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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

HEALTH AND FITNESS TECH IN

2020

DIGITAL EDITION

JANUARY 2020

CONTENTS JANUARY 2020

COVER STORY

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HEALTH AND FITNESS TECH IN 2020 Devices and apps to help you keep your resolutions.

FEATURES HOW RPG LOGIC AND SIMULATIONS ARE CHANGING THE GAME IN HEALTHCARE

WHAT’S NEW NOW SCIENTISTS CREATE BONE-INSPIRED STRUCTURE FOR STRONGER 3D PRINTING In both cases, the key is to distribute the load evenly.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SAMSUNG’S THE WALL MICROLED TV SYSTEM Samsung set up a demonstration and test screen measuring approximately 150 inches diagonally and configured like a 16:9 4K TV.

2019: THE YEAR RANSOMWARE FEASTED ON THE US PUBLIC SECTOR The attacks have been shutting down IT services at city governments, schools, and health providers.

REVIEWS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Ring Indoor Cam OnePlus 7T Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System

HARDWARE

Ring Indoor Cam

HP Elite Dragonfly Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition Dell Latitude 7400

SOFTWARE & APPS The Best Fitness Apps for 2020 HP Elite Dragonfly

NRC App

COMMENTARY CAROL MANGIS First Word

READER INPUT MAD EDDY Facial Recognition Is Tech’s Biggest Mistake

WILL GREENWALD

I think I can safely say that my dislike has mellowed into a fine, nuanced hatred.

How Much Does Verizon Fios Cost? I Can’t Get a Straight Answer

BEN DICKSON Why AI Leads Us to Think Less, Act Impulsively

—Max Eddy

TIPS & HOW TOS HOW TO ADD EMERGENCY INFO TO YOUR PHONE’S LOCK SCREEN On Android devices or iPhones, it’s easy to do—and might save your life.

HOW TO ADD AND ORGANIZE ALBUMS IN ITUNES AND THE APPLE MUSIC APP Get your music in order, so you can find what you want to listen to easily.

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FIRST WORD CAROL MANGIS

W

elcome to our January issue. What EHWWHU WLPH WR FRQFHQWUDWH RQ ¿WQHVV than the traditional month of New Year’s resolutions?

Getting Fit Together in 2020

7HFKQRORJ\ HQWHUHG WKH UHDOP RI KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV quite a while ago, though. For instance, check out the “Fox Exerciser for Women,” a weight-pulley machine from the early 1900s (photo courtesy of Archive.org):

@cmangis

7RGD\ÂśV ÂżWQHVV GHYLFHV DUH ZHOO D ELW PRUH sophisticated. At PCMag, we review all kinds of wearable trackers, from the simple and inexpensive (such as the Fitbit Inspire HR, $79) to the sophisticated and pricey (say, the Apple Watch Series 5, $399). We evaluate them for design and comfort, battery life, sensors and features, and accuracy. With a tracker, you can simply count your steps, or you can get daily activity tallies, count miles run and laps swum, track your sleep patterns, keep tabs on your weight and diet, be nudged to take a walk when you’ve been sitting too long (annoying but very useful!), and more. We’ve also put some less common devices through their paces—such as the Mirror, an actual wallhung mirror that’s interactive—as well as heart rate monitors and in-ear trackers. :H DVNHG RXU ÂżWQHVV H[SHUW -LOO 'X̆\ WR ZUDQJOH DOO RI WKHVH LQWR WKH XOWLPDWH JXLGH WR ÂżWQHVV WHFK $QG VKH URXQGHG XS VRPH ÂżWQHVV DSSV DV ZHOO There’s something here for everyone who wants to get moving and be healthy in 2020. A note on data privacy: As with any connected device or app, please check companies’ policies thoroughly before you click “accept.â€? carol_mangis@pcmag.com

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READER INPUT YOUR COMMENTS

Farewell, Windows 7

7KLV PRQWK PDUNV WKH end of Microsoft support for the Windows 7 OS. Here’s how readers are reacting.

I don’t know what the big thing is with everyone having trouble with Windows 10. I used 7 for years, then went to 8 and dumped it (crap). Enter Windows 10, and I have really had no problems with it. I keep my computer up to date, and it ZRUNV ¿QH 7KH RQO\ SUREOHP LV WKDW DV DQ ROGHU SHUVRQ LW WDNHV PH D ZKLOH WR ¿JXUH VRPH WKLQJV out. But that is not Microsoft’s fault; it’s just a fact of getting old (70-plus). —Wendy Hamilton Would not a good full-featured suite such as Bitdefender safeguard Windows 7 machines forever? —DaveNLR No. [Bitdefender] is for system protection. :LQGRZV XSGDWHV DUH WR DFWXDOO\ SURYLGH ¿[HV DQG security to the operating system itself, which no antivirus can ever do, as they are designed to SURWHFW ¿OH DQG VRIWZDUH LQWHJULW\ —Joshua Ferraz Stop trying to scare people into an OS that is only a reskin of Windows 7. Kernel changes have been DOPRVW QRQH[LVWHQW VLQFH WKH V -XVW OHDUQ KRZ to secure 7 yourself, and stop relying on a corporation for crap you should have been doing on your own already. For that matter you can get 7 working on a Ryzen 2k series chip, proving my point about the kernel. —Dorian Gray

7KH :LQGRZV .HUQHO KDV FKDQJHG ZLWK HYHU\ YHUVLRQ RI :LQGRZV :LQGRZV 17 is 6.4. 8.1 was 6.3, 8.0 was 6.2 and 7 was 6.1. As a systems administrator, I have seen major improvements with Windows 10 administration, particularly in the area of KRZ :LQGRZV H[HFXWHV WDVNV :KDW \RX VDLG DERXW 5\]HQ LV IXOO\ LQFRUUHFW $ NHUQHO is only responsible for acting as the OS ‘brain,’ which acts as a translator to the CPU. 7KH &38 LV D µJHQHULF¶ SLHFH RI KDUGZDUH 0LFURVRIW LV MXVW GRLQJ VRIWZDUH OHYHO ORFNV on 7 for new machines. —Joshua Ferraz READER QUESTION: I need help with two-factor authentication. I have only a desktop computer and no VPDUWSKRQH , GH¿QLWHO\ QHHG WKH SURWHFWLRQ VR ZKHUH FDQ , ¿QG DQ DSS DQG ZKLFK one should I download to my computer? Any help would greatly be appreciated. —Robert Kimble ERIC GRIFFITH’S REPLY: $V ORQJ DV \RXU SKRQH VXSSRUWV 606 WH[W PHVVDJHV \RX VKRXOG VWLOO EH DEOH WR XVH LW to receive most two-factor authentication codes. But a smarter route would be to use an authentication program like Authy. You can get it for the Windows desktop or HYHQ DV D EURZVHU H[WHQVLRQ VR \RX FDQ DFFHVV LW IURP WKH WRROEDU ZKHQ \RX¶UH WU\LQJ to log into sites—no phone needed. Note that not all sites and services support using an authentication program, though—in such cases, you’ll likely need to use the phone option. Or you could sign up for a free VoIP phone account with a service such as Google Voice, so you can receive SMS messages; they’ll come to your desktop.

Ask us a question!

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Have a question about a story in PC Magazine, one of the products we cover, or how to better use a tech product you own? Email us at letters@pcmag.com and we’ll respond to your question here. Questions may be edited slightly for content and clarity.

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WHAT’S NEW NOW NEWS STORY

Scientists Create Bone-Inspired Structure for Stronger 3D Printing BY RYAN WHITWAM

M

ost people will break at least one bone in their lives, but just think about all the stress your bones experience without breaking. Scientists from Cornell University, Purdue University, and Case Western Reserve University have taken inspiration from bone to create more durable 3D-printed structures. This could eventually make 3D printing viable for high-stakes applications such as construction and aircraft design. Neither bones nor 3D-printed objects are completely solid—that would make WKHP WRR KHDY\ ,Q ' SULQWLQJ SURMHFWV RIWHQ PDNH XVH RI YDULRXV ÂłLQÂżOOV´ WR make the structure stronger. In bones, the strength comes from spongy structures called trabeculae. In both 3D printing and bones, the key is to distribute the load evenly.

Trabeculae consist of vertical plate-like struts and horizontal rod-like structures that act as columns and beams. When you’re young, the trabeculae in your bones are dense with these struts and structures. But bones become less dense as you age, which is why breaks are more common among older people. The researchers wanted to see how much impact the two types of trabeculae had on strength. 7KH WHDP VXVSHFWHG WKDW YHUWLFDO SODWHV FRQWULEXWH WR D ERQH¶V VWL̆QHVV DQG strength, but horizontal beams make bones durable over the long-term. To demonstrate this, they created a 3D printed model of trabeculae (shown above). The team showed that the 3D-printed trabeculae had similar mechanical properties to real bone. They then made a fully synthetic structure inspired by human bone and adjusted the horizontal beam thickness and found that a 30 percent thicker beam resulted in a 100-fold increase in load-bearing capacity, R̆HULQJ FRPSHOOLQJ SURRI WKDW WKH KRUL]RQWDO VWUXFWXUHV DUH WKH PDLQ contributor to strength. 0DNLQJ WKH KRUL]RQWDO VXSSRUWV WKLFNHU GLG QRW VLJQL¿FDQWO\ LQFUHDVH WKH ZHLJKW of 3D-printed objects. That means we could eventually produce large 3D-printed structures that are durable and light enough to be transported from place to place and could also make those Martian habitats a bit more sturdy. And it could even help us better understand the changes happening in bones as they age, potentially leading to new treatments that reduce breaks.

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WHAT’S NEW NOW NEWS STORY

A Closer Look at Samsung’s The Wall MicroLED TV System BY WILL GREENWALD

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’ve been waiting to see more of Samsung’s The Wall TV system since it was ¿UVW UHYHDOHG DW &(6 WZR \HDUV DJR ,QVWHDG RI XVLQJ DQ /&' RU 2/(' SDQHO 7KH :DOO XVHV LQGLYLGXDO /(' FOXVWHUV WR IRUP LWV SLFWXUH OLNH PXFK ODUJHU DQG PXFK PRUH SL[HODWHG YLGHR VLJQDJH ,W VKRZV D JUHDW GHDO RI SURPLVH EXW LWV VL]H DQG VFRSH KDYH NHSW LW RXW RI UHDFK RI FRQVXPHUV 'XULQJ P\ UHFHQW YLVLW WR 6DPVXQJ¶V KHDGTXDUWHUV LQ 6RXWK .RUHD WKRXJK , ¿QDOO\ JRW WR VHH 7KH :DOO XS FORVH 6DPVXQJ VHW XS D GHPRQVWUDWLRQ DQG WHVW VFUHHQ PHDVXULQJ DSSUR[LPDWHO\ LQFKHV GLDJRQDOO\ DQG FRQ¿JXUHG OLNH D . 79 7KLV ZRXOG EH WKH PRVW ³VWDQGDUG´ VHWXS IRU 7KH :DOO EXW D PRGXODU GHVLJQ PDNHV LW UHPDUNDEO\ ÀH[LEOH $ XQLW FRQVLVWV RI PXOWLSOH PRGXOHV HDFK RI ZKLFK PHDVXUHV E\ LQFKHV DQG KDV D UHVROXWLRQ RI E\ 7KH VHWXS , VDZ ZDV PDGH XS RI QR OHVV WKDQ VL[WHHQ RI WKHVH PRGXOHV

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The Wall is expensive, that much is certain, but I’ve been unable to find out exactly how expensive it is.

