It’s big, it’s powerful and it might arguably be from another planet. That’s an easy way to think about the Alienware m18, a new big-screen gaming laptop from Dell’s Alienware brand. Announced during CES 2023 in January, it’s already on the CNET testing bench and blowing me away with its massive display and top-shelf components.  That’s because Alienware sent one …

This story is part of 84 Days of Holiday, a collection that helps you find the perfect gift for anyone. Over the years, I’ve often described Apple’s MacBook Air as the most universally useful laptop you can get (or in this case, give). The latest version, now with Apple’s new M2 chip inside, hits the fresh button in a lot of …

The current flagship Apple all-in-one desktop is the 24-inch M1 iMac. It’s a great update to the iMac line in terms of style, design and power, but it also leaves little flexibility for ports and connections. The iMac includes either two or four USB-C ports depending on the configuration. Even with the four-port version, only two are Thunderbolt (faster transfer) …

In the last few years, 3D printing has crossed a rubicon into the mainstream consciousness. Schools and libraries often have 3D printers, and the barrier to entry for hobbyists is lower than ever, with inexpensive machines offering excellent out-of-the-box results. Because 3D printing technology has come a long way in recent years, I’ve doubled down on being creative and gotten …

The Creality Ender-3 S1 had been sitting in a box by my desk for some time before I dared set it up. I had been reluctant, having heard stories about the the popular Ender-3 line requiring a huge investment in time and effort to assemble.  For example, the mainstream Ender-3 V2 is considered a great 3D printer for under $300, …

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product. Preordering, or even ordering, popular new gadgets has never been easy. Websites crash under traffic loads, products disappear from shopping carts and sometimes you can get to the very last step of the checkout process, only to be mysteriously …

The Asus Zenbook Fold is a true transformer of a PC. It’s equal parts tablet, laptop and desktop, and unlike many other hybrid products, it’s pretty good at all three. The key is a big 17-inch foldable display, even if that technology is still in its early days.  Folding-screen phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip …

If you want your gaming laptop to be thin, it’s going to run hot. That’s just the physics of packing a powerful CPU and GPU into a 15.7mm-thick body. And since we’ve managed to make gaming laptops reasonably small, semistylish and powerful enough to shame even the latest game consoles, heat is really the last frontier that no one has …

Having reviewed practically every MacBook since the beginning of the Intel Mac era to the current M2 chip versions, I’ve seen a lot of features added, taken away, and sometimes added back again. That goes for HDMI ports, SD card slots and even the MagSafe connector. But one occasionally requested feature that has never been part of an Apple-made computer …

A big change is coming to Apple’s Mac computer line, thanks to the new version of MacOS, called Ventura. It’s going to change the way you use video-conferencing apps like Zoom, how you juggle multiple apps at once, and even how you dig around the settings menus to make everything work the way you want.  Some of these new changes …