Like nearly every other big industry show or public gathering over the past 15 months, the 2021 E3 video game trade show is happening virtually. The 2020 version of the event, which is usually held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, didn’t even make it that far. It was unceremoniously canceled shortly after COVID-19 shutdowns …

Despite what some headline writers would have you believe, Microsoft has not suddenly announced a new Xbox streaming stick. In a pre-E3 streamed briefing for journalists, Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer, CEO Satya Nadella and other Microsoft execs talked more generally about the plans for getting more Xbox games in front of more people in new and different ways.  My …

Have you been thinking of a shiny upgrade since Apple’s Spring Loaded event? Are you stuck on whether the 13-inch MacBook Air or 24-inch iMac is better for you? After all, for many years we referred to the old Intel-powered smaller iMac “a MacBook on a stand.” They were both entry-level devices that cut features and sometimes had slower processors. I …

Unboxing the new 24-inch Apple iMac, all I could think was that my old curved-back 27-inch iMac was a dead man walking. The long-standing iMac design, virtually untouched since 2012, held up well over the years, but a change was well past due. The new version of the smaller iMac model (formerly 21.5 inches, now 24 inches) has a slim, …

During the COVID-19 crisis, Chromebooks have helped countless students and workers stay connected while stuck at home. That would have been hard to imagine 10 years ago, when the the first Chromebooks were announced on May 11, 2011.  Back then, no one expected a lot from them. After all, they came on the heels of the Netbook era, when low-cost, low-power laptops were …

One of the longest-standing personal computer designs has fallen. Goodbye, iMac. Hello, iMac. The new version of the smaller iMac (formerly 21.5 inches, now 24 inches) has taken on a whole new look, becoming the first M1-powered Mac in a new design unveiled at Apple’s spring event. That alone will be enough to recommend it to some shoppers, especially those …

On the surface, Apple’s new iPad Pro and iMac seem like different beasts. One is a touchscreen tablet that runs a mobile-forward operating system. The other is an all-in-one desktop that runs a traditional computer operating system.  But somehow, every product in Apple’s device ecosystem is caught in the pull of a black hole, being slowly dragged towards a kind …

It’s no secret that I consider tabletop gaming a great antidote to too much screen time. Especially if you’re into RPG, exploration or tactical games, increasingly sophisticated board games have captured a surprisingly mainstream audience and satiated the need for new stay-at-home entertainment in the past year. One of my favorites has always been the series of Lovecraft-inspired games from …

After years of swearing you didn’t need a printer at home, well, here you are. Now that everyone’s been officing-in-place for going on a year, sometimes you just need to print something out. But, based on my own history (and corroborated by many of my peers), the one thing almost every printer has in common is that sooner or later, …

See also Best Laptop for 2022 The Best Cheap Laptops You Don’t Have to Wait a Month For Best Chromebook for 2022 These Are the Best 2-in-1s That Are More Than Just a Laptop or Tablet Framework A common complaint about modern laptops is that they’re essentially sealed boxes with no user-serviceable parts inside. A new tech startup, Framework, wants …