WHAT’S NEW NOW NEWS STORY

2019: The Year Ransomware Feasted on the US Public Sector BY MICHAEL KAN

I

n the US, ransomware attacks impacted at least 103 US government agencies largely at the state and municipal levels, according to Emsisoft, a leading provider of ransomware decryption tools. In December, the company published a report detailing the ongoing ransomware epidemic, which has transitioned from targeting consumer PCs to preying on poorly secured computers at large organizations—particularly those within the public sector. In case you’re unfamiliar, encrypting ransomware—the most common type— takes away your access to important documents by replacing them with encrypted copies. Pay the ransom, and you get the key to decrypt those documents (you hope).

The attacks have been grabbing headlines over the past year for shutting down IT services at city governments, schools, and health providers. The City of New Orleans recently reported getting hit with a possible ransomware attack that’s prompted the city to order a shutdown of municipal IT systems. Emsisoft pulled from press reports and the company’s data to count how many victims have been hit. In short, the situation is bad. In addition to government agencies, 86 universities, colleges, and school districts were hit by US-based ransomware attacks this year. During the same period, 759 healthcare providers in the country were also victimized in the assaults. The scale of the attacks indicates the hackers may have caused billions in damages. That’s because it can cost an organization thousands to millions of dollars to recover from a ransomware incident, Emsisoft said in the report. “Given that ransomware attacks against governments, healthcare providers and educational institutions have indeed been proven to work, these sectors are likely to continue to be heavily targeted in 2020,” the company went on to warn. Governments, schools, and health providers are notorious for spending little on IT security because of their limited budgets. As a result, their computer systems can become easy targets for hackers. The intrusions can occur over an unpatched vulnerability in a remote login system, for example. Or the hacker will trick an employee into opening an email attachment that contains malware. Antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab has also been tracking the ransomware attacks and has found that they can end up demanding between $5,000 to as much as $5 million from victims when they target a municipal organization.

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Max Edd

COMMENTARY

Facial Recognition Is Tech’s Biggest Mistake

P

eople with my job need to be interested in—and at least passingly excited about— new technology. Sure, we need to maintain distance from the hype cycle (3D TV, anyone?), but a creeping cynicism that depletes enthusiasm for new, exciting ideas is just as toxic. So when Apple debuted Face ID, I stayed mostly quiet about it. Now that Google has followed suit with facial recognition built into its Pixel 4 phone, I think I can safely say that I’ve given my dislike a FKDQFH WR PHOORZ LQWR D ¿QH QXDQFHG KDWUHG Facial recognition is bad. It’s really bad. It’s a poor system for verifying identity or intent, it’s overly permissive, and it trains us to be okay with having our faces scanned. In conclusion, facial recognition in consumer technology is the end of civilization as we know it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. You want more details? Fine. IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENT Continuing with the examples of Google and Apple, I should make it clear that they both address the most dystopian fears surrounding face-scanning. No, your face data doesn’t leave your phone. No, your biometric data isn’t stored in such a manner that would allow your face to be UHFRQVWUXFWHG $QG \HV \RX FDQ VZLWFK LW R̆ DQG be stuck with a crummy password or crummier

PC Magazine Senior Software Analyst Max Eddy has also written for publications such as International Digital Times, International Science Times, and The Mary Sue.

Max Edd

PIN). But both Google and Apple forgot or LJQRUHG WKDW YHULÂżFDWLRQ LV DOVR DERXW LQWHQW When I enter my password, I am signaling my intent to do something. I wouldn’t write down a password in any other context. While it’s possible WR WDS D ÂżQJHUSULQW UHDGHU DFFLGHQWDOO\ LWÂśV VWLOO DQ action you have to take—a signal of intent. Facial recognition is a bad model for securing anything, because you can’t signal your intent. A great recent example is the Google Pixel 4. It has been widely reported that the phone’s Face Unlock feature works even when your eyes are closed. I suppose we can all marvel at Google’s ability to detect who we are even when we’re out cold, but it opens the unpleasant possibility that your phone could be unlocked while you’re asleep, unconscious, or dead. If that weren’t enough, Google’s own support documentation points out that if someone shoves your phone in your face, it will unlock whether you want it to or not: “Looking at your phone can unlock it even when you don’t intend to,â€? says the site. Your phone can be unlocked by someone who looks a lot like you—say, an identical sibling. And to reiterate, “Your phone can also be unlocked by someone else if it’s held up to your face, even if your eyes are closed.â€? Although Apple’s Face ID requires that your eyes be open, it has the same fundamental problem. Any time your phone is out and you’re facing it, it is unlocked and ready for use. It’s interesting that Apple does address the problem of intent in Apple Pay on devices that

@wmaxeddy

Max Edd

use Face ID. When you make a purchase, you have to look at your phone IRU YHUL¿FDWLRQ DQG DOVR SUHVV WKH ORFN EXWWRQ WZLFH <RX PLJKW accidentally look at your phone, you might even accidentally hit the button, but you’re not very likely to do both at once unless you’re making a payment. IT’S BAD-HABIT FORMING In terms of privacy, facial recognition writ large is far scarier than most RWKHU NLQGV RI ELRPHWULF LGHQWL¿FDWLRQ /HW¶V LPDJLQH D URRP IXOO RI people in which the police are looking for one individual. If the police KDYH RQO\ WKDW SHUVRQ¶V ¿QJHUSULQW WKH\¶G KDYH WR H[DPLQH WKH KDQGV RI HYHU\ VLQJOH SHUVRQ LQ WKH URRP 7KDW¶V QRW RQO\ WHGLRXV EXW LW WLSV R̆ everyone there that something is up. 1RZ LPDJLQH WKDW LQVWHDG RI ¿QJHUSULQWV WKH SROLFH KDYH D SKRWR RI WKH person’s face, discreetly positioned cameras, and the software required to match that photo to a living face. They can now scan the entire room without people realizing. They can also now track the person moving around the room, learning far more than whether or not the person is simply present. This second example is already happening in some places. Chinese SROLFH ṘFHUV KDYH UHSRUWHGO\ EHHQ RXW¿WWHG ZLWK IDFH LGHQWLI\LQJ JODVVHV WKDW FDQ VSRW VSHFL¿F SHRSOH LQ ODUJH JURXSV 7KH 8. KDV EOD]HG D WUDLO LQ FDPHUD VXUYHLOODQFH $UWL¿FLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH FDQ QRW RQO\ PDWFK D person to a face, but Google Photos has demonstrated that it doesn’t take very much data to match a person to any picture of them—whether as an elderly person or an infant. US airports are using face scanners on WUDYHOHUV RQ LQWHUQDWLRQDO ÀLJKWV 5LQJ LV PDNLQJ GHDOV ZLWK SROLFH WR promote its camera doorbells and providing a platform for police to request video from people. The future is now, and it’s dangerous. Facial recognition has already found its way into that paragon of privacy (read: with intense sarcasm): Facebook. The company recently admitted it created, then shelved, a face-scanning app that let users identify people by pointing a phone at them. The social media platform can already identify people in images and videos. And the number of places ready to accept our face data is growing.

Max Edd

Given that potential, I fear that Face ID, Face Unlock, and similar facialrecognition technologies are training us to be comfortable with our faces being scanned. We shouldn’t ever become comfortable with that. BIOMETRICS ARE GOOD, ACTUALLY 9LRPHWULF LGHQWL¿FDWLRQ KDV SLWIDOOV EXW ,¶YH EHHQ SOHDVDQWO\ VXUSULVHG WR see that companies have avoided many of them. Apple and Google both have taken steps to ensure that biometric data is abstracted and secured, PDNLQJ LW H̆HFWLYHO\ LPSRVVLEOH IRU LW WR EH H[WUDFWHG RU DEXVHG And although it’s far easier for law enforcement to compel you to submit to a biometric scan than to reveal a password—both in a legal and logistical sense—to Google and Apple’s credit, each includes a mode to lock biometric scanning for a set period of time and instead require a traditional password. Despite concerns, I’m for biometric authentication. Biometrics are easier for people to use than strong passwords and are also far safer than easily JXHVVDEOH 3,1 FRGHV ZKLFK DUH H̆HFWLYHO\ MXVW ZHDN SDVVZRUGV $GGLQJ biometrics to mobile devices has meant people are locking their phones, which secures their accounts and data and allows everything to be safely wrapped in encryption. It’s a huge overall win for security and privacy. The problem is that newer isn’t necessarily better. The humble ¿QJHUSULQW UHDGHU WKDW GHEXWHG RQ WKH L3KRQH DQG IRXQG LWV ZD\ RQWR many other mobile devices is, to my mind, the more elegant solution. It’s hard to trigger accidentally, it’s an easily recognizable signal of intent, and it’s secure. Why did we move away from those? I suspect that edgeto-edge screens have a lot to do with it. I don’t know what the best strategy is for incorporating biometrics in an all-screen world, but I do know that I won’t ever be buying a device that requires my face be scanned. max_eddy@pcmag.com

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Will Greenwal

COMMENTARY

How Much Does Verizon Fios Cost? I Can’t Get a Straight Answer

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Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC.

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It’s a nightmare labyrinth of hard-sell garbage with the very intention of making the process difficult.

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When you wrestle with sales reps on the phone, it takes minutes and multiple pleas to get hard numbers from them.

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Ben Dickso

COMMENTARY

Why AI Leads Us to Think Less, Act Impulsively

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Ben Dickson is a software engineer who writes about disruptive tech trends, including artiďŹ cial intelligence, VR and AR, the IoT, and blockchain. Ben also runs the blog Tech Talks.

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Ring Indoor Cam: Affordable Smart Security Camera

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est known for its video doorbells and outdoor security cameras, Ring’s QHZ ,QGRRU &DP LV WKH FRPSDQ\¶V ¿UVW LQGRRU RQO\ FDPHUD DQG LWV PRVW D̆RUGDEOH PRGHO WR GDWH ,W FDSWXUHV VKDUS S YLGHR VXSSRUWV Amazon Alexa voice commands, and works with other smart devices via IFTTT DSSOHWV 7KH FDPHUD DOVR R̆HUV PRWLRQ GHWHFWLRQ EXW \RX KDYH WR SD\ D PRQWKO\ IHH WR DFWLYDWH DQG YLHZ PRWLRQ WULJJHUHG UHFRUGLQJV ,I \RX ZRXOG rather store your recorded video locally and save money on subscription fees, FRQVLGHU RXU (GLWRUV¶ &KRLFH IRU D̆RUGDEOH KRPH VHFXULW\ FDPHUDV²WKH ' /LQN )XOO +' :L )L &DPHUD '&6 /+

DESIGN AND FEATURES The white Ring Indoor Cam has the same cylindrical VKDSH DV WKH 5LQJ 6WLFN 8S &DP %DWWHU\ EXW DW E\ LQFKHV +: LW¶V DOPRVW KDOI WKH VL]H ,W VLWV DWRS D round desktop base that can be removed and reattached WR WKH EDFN RI WKH FDPHUD VR \RX FDQ PRXQW LW RQ D ZDOO 7KH IURQW RI WKH FDPHUD KDV D EODFN IDFH D VWDWXV /(' DQG D VSHDNHU DQG PLFURSKRQH DUUD\ IRU WZR ZD\ DXGLR 2Q LWV EDFN LV D PLQL 86% SRZHU SRUW 7KH FDPHUD FRPHV ZLWK D IRRW SRZHU FDEOH DQG SOXJ LQ DGDSWHU PRXQWLQJ VFUHZV D XVHU JXLGH DQG D VHFXULW\ VWLFNHU 7KH ,QGRRU &DP FDSWXUHV YLGHR DW S DQG KDV D GHJUHH ¿HOG RI YLHZ ,W XVHV D VHULHV RI WLQ\ LQIUDUHG /('V IRU QLJKW YLVLRQ DQG LV HTXLSSHG ZLWK D *+] Q :L )L UDGLR IRU FRQQHFWLQJ WR \RXU KRPH QHWZRUN 7KH ,QGRRU &DP R̆HUV PRWLRQ GHWHFWLRQ ZLWK D 3HRSOH 2QO\ VHWWLQJ WKDW ZLOO LJQRUH HYHU\WKLQJ EXW human motion, but if you want to view and share PRWLRQ WULJJHUHG YLGHR \RX KDYH WR VXEVFULEH WR D 5LQJ 3URWHFW SODQ 7KH %DVLF 3URWHFW SODQ JRHV IRU D UHDVRQDEOH SHU PRQWK RU SHU \HDU DQG JHWV \RX GD\V RI YLGHR KLVWRU\ IRU RQH FDPHUD 7KH 3OXV SODQ FRVWV SHU PRQWK RU SHU \HDU DQG R̆HUV GD\V RI YLGHR KLVWRU\ IRU DOO \RXU 5LQJ FDPHUDV )RU owners of a Ring Alarm system, the Plus plan also SURYLGHV SURIHVVLRQDO PRQLWRULQJ

Ring Indoor Cam PROS Affordable. Sharp 1080p video. Motion detection. Supports Alexa voice control and IFTTT. Easy to install. CONS Requires subscription to record video. No sound detection. BOTTOM LINE The Ring Indoor Cam is an affordable smart security camera that delivers sharp 1080p video. It supports voice control and works with other smart devices, but you have to pay a monthly fee to view motion-triggered video.

