\WHVVHQWWRDQGIURPWKLVV\VWHP¶V(WKHUQHW DGDSWHU$OORWKHUEURZVHUZLQGRZVDQGDSSOLFDWLRQVZHUHFORVHGIRUWKHVHWHVWV ,UDQWKHVHWHVWVWKUHHWLPHVWREHFHUWDLQRIWKHUHVXOWV7KH\ZHUH XQHTXLYRFDO:KHQXVLQJ9\SUERWKP\DYHUDJHDQGPD[LPXPGRZQORDGUDWHV ZHUHQHDUO\WZLFHDVIDVW2QWRSRIWKDWWKHQHWZRUNSHUIRUPDQFHZDVIDUPRUH FRQVLVWHQW5XQQLQJWKURXJK7LPH:DUQHU&DEOHP\GRZQORDGUDWHGLSSHGDQG MXPSHGVKDUSO\ 'LGDOORIWKLVWUDQVODWHLQWREHWWHUYLGHRTXDOLW\"+RQHVWO\QR7KH.WHVW VWUHDPWKDW1HWÀL[RIIHUHGZDVHTXDOO\VKDUSLQERWKFDVHVWKRXJK,VKRXOG QRWHWKDWLWWRRNOHVVWLPHWRVWDUWVWUHDPLQJZKHQXVLQJ9\SUDVFRPSDUHGWR WKHQRQ931FRQQHFWLRQ 7KHSRLQWRIWKLVWHVWKRZHYHUZDVWRLQYHVWLJDWHZKHWKHU1HWÀL[VWUHDPLQJ ZDVIDVWHUZKHQXVLQJD931HYHQLIP\RZQFRQQHFWLRQLVDOUHDG\IDVWHQRXJK WRVXVWDLQKLJKTXDOLW\VWUHDPLQJ7KHDQVZHUIRUPHDWOHDVW"
SHOULD YOU BUY A VPN? 7KH¿UVWVWHSWRDQVZHULQJWKHTXHVWLRQRIZKHWKHU\RX VKRXOGERWKHUZLWKD931LVGLVFXVVLQJKRZPXFKLW FRVWV7KH9\SU9313URSDFNDJHZHWHVWHGUXQV SHUPRQWKLI\RXSD\LQDGYDQFHWRWDO DQGLI \RXSD\PRQWKWRPRQWK7KDW¶VWKHVHUYLFHWKDWJHWV you access to all of the various protocols and lets you XVHPXOWLSOHV\VWHPVDWWKHVDPHWLPH 7KHFRPSDQ\GRHVRIIHUDWKUHHGD\IUHHWULDOZKLFK PLJKWEHXVHIXOIRUWHVWLQJKRZPXFK\RXUVWUHDPLQJ SHUIRUPDQFHPLJKWLPSURYHDQG,¶PKDSS\ZLWKWKH SHUIRUPDQFHMXPS,VDZLQP\WHVWV²EXW,¶POHHU\RI XQLODWHUDOO\UHFRPPHQGLQJDQ\VLQJOHVHUYLFH9\SULV QRWLPPXQHWRWKHQHWZRUNVWUDLQWKDWZRXOGUHVXOW IURPWKRXVDQGVRIQHZFXVWRPHUVÀRRGLQJLWVVHUYHUV DQGVRDNLQJXSLWVEDQGZLGWK $FFRUGLQJWR9\SULW¶VFXUUHQWO\UXQQLQJVHUYHU FOXVWHUVLQFRXQWULHVIRUDWRWDORIPRUHWKDQ VHUYHUV,WSODQVWRDGGWKUHHPRUH86ORFDWLRQVLQWKH QHDUIXWXUHWRPDNHFHUWDLQLWFDQNHHSXSZLWKGHPDQG 9\SUDOVRJRHVRXWRILWVZD\WRGLVPLVVVRPHRIWKH FRPPRQP\WKVDURXQG931VDQGDQRQ\PLW\7KDW¶V DQRWKHUPDUNLQWKHFRPSDQ\¶VIDYRU,WGRHVQ¶WWU\WR WKURZXSDIDOVHZDOORIYDJXHFODLPVDERXWLWVSURGXFW RUFDSDELOLWLHV ,VLWZRUWKSD\LQJIRUD931",¶YHSDLGIRURQHVLQFH WKH6L[6WULNHVODZVZHQWLQWRHIIHFWDQGGLVFRYHUHGWKDW LWFUHDWHVVRPHRGGSUREOHPVDQGRFFDVLRQDO ZRUNDURXQGV
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VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK When you buy a service to improve Netflix performance, you’re buying back the kind of service agreement with your ISP that used to be a given. From a big-picture perspective, the fact that we need a third party for this is appalling. Unfortunately, we’ve already collectively accepted anticonsumer arrangements in which big companies squeeze each other for additional profits and we, the customers who actually pay the fees that keep the companies running, get shafted. And Congress, with very few exceptions, is entirely in the pocket of the media industry. The system has degraded to the point that, yes, it now makes sense to buy a VPN service—because it's the only way to actually use the bandwidth you buy in the way you see fit. —Joel Hruska