As with other Ring cameras, the Indoor Cam uses IFTTT applets to work with VPDUW GHYLFHV LQFOXGLQJ OLJKWLQJ WKHUPRVWDWV DQG JDUDJH GRRU RSHQHUV ,W DOVR VXSSRUWV WKH :RUNV :LWK 5LQJ SURJUDP ZKLFK OHWV \RX FRQWURO FHUWL¿HG WKLUG SDUW\ GHYLFHV IURP ZLWKLQ WKH 5LQJ DSS 7KH ,QGRRU &DP XVHV WKH VDPH PRELOH DSS DV HYHU\ RWKHU 5LQJ GHYLFH :KHQ you install the camera, it gets its own tab on the Cameras screen along with a VWLOO LPDJH RI WKH ODVW FDSWXUHG DFWLYLW\ $W WKH WRS RI WKH VFUHHQ DUH EXWWRQV IRU 1HDUE\ ,QFLGHQWV +LVWRU\ DQG /LJKWV \RX¶OO VHH WKH /LJKWV EXWWRQ RQO\ LI \RX KDYH D 5LQJ OLJKWLQJ GHYLFH LQVWDOOHG 7R YLHZ UHFHQW HYHQWV UHSRUWHG E\ \RXU QHLJKERUV XVLQJ WKH 5LQJ 1HLJKERUV DSS MXVW WDS WKH 1HDUE\ ,QFLGHQWV EXWWRQ The History button lets you view all activities from your installed Ring devices; WDS DQ\ DFWLYLW\ HQWU\ WR YLHZ GRZQORDG RU GHOHWH YLGHR RI WKH HYHQW 7DS WKH ,QGRRU &DP WDE WR YLHZ D WLPHOLQH RI UHFRUGHG YLGHR ZLWK WLPH VWDPSV +HUH WKH *R /LYH EXWWRQ RSHQV D OLYH IHHG WKDW \RX FDQ YLHZ LQ IXOO VFUHHQ PRGH ZKHQ \RX WXUQ \RXU SKRQH VLGHZD\V RU WDS WKH VTXDUH LFRQ LQ WKH ERWWRP ULJKW FRUQHU RI WKH SDQHO <RX FDQ WDS WKH PLFURSKRQH EXWWRQ WR LQLWLDWH WZR ZD\ audio so you can speak to whomever is at your door, and tap the speaker button WR PXWH WKH VRXQG

&DPHUD VHWWLQJV DUH DYDLODEOH E\ WDSSLQJ WKH JHDU EXWWRQ LQ WKH WRS ULJKW FRUQHU +HUH \RX FDQ HQDEOH GLVDEOH PRWLRQ UHFRUGLQJ DQG PRWLRQ DOHUWV FRQ¿JXUH motion and video settings, enable push alerts, and link the Indoor Cam to other Ring devices, which lets it trigger recording on other Ring cameras and turn on 5LQJ OLJKWV LI LQVWDOOHG 'HYLFH +HDOWK VHWWLQJV OHW \RX FKHFN ZLUHOHVV VLJQDO VWUHQJWK WHVW :L )L DQG XSGDWH ¿UPZDUH DQG 6KDUHG 8VHU VHWWLQJV OHW \RX DGG XVHUV WR \RXU 5LQJ DFFRXQW INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE As with every other Ring camera we’ve reviewed, the Indoor Cam is easy to LQVWDOO , DOUHDG\ KDG D 5LQJ DFFRXQW EXW LI WKLV LV \RXU ¿UVW 5LQJ SURGXFW \RX¶OO KDYH WR GRZQORDG WKH DSS DQG FUHDWH DQ DFFRXQW , RSHQHG WKH DSS WDSSHG 6HW 8S D 'HYLFH DQG VHOHFWHG 6HFXULW\ &DPV IURP WKH OLVW , VFDQQHG WKH 45 FRGH RQ WKH EDFN RI WKH ,QGRRU &DP ZLWK P\ SKRQH DQG QDPHG WKH FXUUHQW ORFDWLRQ IRU LQVWDOODWLRQ , IROORZHG WKH YLGHR LQVWUXFWLRQV WR plug in the camera and waited a few seconds for it to power up, at which point WKH FDPHUD¶V YRLFH JXLGDQFH ZHOFRPHG PH WR 5LQJ , WDSSHG &RQWLQXH DQG FRQ¿UPHG WKDW WKH /(' ZDV EOLQNLQJ DQG VHOHFWHG <HV WR MRLQ WKH QHWZRUN :LWKLQ VHFRQGV WKH YRLFH LQIRUPHG PH WKDW WKH FDPHUD ZDV FRQQHFWHG WR WKH 5LQJ QHWZRUN , VHOHFWHG P\ :L )L 66,' HQWHUHG P\ SDVVZRUG DQG WKH FDPHUD ZDV LPPHGLDWHO\ FRQQHFWHG WR P\ QHWZRUN $W WKLV SRLQW \RX FDQ YLHZ SK\VLFDO installation instructions or skip them, enable or disable audio, share the camera ZLWK RWKHU XVHUV DQG OLQN WKH FDPHUD WR RWKHU 5LQJ GHYLFHV , WDSSHG )LQLVKHG DQG WKH LQVWDOODWLRQ ZDV FRPSOHWH

7KH 5LQJ ,QGRRU &DP GHOLYHUHG VKDUS S YLGHR LQ WHVWLQJ 'D\WLPH YLGHR SURYLGHG VWURQJ FRORUV DQG YHU\ JRRG LPDJH GHWDLO ZKLOH EODFN DQG ZKLWH QLJKW YLGHR ZDV ZHOO OLW DQG VKRZHG JRRG FRQWUDVW 7KHUH ZDV QR HYLGHQFH RI EDUUHO RU SLQFXVKLRQ GLVWRUWLRQ 7KH ,QGRRU Cam’s motion detection worked as advertised, and push alerts arrived instantly when the camera detected PRWLRQ 0RWLRQ WULJJHUHG YLGHR UHFRUGLQJV ZHUH MXVW DV VKDUS DQG FRORUIXO DV WKH OLYH IHHG DQG WZR ZD\ DXGLR ZDV FOHDQ DQG DGHTXDWHO\ ORXG I created an IFTTT applet to turn on a Philips Hue light when the Indoor Cam detected motion, and it worked HYHU\ WLPH 7HVWLQJ $OH[D YRLFH SHUIRUPDQFH ZDV WULFN\ DW ¿UVW , ZDV XQDEOH WR YLHZ YLGHR IURP WKH FDPHUD RQ my TV, but after extensive troubleshooting with a very helpful Ring technician, it was determined that my ROGHU )LUH 79 6WLFN ZDV WKH FXOSULW , LQVWDOOHG DQ (FKR 6KRZ GHYLFH DQG KDG QR WURXEOH YLHZLQJ YLGHR IURP WKH ,QGRRU &DP CONCLUSIONS The Ring Indoor Cam is not only a smart choice for DQ\RQH ZKR KDV DOUHDG\ LQYHVWHG LQ D 5LQJ HFRV\VWHP² LW¶V DOVR DQ D̆RUGDEOH VWDUWLQJ SRLQW IRU VPDUW KRPH VHFXULW\ ,W LQVWDOOHG LQ PLQXWHV DQG UHVSRQGHG TXLFNO\ to Alexa voice commands and IFTTT applets in our tests, and it delivered sharp daytime and nighttime S YLGHR DQG FOHDQ WZR ZD\ DXGLR 2XU ELJJHVW JULSH LV WKDW \RX KDYH WR SD\ WR YLHZ UHFRUGHG YLGHR )RU D IHZ GROODUV PRUH WKH ' /LQN )XOO +' :L )L &DPHUD '&6 /+ R̆HUV ORFDO DQG FORXG VWRUDJH RSWLRQV DQG supports Alexa voice and IFTTT applets, and it has VRXQG GHWHFWLRQ $V VXFK LW UHPDLQV RXU (GLWRUV¶ &KRLFH IRU D̆RUGDEOH LQGRRU VHFXULW\ FDPHUDV JOHN R. DELANEY

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The Indoor Cam’s motion detection worked as advertised, and push alerts arrived instantly.

REVIEWS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

OnePlus 7T: Great Performance, Cameras Lacking

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or years, OnePlus had a simple strategy: Release one phone, its best, at DQ\ JLYHQ WLPH 2IWHQ WKDW ZDV WZR SKRQHV D \HDU EXW WKDW ZDV ¿QH each phone was the best at the moment. But this year, the company has already released three versions of the OnePlus 7: the OnePlus 7, the 7 Pro, and the 7 Pro 5G. The OnePlus 7T is not actually a sequel to the 7 Pro, although it replaces the 7 Pro on T-Mobile’s shelves. It’s the sequel to the 7. (There’s also a 7T Pro, but it isn’t coming to the US.) Yes, this is confusing. And the confusion trickles over into the phone itself, which feels like a step back from the OnePlus 7 Pro. A FLATTER SCREEN The OnePlus 7T is roomy: It measures 6.33 by 2.93 by 0.32 inches (HWD) and ZHLJKV RXQFHV 7KH VFUHHQ LV ÀDW QRW FXUYHG WKH H[WUD HGJHV PDNH WKH GL̆HUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKH 7¶V LQFKHV DQG WKH 3UR¶V LQFKHV RQ WKH VDPH size body. There’s a notch at the top of the screen for the front-facing camera.

, OLNH D ÀDW VFUHHQ EHWWHU WKDQ D FXUYHG RQH &XUYHG screens have accidental touch problems and are harder WR SURWHFW P\ 2QH3OXV KDV D FUDFNHG VFUHHQ FRUQHU even though it was in a case when I dropped it. The phone’s solid metal body has all the usual OnePlus WRXFKHV PRVW QRWDEO\ D SK\VLFDO PXWH VOLGHU D 86% & port, and no headphone jack. The phone doesn’t come with headphones or an adapter dongle. It also doesn’t have a water-resistance rating, though OnePlus claims it’s splash-proof. The 7T’s 90Hz, 1080p AMOLED display is, in my mind, the best of most worlds. It’s super bright, relatively SRZHU ḢFLHQW WKDQNV WR LWV ORZHU SL[HO GHQVLW\ DQG has the butter-smooth 90Hz scrolling that I love on the OnePlus 7 Pro. Because of the higher refresh rate, it’s VLJQL¿FDQWO\ EHWWHU WKDQ WKH L3KRQH ;5œV GLVSOD\ 7KH 1080p resolution only becomes noticeable when you’re WU\LQJ WR UHDG VPDOO WH[W ZKLFK ORRNV EHWWHU RQ D KLJKHU resolution phone like the 7 Pro. Its default calibration is oddly blue, which I don’t love. This carries through in both the Vivid and Natural GLVSOD\ PRGHV &RPSDUHG ZLWK WKH 3UR WKH 7 LV GLVWLQFWO\ FROGHU <RX FDQ WZHDN DQG ¿[ WKLV E\ JRLQJ into an advanced display setting, which is a little irritating.

OnePlus 7T PROS Good price for fast, smooth performance. Excellent wireless capabilities. Fast charging. CONS Poor low-light camera performance. Less storage and shorter battery life than the OnePlus 7 Pro. BOTTOM LINE The OnePlus 7T for T-Mobile has terriďŹ c performance for its price, but it occupies an uncomfortable place in the company’s phone lineup.

PROCESSOR AND PERFORMANCE 7KH 7 UXQV $QGURLG ZLWK 2QH3OXVÂś 2[\JHQ 26 H[WHQVLRQV 2XWVLGH *RRJOH 2QH3OXV GRHV WKH EHVW Android builds in the business. They’re fast and smooth, they have frequent updates, and they have VXEWOH XVHIXO WRXFKHV ,Q WKH PRVW UHFHQW 2[\JHQ 26 I’d like to call out Zen Mode, which forces you to not use your phone for a while, and Night Mode, which dims and yellows the screen in the evenings. There’s very OLWWOH EORDWZDUH RQ WKLV SKRQH 2QH3OXV ZLVHO\ UHOLHV RQ Google’s apps and Google Assistant rather than trying to reinvent and duplicate everything like Samsung does. The phone’s basic performance is impeccable. The 7T is the only mainstream US phone I know of with a Snapdragon 855+ processor, which clocks the 855’s “performanceâ€? core from 2.8GHz up to 2.96GHz. That does, in fact, juice processor-dependent tasks a bit. The 7T scored 2752 on the Geekbench 5 multicore score to the 7 Pro’s 2668. But that’s made up for by what appears to be slower VWRUDJH 2Q WKH 3&0DUN 6WRUDJH WHVW WKH 7 VFRUHG RQO\ 7995 compared with the 7 Pro’s 12666. I was shocked enough by this to follow up with a test using the A1 SD Bench storage benchmark, and the 7T write speed was 238.9Mbps to the 7 Pro’s 423.7Mbps.

OnePlus, wisely, relies on Google’s apps and Google Assistant rather than trying to reinvent and duplicate everything.

'URSSLQJ WKH VFUHHQ UHVROXWLRQ WR S KDV WKH ELJJHVW SRVLWLYH H̆HFW RQ SHUIRUPDQFH ,W PHDQV RQ VFUHHQ IUDPH UDWHV LQ WKH *);%HQFK &DU &KDVH WHVW go from 21 to 41, and results in the Basemark Web browsing test bump up from 432 to 475. UI performance feels smoother, in general, because the phone is SXVKLQJ IHZHU SL[HOV The device has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage compared with the 7 Pro’s *% DQG *% 7KH 5$0 GL̆HUHQFH GRHVQ¶W PDNH PXFK GL̆HUHQFH LQ SUDFWLFH EXW WKH VWRUDJH GL̆HUHQFH PLJKW KXUW 7KDW VDLG WKH PRGHO RI WKH L3KRQH ;5 RQO\ KDV *% WIRELESS CAPABILITIES 7KH 2QH3OXV 7 KDV &DW /7( RQ ORWV RI EDQGV²HYHU\ EDQG XVHG LQ WKH 86 LQFOXGLQJ WKH QHZHVW EDQGV /$$ DQG &%56 7KLV PDNHV IRU H[FHOOHQW overall coverage and performance. According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence, WKH 2QH3OXV 3UR KROGV LWV RZQ ZLWK WKH 6DPVXQJ *DOD[\ 6 H RQ /7( SHUIRUPDQFH DQG DEVROXWHO\ ZLSHV WKH ÀRRU ZLWK WKH L3KRQH ;5 1RWH 2RNOD LV RZQHG E\ =L̆ 'DYLV 3&0DJ FRP¶V SDUHQW FRPSDQ\ 7KH ELJ GL̆HUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKH 7 DQG LQH[SHQVLYH L3KRQHV LV LQ WKH 7¶V [ 0,02 FDSDELOLW\ which can double LTE speeds in good-signal conditions and help eke out better performance in low-signal conditions. 7KH SKRQH DOVR KDV %OXHWRRWK 1)& DQG :L )L QRW DV LQ UHFHQW $SSOH and Samsung phones). There’s a big debate over whether Wi-Fi 6 even matters LQ D SKRQH ULJKW QRZ ZKHQ , WHVWHG WKH ODWHVW $SSOH SKRQHV ZLWK D :L )L URXWHU LW GLGQ¶W PDNH PXFK RI D GL̆HUHQFH EHFDXVH RI DOO WKH QRQ :L )L devices attached to the router.

&DOO TXDOLW\ LV ¿QH 7KH HDUSLHFH LV D OLWWOH SLFN\²\RX JHW WKH EHVW YROXPH E\ holding the top edge of the phone up to your ear. But the speakerphone is rich and clear. The phone supports HD calling with EVS for the best call quality, and VOLTE showed up when I tested it on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. CHARGING AND BATTERY LIFE 7KH 7 KDV :DUS &KDUJH 7 ZKLFK XVHV D ZDWW FKDUJHU OLNH WKH 3UR GRHV EXW VXSSRVHGO\ OHWV LW PDLQWDLQ PD[LPXP YROWDJH IRU ORQJHU ,W WRRN D VRIWZDUH XSGDWH DQG VHYHUDO FKDUJLQJ F\FOHV WR DFKLHYH LWV PD[LPXP SRWHQWLDO EXW ZKHQ it did, it was impressive: 47 percent charged in 20 minutes, 71 percent in 30 minutes, 89 percent in 40 minutes, and a full charge in slightly under an hour. That matches up with OnePlus’ promises. The 7 Pro charges to 62 percent in half an hour as compared with the 7T’s 71 percent. Battery life on the 3,800mAh cell was 8 hours, 59 minutes on our video rundown test, a little shorter than I like to see, and noticeably shorter than the OnePlus 7 Pro’s 11 hours, 37 minutes. 2QH3OXV¶ &(2 3HWH /DX KDV VDLG VHYHUDO WLPHV WKDW KH GRHVQ¶W WKLQN ZLUHOHVV charging is a valuable feature, and none of the company’s phones have it. THREE CAMERAS, NONE GREAT The OnePlus 7T has three cameras on the back: a 12MP f/1.6 main one, a 12MP I ³ [ WHOHSKRWR ´ DQG D 03 I GHJUHH ZLGH DQJOH 7KH IURQW FDPHUD is also 16MP.

Despite the abundance of sensors, image quality isn’t great. I’ll call out two key DUHDV WKH [ ]RRP OHQV DQG QLJKW VKRWV &RPELQH WKH WZR DQG \RX KDYH UHDO LVVXHV 7KH [ OHQV LV VRIWHU WKDQ FRPSHWLWRUV LQFOXGLQJ WKH L3KRQH DQG HYHQ the OnePlus 7 Pro, and OnePlus’ Nightscape mode over-brightens low-light images and makes them blurry. ,Q QRUPDO OLJKW ZLWK WKH VWDQGDUG OHQV HYHU\WKLQJ ORRNV ¿QH ,I WKDW¶V PRVWO\ KRZ \RX UROO \RXU H[SHULHQFH ZLOO EH YHU\ SOHDVDQW %XW LQ ORZ OLJKW DQG especially with the zoom, things get really rough. I tested this multiple times, in PXOWLSOH SODFHV RYHU PXOWLSOH ¿UPZDUH YHUVLRQV DQG NHSW JHWWLQJ WKH VDPH results. The 7T also has more aggressive JPEG compression than either the 7 Pro or the iPhone 11, which is noticeable when you zoom all the way in. , WKLQN ORZ OLJKW SKRWRJUDSK\ LV WKH UHDO GL̆HUHQWLDWRU LQ WKH ZRUOG RI VPDUWSKRQH FDPHUDV ULJKW QRZ *RRJOH¶V 3L[HO OLQH DQG WKH L3KRQH VHULHV have really been pushing it forward. Samsung is pretty good. The OnePlus 7T is D VLJQL¿FDQW VWHS EDFN IURP WKRVH CONCLUSIONS , ¿QG WKH 2QH3OXV 7 YHU\ FRQIXVLQJ EXW ,¶G IHHO OHVV FRQIXVHG LI WKH 2QH3OXV 3UR GLGQ¶W H[LVW 7DNHQ SXUHO\ RQ LWV RZQ DV D DOWHUQDWLYH WR WKH L3KRQH ;5 RU *DOD[\ 6 H LW KDV D ORW JRLQJ IRU LW²D WHUUL¿FDOO\ UHVSRQVLYH VFUHHQ ZLWK D VPRRWK 8, IDVW FKDUJLQJ DQG H[FHOOHQW ZLUHOHVV SHUIRUPDQFH But the phone’s camera falls distinctly behind the night-vision capabilities of WKH L3KRQH RU WKH *RRJOH 3L[HO DQG LW¶V MXVW D OLWWOH WRR H[SHQVLYH WR ¿W LQWR WKH ³D̆RUGDEOH´ SULFH EDQG ZLWK WKH *RRJOH 3L[HO D If you’re looking for a high-quality, big-screen Android phone at this price, the 7T is a perfectly good choice. But OnePlus needs to decide what the phone is: an D̆RUGDEOH SUHPLXP PRGHO RU D ÀDJVKLS NLOOHU 7KLQJV LQ EHWZHHQ GRQ¶W WHQG WR fare well among US phone buyers, and the 7T, I’m afraid to say, is in that middle ground. SASCHA SEGAN

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REVIEWS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System: Elegant Optical Effects If you’re looking for a conversation starter to attach to your camera, you won’t do much better than the Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter 6\VWHP ,W¶V DQ DWWDFKPHQW V\VWHP WKDW VFUHZV LQWR WKH ¿OWHU WKUHDGV RI your lens and includes a number of magnetic wand attachments to EDITORS’ CHOICE EHQG OLJKW DQG FUHDWH RWKHU DUWLVWLF H̆HFWV ,¶YH KDG D ORW RI IXQ WHVWLQJ it and am happy enough to call it a PCMag Editors’ Choice. If you’re interested LQ DGGLQJ VRPH FRRO RSWLFDO H̆HFWV WR \RXU LPDJHV \RX VKRXOG JLYH LW D WU\ WHAT’S THAT ON YOUR CAMERA? The Omni’s main component is a metal ring that goes around your lens. /HQVEDE\ VHOOV LW LQ WZR VL]HV²D VPDOO RQH IRU OHQVHV ZLWK ¿OWHUV IURP WR 58mm and one for larger lenses with thread diameters from 62mm to 82mm. :H WULHG ERWK ZLWK D IHZ GL̆HUHQW OHQVHV

The ring holds a pair of magnetic attachment points, so \RX FDQ GLUHFWO\ DWWDFK RQH RI WKH (̆HFWV :DQGV 7KH basic starter kit also includes a pair of extension arms that let you put more distance between the wand and front element. Everything is held in a gray felt pouch with velcro strips to attach it to the interior of your FDPHUD EDJ /HQVEDE\ DOVR LQFOXGHV D SODVWLF ¿OWHU ZUHQFK WR UHPRYH WKH ¿OWHU RU D VWHS XS ULQJ LI HLWKHU gets stuck on a lens. 7KH VWDUWHU NLW FRPHV ZLWK WKUHH (̆HFWV :DQGV 6WUHWFK Glass, Crystal Seahorse, and Rainbow Film. The Stretch Glass and Seahorse can be employed in a variety of ZD\V <RX FDQ XVH WKHP WR DGG ÀDUH DQG UHÀHFWLRQV RU to change the character of bokeh. The Rainbow Film adds rainbow streaks to your photos. A pair of expansion kits are also available. The Crystal ([SDQVLRQ 3DFN LQFOXGHV WKUHH DGGLWLRQDO wands—Crystal Spear, Triangular Prism, and Scalloped :LQGRZ $QG WKH &RORU ([SDQVLRQ 3DFN includes Teardrop and Crescent Multicolor Crystal wands, Crisscross Rainbow Film, and more than a GR]HQ DGGLWLRQDO FRORU ¿OP JHOV DV ZHOO DV D ZDQG WR hold one of them at a time.

Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System PROS Inspires creative photography. Includes adapters for various ďŹ lter threads. Magnetic attachment for Effect Wands is elegant and innovative. Two expansion packs already available. CONS Not for everyone. Can be tricky to use with lenses with big front elements. BOTTOM LINE The Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System attaches to the front of your lens and includes attachments to bend light, add color, and more. It’s a powerful tool when put in the hands of creative photographers.

EXPERIMENTATION PAYS OFF I’ll admit that when I opened the Omni kit, I wasn’t sure how I was going to use it or what I’d get out of it. I spent a day at a sculpture garden with the starter kit and Crystal Expansion, using them mainly with the Sony E PP ) 0DFUR D VWDQGDUG DQJOH OHQV ZLWK IRFXV It didn’t take long to get some good shots—though I’ll admit that there were many more throwaways than keepers. But after a little while, I found what worked DQG ZKDW GLGQ¶W 0DFUR VKRWV RI ÀRZHUV ZHUH HDV\ enough—I was able to pair the Rainbow Film and &U\VWDO 6SHDU WRJHWKHU WR FDSWXUH PXOWLSOH UHÀHFWHG JKRVWV RI D ZDWHU OLO\ EHORZ DQG DGGLQJ D ELW RI UDLQERZ ÀDUH OLYHQHG XS VWLOO OLIH VKRWV , JRW YHU\ GL̆HUHQW W\SHV RI VKRWV XVLQJ D ZLGHU OHQV with a much bigger front element. The Sigma 35mm ) '* '1 $UW XVHV PP ¿OWHUV WKH ODUJHVW \RX FDQ XVH ZLWK WKH 2PQL ZLWKRXW EX\LQJ DGGLWLRQDO VWHS XS ULQJV DQG VQDSV ZLGH DQJOH VKRWV ZLWK D YHU\ QDUURZ GHSWK RI ¿HOG ZKHQ XVHG ZLWK LWV DSHUWXUH RSHQ

I was able to pair the Rainbow Film and Crystal Spear together to capture multiple reflected ghosts of a water lily.

It was a little more challenging to use the wands with such a big piece of glass. I WRRN D GL̆HUHQW DSSURDFK UHDFKLQJ WR 6WUHWFK *ODVV WR REVFXUH GHIRFXVHG DUHDV RI WKH IUDPH JLYLQJ WKH ERNHK D YHU\ GL̆HUHQW ORRN %XW LW¶V VWLOO D OLWWOH WULFN\² for a long exposure shot of a subway train pulling into the station, I used the JODVV WR UHÀHFW WKH SDVVLQJ WUDLQ RQWR WKH VWDWLF VWDWLRQ ÀRRU %XW , GLGQ¶W TXLWH get it covered entirely, as you can see in the uncropped photo above. It was the RQO\ WLPH , IRXQG WKH ZDQG QRW TXLWH XS WKH WDVN RI SHUIHFWO\ FRYHULQJ XS WKH IURQW RI 6LJPD¶V KXJH PP ) I wanted to try one of the color gels included in the Color Expansion Pack to give the rather dull water bordering lower Manhattan a more colorful look. I GLGQ¶W TXLWH PDQDJH WR FRYHU WKH HQWLUHW\ RI WKH IUDPH²\RX FDQ VHH WKH EODFN plastic causing a vignette at the bottom left of the frame below, and on the right \RX¶OO QRWLFH WKDW WKH JHO GLGQ¶W TXLWH UHDFK WKH RWKHU HQG RI WKH OHQV 1RW HYHU\RQH LV JRLQJ WR XVH WKH VDPH OHQVHV RI FRXUVH DQG D PP ) LV DQ RXWOLHU PRVW OHQVHV XVH VPDOOHU ¿OWHU VL]HV %XW LW¶V VRPHWKLQJ WR WKLQN DERXW LI you gravitate toward larger lenses.

I should note that I paired the Omni with mirrorless cameras. If you use an 6/5 \RXU H[SHULHQFH ZLOO EH GL̆HUHQW :KHQ \RX YLHZ WKH 2PQL H̆HFWV WKURXJK DQ RSWLFDO YLHZ¿QGHU², WULHG ZLWK WKH &DQRQ (26 '6 5 DQG () PP I OHQV²\RX ZRQ¶W VHH D SUHYLHZ RI \RXU ¿QDO LPDJH DV \RX ZLOO ZLWK DQ (9) , UHFRPPHQG 6/5 XVHUV WU\ WKH 2PQL ZLWK WKHLU FDPHUD¶V /LYH 9LHZ V\VWHP INSPIRING CREATIVITY Photographers with an artistic bent should take a look at the Lensbaby Omni. ,WV PRGL¿HUV ZRUN WR DGG VRPH VSLFH DQG FRORU WR LPDJHV FKDQJH WKH TXDOLW\ RI bokeh, adjust color tones, and more. Because everything included is an optical H̆HFW WRRO \RX JHW WR VHH WKH H̆HFWV LQ FDPHUD There’s a lot I like about the Omni system. It’s well designed and constructed. 7KH EDVLF VWDUWHU NLW JLYHV \RX WKH ¿OWHU ULQJV DQG D IHZ (̆HFW :DQGV WR JHW started, and if you fall in love with the kit, you can supplement it with additional ZDQGV 3KRWRJUDSKHUV ZLWK D ',< VSLULW PD\ HYHQ ¿QG WKHPVHOYHV LQVSLUHG WR make their own attachments. :KHWKHU \RX FRQ¿QH \RXUVHOI WR WKH VWDUWHU NLW RU JR ZKROH KRJ ZLWK H[SDQVLRQ packs, the Omni is a tool that encourages you to be more creative with your photography. That’s enough to make it an Editors’ Choice. JIM FISHER

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

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JANUARY 2020

REVIEWS HARDWARE

HP Elite Dragonfly: Best Business 2-in-1 Laptop 7KH +3 (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ LVQ¶W D FXWWLQJ HGJH LQ FRQYHUWLEOH ODSWRS ,W GRHVQ¶W KDYH WKH XOWUD WKLQ VFUHHQ ERUGHUV RI WKH FRQVXPHU IRFXVHG 'HOO ;36 LQ QRU GRHV LW KDYH WKDW PDFKLQH¶V ,QWHO ³,FH /DNH´ WK *HQHUDWLRQ FRPSXWLQJ FRPSRQHQWV %XW WKH LQFK VFUHHQ EDITORS’ CHOICE (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ LV VWLOO D VXSHUE EXVLQHVV ODSWRS FRPELQLQJ D GHHS IHDWXUH VHW DQG VROLG EXLOG TXDOLW\ LQ D ZD\ ZH¶YH UDUHO\ VHHQ EHIRUH IURP DQ +3 PDFKLQH 7KLV PRGHO HDUQV RXU (GLWRUV¶ &KRLFH IRU WRGD\¶V EHVW EXVLQHVV LQ FRQYHUWLEOH

LAPTOP, TABLET, AND EASEL 7KHUH¶V QR FRQVHQVXV RQ ZKHWKHU D SUHPLXP EXVLQHVV ODSWRS QHHGV D GHJUHH KLQJH WKDW OHWV LW FRQYHUW LQWR D WDEOHW RU HDVHO 7UDYHOLQJ SUHVHQWLQJ VDOHVSHRSOH PLJKW FODPRU IRU RQH EXW PDQ\ H[HFXWLYHV DQG VXFFHVVIXO VPDOO EXVLQHVV RZQHUV ZKR EX\ WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ ZLOO SUREDEO\ XVH LW DV D FRQYHQWLRQDO ODSWRS PRVW RI WKH WLPH 6LQFH LWV VWDUWLQJ ZHLJKW LV MXVW SRXQGV WKRXJK WKHUH¶V UHDOO\ QR GRZQVLGH WR KDYLQJ D GHJUHH KLQJH LQ FDVH \RX QHHG LW 7KH DGGHG FRPSOH[LW\ DQG ZHLJKW RI VXFK D KLQJH XVXDOO\ SXVKHV D LQFK RU LQFK ODSWRS DERYH SRXQGV EXW WKDW¶V QRW WKH FDVH KHUH ,W LV WKH FDVH IRU WKH FXUUHQW LWHUDWLRQ RI WKH /HQRYR 7KLQN3DG ; <RJD WKH ODSWRS PRVW ,7 GHSDUWPHQWV ZLOO OLNHO\ FRQVLGHU WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\¶V FORVHVW DOWHUQDWLYH 7KH ; <RJD KDV D LQFK VFUHHQ PHDVXUHV E\ E\ LQFKHV +:' DQG ZHLJKV SRXQGV %\ JLYLQJ XS OHVV WKDQ DQ LQFK RI VFUHHQ UHDO HVWDWH WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ LV URXJKO\ WKH VDPH VL]H E\ E\ LQFKHV EXW PXFK OLJKWHU ,Q IDFW ,7 GHSDUWPHQWV VKRXOG UHDOO\ FRQVLGHU WKH SRXQG QRQ FRQYHUWLEOH /HQRYR 7KLQN3DG ; &DUERQ *HQ DV WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\¶V PDLQ FRPSHWLWRU LQ WKH PDUNHW IRU SUHPLXP EXVLQHVV ODSWRSV 2XU (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ UHYLHZ XQLW KDV D IRXU FHOO ZDWW KRXU EDWWHU\ 7KH DGGLWLRQDO OD\HU RI FHOOV SXVKHV WKH ZHLJKW WR SRXQGV VOLJKWO\ KHDYLHU WKDQ WKH 7KLQN3DG ; &DUERQ 7KH HQWU\ OHYHO (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\¶V VPDOOHU OLJKWHU EDWWHU\ ZRQ¶W ODVW DV ORQJ DZD\ IURP D SRZHU RXWOHW VR , WKLQN WKH H[WUD ZHLJKW LV ZRUWK WKH UHGXFWLRQ LQ EDWWHU\ DQ[LHW\ 2WKHU NH\ VSHFV RQ RXU UHYLHZ XQLW DUH DQ ,QWHO &RUH L ZLWK Y3UR UHPRWH PDQDJHPHQW VXSSRUW D *% 66' EROVWHUHG E\ D EXLOW LQ ,QWHO 2SWDQH + PHPRU\ PRGXOH DQG *% RI PDLQ V\VWHP PHPRU\

HP Elite Dragonfly PROS Extremely light weight. Exceptional build quality. Supports Intel vPro. USB Type-A and HDMI ports. Standard three-year warranty. LTE connectivity. CONS Frequent fan noise. Uses oldergeneration CPUs. Only available in dark blue. BOTTOM LINE The HP Elite Dragonfly is a no-compromises, no-nonsense business laptop that manages to stay under 2.5 pounds while including a 360-degree convertible hinge.

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I tested the fullHD version, which comes with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels and 500 nits of rated brightness.