LAST WORD JOHN C. DVORAK hat is a tech story?” This question came up in the conversation and the gathered group had quite a discussion as the philosophy of reporting was discussed. Are we writing about tech when we discuss Uber, the ride sharing operation? Does news about Facebook constitute a tech story? When we talk about Tesla, are we talking tech? Another point can be made when we discuss Uber or Tesla or Facebook or Twitter. These are companies that use technology to do what they do, but nowadays what company doesn’t use technology to do what it does? The question then becomes: If these aren’t actually tech companies, then why are they all treated like tech companies by the market and given ridiculous multiples insofar as their stock valuation is concerned? I do not think any of the companies mentioned above is a tech company, and none of them should be reported as tech news. Twitter is a messaging system that uses the Internet. Just using the Internet does not make you a tech company. The New York Times uses the Internet, and it’s not considered a tech company. Why not? Some may argue that, unlike Twitter, the New York Times does not exclusively or primarily use WKH,QWHUQHW%XW,FDQQDPHVRPHÀRZHUGHOLYHU\ services that use the Internet exclusively, and nobody ever thinks of them as tech companies. Again, why not? The entire discussion as to what, exactly, is a tech company and what, exactly, is tech news seems to be both elusive and vague. To my mind, real tech companies are involved in selling technology of one sort or another. This

W What’s a Tech Story?

GH¿QLWLRQLQFOXGHVFRPSDQLHVVXFKDV,QWHORU Cisco or Microsoft. They make chips or systems or software that other people employ to make products that may or may not be tech products. For example, the Nest thermostat, to me, is a thermostat—not a revolutionary tech product. I think we have long since determined that computers are tech products. The smartphone is a tech product, like it or not. But news about Apple’s latest phone will dominate the news when the company announces it. Because it’s a pocket computer and communications device, it constitutes tech news. This coverage is what bothers me the most. Intel can release a series of new microprocessors with ten distinct variations from chip to chip. All become incorporated into new and important products. But the chip line may barely get mentioned in tech news coverage and I can assure you that nobody writing about this stuff will elucidate the differentiation between the chip models except in some specialty publication for chip designers. This will not be covered despite the fact that it is tech news to an extreme and could be interesting if examined properly. Yet the new phone will be covered extensively by every publication, in print, on the air, and on the Web, that purports to cover tech. Details about the phone’s bezel will get discussed. The camera will be analyzed to excess, despite the fact that a phone FDPHUDLVDJORUL¿HGSLQKROHFDPHUD(YHQWKHFDVH covers will be scrutinized to determine their relationship to the fashionable colors of the day. And on and on. 7KHHPSKDVLVRQWKHLGLRV\QFUDWLFVSHFL¿FDWLRQV and features of yet another pocket phone is a great disappointment to me personally. It’s almost like

There is indeed news that is important and fundamental to understanding what’s going on in the world of technology.

obsessing over new clip art. Yes, now there’s a cowboy riding a horse. So what? The real problem with this obsession is that it obscures one crucial fact: There is indeed news that is important and fundamental to understanding what’s going on in the world of WHFKQRORJ\,W¶VRXWWKHUHLI\RXZDQWWR¿QGLW But that’s getting harder as more and more readers are attracted primarily to the shiniest objects from the biggest companies, leaving the rest of us to wonder why we have to wonder what a tech story is—and exactly where the derailment took place.

[email protected]


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MASTHEAD EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PC MAGAZINE NETWORK Dan Costa CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ZIFF DAVIS Cynthia Passanante MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL EDITIONS Matthew Murray SENIOR DESIGNER Jackie Smith SENIOR PRODUCER Mark Lamorgese

NEWS & FEATURES EXECUTIVE EDITOR Chloe Albanesius FEATURES EDITORS Evan Dashevsky, Eric Griffith SENIOR FEATURES WRITER Chandra Steele REPORTERS Stephanie Mlot, Angela Moscaritolo, Damon Poeter

PC LABS EXECUTIVE EDITOR, REVIEWS Wendy Sheehan Donnell MANAGING EDITORS Sean Carroll (software, security, Internet, business, networking), Jamie Lendino

(consumer electronics, mobile), Laarni Almendrala Ragaza (hardware) LEAD ANALYSTS Samara Lynn (networking), Michael Muchmore (software), Neil J. Rubenking (security),

Joel Santo Domingo (desktops, laptops), Sascha Segan (mobile), M. David Stone (printers, scanners) SENIOR ANALYSTS Alex Colon (consumer electronics), Jim Fisher (digital cameras) ANALYSTS Jill Duffy (software, Internet, networking), Will Greenwald (consumer electronics),

Tony Hoffman (printers, scanners), Eugene Kim (mobile), Brian Westover (hardware), Jeffrey L. Wilson (software, Internet, networking) JUNIOR ANALYSTS Max Eddy (software, Internet, networking), Antonio Villas-Boas (consumer electronics) INVENTORY CONTROL COORDINATOR Nicole Graham INTERN Rexly Peñaflorida II

ART, MEDIA & PRODUCTION SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Yun-San Tsai PRODUCERS Gina Latessa, Whitney Reynolds COMMERCE PRODUCER

Arielle Rochette

DESIGNER James Jacobsen PRODUCTION DESIGNER José Ruiz STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Eddie Schneckloth VIDEO PRODUCER Chris Snyder

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tim Bajarin, John R. Delaney, John C. Dvorak, Tim Gideon, Bill Howard, Edward Mendelson, Fahmida Y. Rashid


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MASTHEAD CORPORATE

ZIFF DAVIS INC. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Vivek Shah

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Steven Horowitz

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Andy Johns

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Joey Fortuna

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AND MARKETING

Eric Koepele

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Anurag Harsh

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, DATA SOLUTIONS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT Dan GENERAL COUNSEL

Bennett Zucker

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