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FULL-SIZE PORTS AND WI-FI 6 $ :LQGRZV ODSWRS GHVWLQHG IRU FRUSRUDWH ERDUGURRPV DQG VDOHVSHRSOHV¶ EULHIFDVHV QHHGV SRUWV DQG WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ GRHV QRW GLVDSSRLQW GHVSLWH LWV GLPLQXWLYH VWDWXUH 7KH ULJKW HGJH IHDWXUHV WZR 86% 7\SH & SRUWV WKDW HDFK VXSSRUWV 7KXQGHUEROW VSHHGV DV ZHOO DV D KHDGSKRQH MDFN DQG D IXOO VL]H +'0, RXWSXW 7KH RSSRVLWH HGJH KRVWV D 86% 7\SH $ SRUW D SRZHU EXWWRQ DQG D UHFHSWDFOH IRU D SK\VLFDO VHFXULW\ ORFN $Q 6' FDUG UHDGHU LV XQIRUWXQDWHO\ DEVHQW WKRXJK PRVW EXVLQHVV XVHUV ZRQ¶W PLVV LW 7KHUH¶V DOVR D QDQR 6,0 FDUG WUD\ RQ WKH OHIW HGJH IRU XVH ZLWK WKH JLJDELW /7( PRGHP 2WKHU ZLUHOHVV FRQQHFWLYLW\ RSWLRQV LQFOXGH :L )L D[ DQG %OXHWRRWK 7KH WZR :/$1 DQWHQQDV DUH ORFDWHG RQ WKH WRS RI WKH GLVSOD\ OLG EXW WKH\¶UH ZHOO LQWHJUDWHG DQG QRW YLVLEOH IURP WKH RXWVLGH 6PDOO EXVLQHVVHV PD\ DSSUHFLDWH WKDW +3 LQFOXGHV D VWDQGDUG WKUHH \HDU ZDUUDQW\ ZLWK DOO (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\ FRQ¿JXUDWLRQV HYHQ WKH EDVH PRGHO /DUJH FRUSRUDWLRQV W\SLFDOO\ QHJRWLDWH WKHLU RZQ VHUYLFH FRQWUDFWV EXW LW¶V QLFH WKDW ORZHU YROXPH EX\HUV FDQ WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI D PXFK ORQJHU ZDUUDQW\ WKDQ WKH RQH \HDU W\SLFDOO\ LQFOXGHG ZLWK FRQVXPHU ODSWRSV 2Q WKH RWKHU KDQG WKH FRVW RI WKH ZDUUDQW\ LV REYLRXVO\ EXLOW LQ ZKLFK KHOSV FRQWULEXWH WR WKH (OLWH 'UDJRQÀ\¶V VWDUWLQJ SULFH

Small businesses may appreciate that HP includes a standard threeyear warranty with all Elite Dragonfly configurations.

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The only nonaccessible components in the Elite Dragonfly are the memory and CPU, which are soldered to the system board.

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I never once experienced sluggishness while installing apps or browsing the internet with multiple tabs open.

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Its single-digit frame rates on the Superposition test prove that you should stick to simple games such as Minecraft.

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JANUARY 2020

Despite its unorthodox blue color, the Elite Dragonfly is a nononsense business laptop that gets the basics right.

REVIEWS HARDWARE

Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition: A Performance Monster Following a complete refresh of its laptop line this year, Alienware has revamped its Aurora gaming desktop in the same style. The Aurora R10, which comes in a Ryzen Edition variant, is a performance beast DV FRQ¿JXUHG WKDQNV ODUJHO\ WR LWV 1YLGLD *H)RUFH 57; 7L EDITORS’ CHOICE JUDSKLFV FDUG DQG WKH EUDQG QHZ $0' 5\]HQ ; SURFHVVRU 7KH latter is virtually unmatched in CPU-heavy tasks such as content creation, but ZKLOH LW¶V H̆HFWLYH LW R̆HUV GLPLQLVKLQJ UHWXUQV RQ JDPLQJ :H ZRXOG recommend a less expensive chip for those who will be mostly gaming on this GHVNWRS DQG $OLHQZDUH¶V ZLGH DUUD\ RI FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ RSWLRQV KDV \RX FRYHUHG :LWK LWV VWULNLQJ DQG ḢFLHQW FDVH GHVLJQ DQG SRZHUIXO SHUIRUPDQFH ZH FDQ happily recommend the Aurora R10. If you’re not set on the look, though, FRPSHWLWRUV VXFK DV WKH 0DLQJHDU 9\EH DQG 9HORFLW\ 0LFUR 5DSWRU = R̆HU similar advantages.

BOLD SCI-FI STYLING :KHQ , SUHYLHZHG WKH $XURUD 5 HDUOLHU WKLV \HDU , ZDV WDNHQ E\ LWV VFL ¿ LQVSLUHG GHVLJQ , WKLQN LWœV IDLU WR say not everyone would want this desktop sitting in WKHLU OLYLQJ URRP RU ṘFH %XW GHVSLWH LWV EROG ORRN , like its vibe. Taste is subjective, but Alienware nailed a futuristic, spaceship-like style that wouldn’t be out of SODFH LQ WKH ZRUOG RI 0DVV (̆HFW Our test model is the Lunar Light color—the only color VFKHPH WKDW $OLHQZDUH R̆HUV ZLWK WKH YHUWLFDO /(' OLW Alienware text on the side. It also comes in a color VFKHPH FDOOHG 'DUN 6LGH RI WKH 0RRQ ZKLFK LV ¿WWLQJO\ a darker-gray palette. The front LED ring is FXVWRPL]DEOH ZLWK PLOOLRQ FRORUV RQ ERWK PRGHOV and the backlit text on the Lunar Light model is also customizable. So many desktops look the same or try for an overly aggressive design that it’s nice to see a gaming desktop QDLO D XQLTXH DQG VSHFL¿F DHVWKHWLF YLVLRQ &OHDUO\ VRPH real thought went into it in terms of both engineering and visual design. And it matches the style of $OLHQZDUHœV UHGHVLJQHG ODSWRS OLQH FUHDWLQJ D XQL¿HG modern look across the company’s PCs. A SURPRISINGLY SMALL INTERIOR The Aurora R10 chassis is moderate in size—and it could justify being bigger, considering the power inside. 7KH FKDVVLV PHDVXUHV E\ E\ LQFKHV +:' so it’s not too tall or deep; it’s thinner in front and widens toward the back. You’ll see smaller desktops in WKLV SULFH DQG SRZHU WLHU , ZRXOG GHVFULEH WKH +3 2PHQ 2EHOLVN DV FRPSDFW DW E\ E\ LQFKHV and the Corsair One Pro is downright small, at 15 by 6.9 E\ LQFKHV 7KHUH DUH DOVR ODUJHU GHVNWRSV ZLWK PRUH WUDGLWLRQDO VKDSHV VXFK DV WKH 0DLQJHDU 9\EH DQG 9HORFLW\ 0LFUR 5DSWRU = PHQWLRQHG HDUOLHU

Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition PROS AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor in our unit delivers blistering performance. Ready for high-refresh 1440p and 60fps 40K gaming. Bold, modern case design. Toolless access to efďŹ cient internal layout. Huge array of conďŹ guration options when ordering. CONS Expensive as conďŹ gured. Pricey 3950X not better for gaming than lessexpensive high-end chips. No-frills motherboard and internal layout. Not everyone may love the design. BOTTOM LINE The visually striking Alienware Aurora R10 can be conďŹ gured in a variety of ways, but our Ryzen 9 3950X-equipped model is a performance monster. We just suggest ordering a more costeffective conďŹ guration unless you’re a true power user.

The left-side panel pulls away via a rear lever, so no WRROV DUH UHTXLUHG WR JHW LQVLGH WKH VKHOO :LWK VSDFH semi-limited, Alienware got creative with the internals. :H¶YH VHHQ WKLV GHVLJQ EHIRUH 7KH SRZHU VXSSO\ LV PRXQWHG RQ D VZLQJLQJ DUP WKDW ORFNV LQWR SODFH :KHQ locked in, it covers up access to the motherboard and other components, but unlocking two small rear switches lets you swing the arm out and away from the motherboard. You then get full access to the other internal components. The interior is impressive in content but underwhelming to view. The layout with the arm is FOHYHU DQG D ORW RI SRZHU LV SDFNHG LQVLGH %XW D GDWHG ORRNLQJ \HOORZ DQG EOXH 0LFUR$7; PRWKHUERDUG LV KRPH WR VRPH IXQFWLRQ ¿UVW KHDW VSUHDGHUV DQG EDVLFDOO\ QR EHOOV DQG ZKLVWOHV ,W LV FOHDUO\ QHZ WKRXJK EDVHG RQ WKH ; FKLSVHW WR VXSSRUW WKH platform’s cutting-edge components and features such DV 3&, ([SUHVV $Q $OLHQZDUH EUDQGHG OLTXLG FRROHU LV LQVWDOOHG RYHU WKH &38 ZLWK D PP UDGLDWRU connected on the top panel. That’s a surprisingly small radiator for this CPU, but it clearly works.

The Aurora R10 chassis is moderate in size—and it could justify being bigger, considering the power inside.

In fact, I would describe the whole interior as surprisingly small. As I said, the case isn’t especially big, but the internal compartment makes up little of the entire case size. Several inches of “emptyâ€? space on the top and bottom of the chassis make it look like the components don’t have to be packed so tightly. The top and side panels are used for ventilation, and the system runs quietly, so perhaps this free space is necessary. PORTS, EXTRAS, AND CONFIGURATIONS Rounding out the physical build are plenty of ports. Several are aligned YHUWLFDOO\ RQ WKH IURQW SDQHO LQFOXGLQJ WKUHH 86% SRUWV D 86% 7\SH & SRUW and headphone jacks. Peripherals hanging from this panel look a little silly and mar the style, so I’d recommend plugging them into the rear ports. There, you’ll ÂżQG VL[ 86% SRUWV IRXU 86% SRUWV DQG D 86% 7\SH & SRUW DV ZHOO DV DQ Ethernet jack and an array of audio ins and outs. On the software side, a quick note on the aforementioned Alienware Command Center, which was rebuilt a few years ago to be the standard control panel for all Alienware PC products. It wraps all of the usual gaming software—gameVSHFLÂżF SURÂżOHV OLJKWLQJ RSWLRQV DXGLR VHWWLQJV FRPSRQHQW WXQLQJ V\VWHP monitoring, and even a game library and launcher—into one program. Most XVHIXO IRU JDPLQJ \RX FDQ Ă€LS WKH 3&ÂśV WKHUPDO SURÂżOH DPRQJ SUHVHWV ÂżYH UDQJLQJ IURP TXLHW WR IXOO VSHHG DQG VHW RYHUFORFN SURÂżOHV WR ERRVW \RXU graphics card. Command Center is one of the better, if not the best, of these built-in manufacturer software packages. 2XU WHVW XQLW LV KLJKO\ FRQÂżJXUHG WKRXJK WKDW GRHVQÂśW KDYH WR EH WKH FDVH IRU \RXUV $OLHQZDUH R̆HUV D ZLGH VZDWK RI RSWLRQV 2XU PDFKLQH IHDWXUHV WKH EUDQG QHZ $0' 5\]HQ ; SURFHVVRU WKDWÂśV WKH VWDU RI WKH VKRZ -RLQLQJ LW DUH DQ 1YLGLD *H)RUFH 57; 7L JUDSKLFV FDUG *% RI PHPRU\ DQG D 7% 190H 0 66' 7KH HQWU\ SULFH IRU D 6.8 XVLQJ WKLV FRUH &38 LV /HVVHU $0' SURFHVVRU RSWLRQV VWDUW DW IURP WKH 5\]HQ WKURXJK RWKHU 5\]HQ 5\]HQ DQG 5\]HQ RSWLRQV XS WR WKH &38 LQ RXU XQLW $OLHQZDUH DOVR R̆HUV ,QWHO PRGHOV VWDUWLQJ DV ORZ DV ZKLFK LV D GL̆HUHQW JUDGH RI GHVNWRS DOWRJHWKHU FRPSDUHG WR RXU KLJK SULFH 6.8 7KHUH are, of course, more powerful Intel chips than the starting Core i5 option, WRSSLQJ RXW DW WKH &RUH L .

7KH JUDSKLFV RSWLRQV DUH PRVWO\ 1YLGLD UDQJLQJ IURP WKH HQWU\ OHYHO *H)RUFH *7; WR GXDO *H)RUFH 57; 7L FDUGV )RU $0' JUDSKLFV \RX FDQ FKRRVH DPRQJ D 5DGHRQ 5; D 5DGHRQ ;7 DQG WKH VHOGRP VHHQ Radeon VII. The memory and storage options are standard for high-end GHVNWRSV ZLWK PHPRU\ UDQJLQJ IURP *% WR *% DQG P\ULDG VWRUDJH FRPELQDWLRQV RI 66' DQG KDUG GULYH FDSDFLWLHV XS WR 7% ,Q VKRUW WKHUH DUH FRQ¿JXUDWLRQV IRU HYHU\ QHHG DQG EXGJHW DOO VHW LQ WKH VDPH WRZHU $V IRU WKDW &38 7KH FRUH WKUHDG $0' 5\]HQ ; KDG MXVW EHHQ announced at the time of this review, and as my colleague Chris Stobing explains in its standalone review, it’s an absolute powerhouse. Even though it’s H[SHQVLYH DW WKH $0' &38 LV D JRRG YDOXH FRPSDUHG WR WKH FRPSHWLWLRQ Aurora R10 used it to tear through our benchmark tests across the board. If you plan on just playing video games with this system, though, the Ryzen 9 ; LV RYHUNLOO LQ PRVW FDVHV $V $OLHQZDUH FODLPV WKLV LV WKH RQO\ 2(0 gaming desktop that comes with third-generation 16-core Ryzen processors. 7KDW LV LPSUHVVLYH EXW WKLV LV PRUH RI D ZRUNVWDWLRQ FKLS DQG QRW WKH EHVW ¿W IRU D JDPLQJ ¿UVW GHVNWRS 3OHQW\ RI WKH OHVV H[SHQVLYH RSWLRQV SDUWLFXODUO\ WKH 5\]HQ ; ZLOO EH PRUH WKDQ SRZHUIXO HQRXJK IRU JDPLQJ DQG \RX JHW GLPLQLVKLQJ LI DQ\ UHWXUQV RQ FKRRVLQJ WKLV FKLS MXVW IRU JDPLQJ $OLHQZDUH packed this review unit to impress, and it does, but if you aren’t going to also use your gaming rig for gameplay streaming, media creation, animation work, or other demanding professional tasks, I’d recommend a less expensive CPU.

A RYZEN-POWERED PERFORMANCE BEAST There are plenty of potential competitor systems to choose for head-to-head performance testing results, but I selected a group that represents a variety of physical shapes, components, and prices. They include WKH &RUVDLU 2QH 3UR L +3 2PHQ 2EHOLVN 0DLQJHDU 9\EH DQG 9HORFLW\ 0LFUR 5DSWRU = The Maingear Vybe and Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 are VLPLODU WKRXJK WKH ODWWHU LV FRQ¿JXUHG KLJKHU²WKH\¶UH traditionally shaped, high-end PCs that can do both gaming and media tasks well thanks to their Core i9 . SURFHVVRUV 7KH +3 2PHQ 2EHOLVN DOVR IDOOV LQWR this category, but it’s more compact and more expensive DV FRQ¿JXUHG WKDQ ERWK RI WKRVH )LQDOO\ WKH &RUVDLU 2QH 3UR L LV WKH PRVW H[SHQVLYH RSWLRQ RI WKH JURXS DQG LV HDVLO\ WKH VPDOOHVW ,WV VN\ KLJK SULFH owes a lot to its impressively small footprint, but I included it as a rare system bearing the Intel Core i9 ; &38 DQ HYHQ EHWWHU FRPSHWLWRU IRU WKH $XURUD 5 ¶V FKLS WKDQ WKH &RUH L . PRODUCTIVITY AND STORAGE 3&0DUN DQG DUH KROLVWLF SHUIRUPDQFH VXLWHV developed by the PC benchmark specialists at UL IRUPHUO\ )XWXUHPDUN 7KH 3&0DUN WHVW ZH UXQ VLPXODWHV GL̆HUHQW UHDO ZRUOG SURGXFWLYLW\ DQG FRQWHQW FUHDWLRQ ZRUNÀRZV :H XVH LW WR DVVHVV RYHUDOO V\VWHP SHUIRUPDQFH IRU ṘFH FHQWULF WDVNV VXFK DV ZRUG processing, spreadsheet work, web browsing, and videoconferencing. The test generates a proprietary QXPHULF VFRUH KLJKHU QXPEHUV DUH EHWWHU 3&0DUN meanwhile, has a Storage subtest that we use to assess the speed of the storage subsystem. This score is also a proprietary numeric score; again, higher numbers are better.

This is quite simply the highest result we’ve ever recorded on this test, showing the raw power of this chip.

7KH $XURUD 5 DQG LWV 5\]HQ ; LPPHGLDWHO\ VWDUWHG ÀH[LQJ WKHLU muscles on this test. PCMark 10 does tend to top out on super-powerful SURFHVVRUV VLQFH LW GRHVQ¶W SXVK WKHP WR WKH IXOOHVW EXW WKH ; LV FOHDUO\ LQ the top bracket of performance here. As you may have guessed, everyday home DQG ṘFH WDVNV DUH D EUHH]H IRU D GHVNWRS RI WKLV FDOLEHU 3&0DUN DOVR VKRZV very fast storage, leading to better load and boot times for you. MEDIA PROCESSING AND CREATION 1H[W LV 0D[RQ¶V &38 FUXQFKLQJ &LQHEHQFK 5 WHVW ZKLFK LV IXOO\ WKUHDGHG WR make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the &38 UDWKHU WKDQ WKH *38 WR UHQGHU D FRPSOH[ LPDJH 7KH UHVXOW LV D SURSULHWDU\ score indicating a PC’s suitability for processor-intensive workloads. &LQHEHQFK LV RIWHQ D JRRG SUHGLFWRU RI RXU +DQGEUDNH YLGHR HGLWLQJ WULDO another tough, threaded workout that’s highly CPU-dependent and scales well with cores and threads. In this test, we put a stopwatch on test systems as they WUDQVFRGH D VWDQGDUG PLQXWH FOLS RI . YLGHR WKH RSHQ VRXUFH %OHQGHU GHPR movie Tears of Steel WR D S 03 ¿OH /RZHU UHVXOWV DUH EHWWHU :H DOVR UXQ D FXVWRP $GREH 3KRWRVKRS LPDJH HGLWLQJ EHQFKPDUN 8VLQJ DQ HDUO\ UHOHDVH RI WKH &UHDWLYH &ORXG YHUVLRQ RI 3KRWRVKRS ZH DSSO\ D VHULHV RI FRPSOH[ ¿OWHUV DQG H̆HFWV WR D VWDQGDUG -3(* WHVW LPDJH :H WLPH HDFK operation and, at the end, add up the total execution time. Lower times are better here. The Photoshop test stresses CPU, storage subsystem, and RAM, but LW FDQ DOVR WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI PRVW *38V WR VSHHG XS WKH SURFHVV RI DSSO\LQJ ¿OWHUV VR V\VWHPV ZLWK SRZHUIXO JUDSKLFV FKLSV RU FDUGV PD\ VHH D ERRVW I mentioned that high-end processors tend to hit a ceiling on PCMark 10, but the same isn’t true on these tests. This is where you’ll really see a processor’s full potential come through, using all of its cores and threads to churn through the ZRUNORDG DV ḢFLHQWO\ DV SRVVLEOH 2Q &LQHEHQFK WKH ; VKDWWHUV WKH ceiling and cruises past the competition. This is quite simply the highest result we’ve ever recorded on this test, showing the raw power of this chip. The other benchmarks don’t show as much dominance, but it’s still mighty impressive. It SRVWHG WKH IDVWHVW +DQGEUDNH WLPH LQ WKH JURXS VKRZLQJ LWV DSWLWXGH IRU YLGHR HQFRGLQJ DQG D TXLFN WKRXJK QRW EHVW UHVXOW RQ 3KRWRVKRS

These results should be music to the ears of content creators, engineers, animators, and other professionals with CPU-heavy workloads, but they also demonstrate why I was cautioning choosing this chip for a gaming-only PC. These results are amazing, yes, but if you’re not going to be doing any of these tasks on your desktop, it’s money you don’t need to spend. 3D-based work and JDPLQJ DUH PXFK PRUH UHOLDQW RQ \RXU *38 SYNTHETIC GRAPHICS TESTS UL’s 3DMark test suite measures relative graphics muscle by rendering sequences of highly detailed, gaming-style 3D graphics that emphasize particles DQG OLJKWLQJ :H UXQ WZR GL̆HUHQW '0DUN VXEWHVWV 6N\ 'LYHU DQG )LUH 6WULNH ZKLFK DUH VXLWHG WR GL̆HUHQW W\SHV RI V\VWHPV %RWK DUH 'LUHFW; EHQFKPDUNV but Sky Diver is more suited to laptops and midrange PCs, while Fire Strike is PRUH GHPDQGLQJ DQG PDGH IRU KLJK HQG 3&V WR VWUXW WKHLU VWX̆ 1H[W XS LV DQRWKHU V\QWKHWLF JUDSKLFV WHVW WKLV WLPH IURP 8QLJLQH &RUS /LNH 3DMark, the Superposition test renders and pans through a detailed 3D scene and measures how the system copes. In this case, it’s rendered in the company’s HSRQ\PRXV 8QLJLQH HQJLQH R̆HULQJ D GL̆HUHQW ' ZRUNORDG VFHQDULR WKDQ 3DMark, for a second opinion on the machine’s graphical prowess. The Aurora R10’s dominance on the CPU tests starts to disappear here, though the results are still very good. As stated above, your graphics card is much more LPSRUWDQW IRU ' WDVNV DQG ZLWK PXOWLSOH V\VWHPV KHUH UXQQLQJ D *H)RUFH 57; 7L WKH UHVXOWV DUH SUHWW\ FORVH WRJHWKHU 7KDW VDLG WKH 5\]HQ ;¶V speed doesn’t disappear, and the Aurora R10 is still at or near the top of the charts. These results held to a close pattern to the CPU tests, but the gaming WHVWV VXUSULVLQJO\ VKRZ VRPHWKLQJ D ELW GL̆HUHQW

REAL-WORLD GAMING TESTS The synthetic tests are helpful for measuring general 3D aptitude, but it’s hard to beat full video games for judging gaming performance. Far Cry 5 and Rise of the 7RPE 5DLGHU DUH ERWK PRGHUQ KLJK ¿GHOLW\ WLWOHV ZLWK built-in benchmarks that illustrate how a system handles real-world video games at various settings. These are run on the maximum graphics-quality presets 8OWUD IRU )DU &U\ 9HU\ +LJK IRU 5LVH RI WKH 7RPE 5DLGHU DW S S DQG . UHVROXWLRQV WR determine the sweet spot of visuals and smooth performance for a given system. The results are also SURYLGHG LQ IUDPHV SHU VHFRQG )DU &U\ LV 'LUHFW; EDVHG ZKLOH 5LVH RI WKH 7RPE 5DLGHU FDQ EH ÀLSSHG WR '; ZKLFK ZH GR IRU WKH EHQFKPDUN Simply put, the Aurora R10 is not the machine to beat on these tests. The Omen Obelisk and the Raptor Z55 outperformed it on Far Cry 5, and the latter topped the FKDUW RQ 5LVH RI WKH 7RPE 5DLGHU *LYHQ WKH *38 common to them, it comes down to either thermals or how the processor handles gaming. It could be related WR KRZ WKH $XURUD FKDVVLV KDQGOHV DLUÀRZ DV LW KHDWV XS while gaming, and the motherboard could be holding it back. The frame rates recorded for the standalone 5\]HQ ; UHYLHZ WHVWHG LQ D ',< WHVWEHG EXLOG were higher than the ones here, and the superior motherboard in the testbed may be contributing to that. The small single-fan radiator is perhaps not keeping the CPU from throttling quite as much as a larger model DJDLQ OLNH WKH RQH LQ RXU WHVWEHG PLJKW WRR 7KH ; LV D EHWWHU FKLS RYHUDOO WKDQ WKHVH EXW LWV advantages do not translate directly into higher frame rates in all cases. Intel may have a leg up here in gaming, as it has for a while, but it could just be how these borderline workstation chips interact with GL̆HUHQW JDPHV

The small single-fan radiator is perhaps not keeping the CPU from throttling quite as much as a larger model might.

6HSDUDWHO\ IURP KRZ WKLV FKLS VWDFNV XS DJDLQVW WKHVH VSHFL¿F FRPSHWLWRUV WKH SHUIRUPDQFH LV VWLOO YHU\ VWURQJ 7KH S DQG S IUDPH UDWHV DUH ZHOO beyond 60fps and good enough for leveraging the abilities of a high-refresh-rate monitor. These are AAA, mostly single-player games as well, so less visually demanding competitive multiplayer titles such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, Dota /HDJXH RI /HJHQGV DQG 5DLQERZ 6L[ 6LHJH ZLOO VHH YDVWO\ KLJKHU IUDPH UDWHV 7KLV SRZHUIXO 3& LV HYHQ FDSDEOH RI ISV . JDPLQJ WKRXJK WKHUH LVQ¶W D ELJ cushion. The fact that even a PC this powerful and expensive doesn’t average PXFK PRUH WKDQ ISV VKRZV KRZ GHPDQGLQJ . JDPLQJ LV DQG JDPHUV If you care about performance, I’d really recommend that you stay away from a . PRQLWRU In general, though, I probably wouldn’t pay the price premium on this desktop if I were mostly going to use it for gaming. It’s expensive, in part, because of the FRVW RI WKH 5\]HQ ; DQG WKH *H)RUFH 57; 7L DQG LQ WHUPV RI IUDPH rates, the competitors come close or do better for less money. At a certain point, PRUH PRQH\ VWRSV PHDQLQJ PRUH IUDPHV RQFH \RX WRS RXW ZLWK WKH EHVW *38 DYDLODEOH DQG WKH FRPSHWLWLRQ ZLWK WKH VDPH *38 DQG OHVV H[SHQVLYH FKLSV DUH matching the Aurora R10’s gaming performance. If you are going to consistently stream gameplay or are a media-creation professional or serious hobbyist, it’s a GL̆HUHQW VWRU\²WKH ; LV LQFUHGLEOH IRU WKHVH XVH FDVHV ,I \RX¶UH PRVWO\ going to play games, save a few hundred dollars and pick a less expensive CPU.

BOLD IN EVERY SENSE 7KHUH¶V QR WZR ZD\V DERXW LW 2XU $OLHQZDUH $XURUD 5 FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ LV DQ DEVROXWH SHUIRUPDQFH EHDVW 7KH WRS HQG *38 DQG WKH ODWHVW $0' VLOLFRQ WRJHWKHU PDNH IRU D EOLVWHULQJ JDPLQJ GHVNWRS 7KH 5\]HQ ; LVQ¶W UHDOO\ DQ LGHDO YDOXH JDPLQJ FKLS WKRXJK IRU WKH SXUSRVHV RI WKLV FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ LW shows what both the CPU and desktop can do and certainly gets the point DFURVV ,¶G VXJJHVW PRVW XVHUV JR ZLWK WKH 5\]HQ ; IRU JDPLQJ EXW WKH unit we have is no doubt impressive. As for the rest of the desktop, I admire Alienware’s design chops. There isn’t much to fault, from its huge range of component options to its moderate size, FXVWRPL]DEOH OLJKWLQJ UHODWLYHO\ TXLHW IDQV DQG ḢFLHQW LQWHULRU FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ ,W¶V VRPHZKDW GL̇FXOW WR FRPSDUH RXU VXSHU KLJK HQG PRGHO ZLWK WKH FRQ¿JXUDWLRQV PRVW VKRSSHUV ZLOO HQG XS ZLWK EXW , OLNH WKH GHVNWRS LWVHOI ,I you want to make a statement, the Aurora R10 is a conversation piece with a premium feel, even when you order it with more modest components. It doesn’t quite snag an Editors’ Choice, as there are some great boutique desktops that are beautiful to look at and can match the Aurora R10’s performance, but it has our recommendation for those who are drawn to the look. MATTHEW BUZZI

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Dell Latitude 7400: Top-Tier Business Portable

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hen we reviewed the Dell Latitude 7300 recently, we judged the 13.3-inch business laptop excellent but just short of Editors’ &KRLFH PDWHULDO 7KH /DWLWXGH R̆HUV WKH VDPH DSSHDO including Intel’s IT-friendly vPro management technology and Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, and USB 3.1 Type-A ports, with a 14-inch display. Like its near twin, WKLV LV D WRS FRUSRUDWH XOWUDSRUWDEOH LQ D ¿HOG SDFNHG ZLWK ¿UVW FODVV contenders such as Lenovo’s ThinkPad T490 and ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7, but it doesn’t quite dislodge the Carbon as our Editors’ Choice pick. SCORES OF CONFIGURATION CHOICES The Latitude 7400 can sit anywhere on the spectrum from underpowered to overkill, depending on options. The $1,299 base model is in the former category, with a 1.6GHz Core i5-8265U processor, a meager 4GB of RAM and 128GB solid-state drive, and a suboptimal 1,366-by-768-pixel screen. By FRQWUDVW P\ WHVW XQLW ZDV ORDGHG DQG UHDG\ WR VKRZ R̆

Key features of the review unit included a 1.9GHz (4.8GHz turbo) Core i7-8665U chip, 16GB of memory, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a full HD (1,920 by 1,080) nontouch, anti-glare display with Dell’s SafeScreen privacy feature, which narrows the viewing angle of the display to discourage people close by from reading sensitive information. 'HOO R̆HUV WKUHH RWKHU S GLVSOD\ RSWLRQV LQFOXGLQJ a SafeScreen touch panel (available with the aluminum OLG ÂżQLVK RQO\ DQG ERWK WRXFK DQG QRQ WRXFK GLVSOD\V without SafeScreen (available with aluminum or carbon ÂżEHU ÂżQLVK 7KHUH LV QR RSWLRQ IRU . UHVROXWLRQ 'HOO says the non-touch panel without SafeScreen is a “super low powerâ€? unit that’s 50 percent more battery-friendly WKDQ D VWDQGDUG S GLVSOD\ ZLWKRXW VDFULÂżFLQJ brightness or color quality. The memory ceiling is 32GB, and storage goes up to 1TB. The three wireless LAN choices include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with and without Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ax WiFi 6 with Bluetooth 5.0. For those who are often out of range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, a Qualcomm LTE mobile broadband card for Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T is an option. Dell touts the 7400 as the world’s smallest 14-inch premium business-class notebook at 0.75 by 12.7 by 8.4 inches, and indeed, it’s barely bigger than the smallerscreened 7300 model (0.73 by 12.1 by 8.1 inches). At SRXQGV LW EDUHO\ TXDOLÂżHV DV DQ XOWUDSRUWDEOH²WKH ThinkPad X1 Carbon can weigh as little as 2.4 pounds GHSHQGLQJ RQ RSWLRQV²EXW LV GHÂżQLWHO\ QR EXUGHQ LQ D briefcase. A veteran of MIL-STD 810G tests for shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, and other environmental hazards, it’s impressively rigid, with no YLVLEOH Ă€H[ ZKHQ \RX SLFN LW XS E\ RQH FRUQHU DQG hardly any when you press hard on the keyboard deck.

Dell Latitude 7400 PROS Light weight. Long battery life. Toptier performance for business apps. CONS No 4K display option. Finicky ďŹ ngerprint reader. Privacy screen has a wider ďŹ eld of view than it ought to. BOTTOM LINE The Dell Latitude 7400 is a 14-inch business ultraportable with excellent performance and battery life and a wide array of conďŹ guration choices.

As for ports, the left edge of the chassis provides one Thunderbolt 3, one HDMI, and one USB 3.1 Type-A port along with a power connector. On the right is an audio jack, a microSD card slot, a second USB Type-A port (this one with handheld device charging), and a security lock slot. It has no wired Ethernet connection, but you can use a third-party USB-to-RJ-45 adapter or connect Dell’s own DA-300 mini dock ($89.99) to the Thunderbolt 3 port to add Ethernet, HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, VGA, and DisplayPort. The power button also VHUYHV DV D :LQGRZV +HOOR ¿QJHUSULQW UHDGHU EXW LW IDLOHG WR UHFRJQL]H P\ ¿QJHU LQ VHYHUDO WULHV D SUREOHP we also ran into with the Latitude 7300. HITTING THE KEYS I am not a fan of the ubiquitous chiclet keyboard format for laptops, but the Latitude’s backlit version is more comfortable for touch typing than most, thanks to its welcome tactile feedback. The two-button touchpad delivers sure mouse control, the buttons give the same responsive feel as the typing keys, and the pad requires a solid enough tap to minimize accidental clicks from hitting the pad with the heel of your hand while typing.

The power button serves as a Windows Hello ďŹ ngerprint reader, but it failed to recognize my ďŹ nger in several tries.

My test unit’s non-touch privacy screen is rated at 300 nits and was bright enough for comfortable viewing even when I positioned an LED desk lamp GLUHFWO\ RYHU LW²HYHQ D ELW WRR EULJKW IRU H[WHQGHG YLHZLQJ RI GRFXPHQWV ZLWK D ZKLWH EDFNJURXQG XQGHU ṘFH OLJKWLQJ &RQWUDVW ZDV H[FHOOHQW DQG FRORU ORRNHG nicely accurate when streaming video and well saturated and eye-catching when perusing business graphics. 7RJJOHG ZLWK WKH ) NH\ 'HOO¶V 6DIH6FUHHQ SULYDF\ IHDWXUH VKULQNV WKH ¿HOG RI view with only a small loss of brightness for straight-on viewing. However, everyone at PCMag who’s seen both it and HP’s Sure View agrees that SafeScreen doesn’t narrow the cone of visibility as sharply as Sure View does, though the latter makes your own view dimmer. While an IR face-recognition webcam is available, my review unit had the standard 720p camera. It delivered reasonable detail, a sharp image, color well within a realistic range, and surprisingly little noise even when the only light in the room was coming through windows on an overcast day. A privacy shutter sits next to the lens, with a small nub that’s just the right size for sliding with a ¿QJHUQDLO <RX FDQ DOVR WRJJOH WKH PLFURSKRQH RQ DQG R̆ ZLWK WKH ) NH\ 7KH ¶V VWHUHR VSHDNHUV ORFDWHG RQ WKH ERWWRP QHDU WKH IURQW FDQ ¿OO D VPDOO conference room with reasonably good audio quality, with very little distortion or tinny sound even at top volume. Supplied MaxxAudio Pro software lets you play with equalizer settings. While Dell’s standard warranty is three years with PDLO LQ VHUYLFH DIWHU UHPRWH GLDJQRVWLFV WKH WHVW V\VWHP¶V SULFH UHÀHFWHG DQ upgrade to three years of onsite service. Dell SupportAssist centralizes troubleshooting and help, while other Dell utilities update drivers and monitor the battery.

All five contenders have Intel integrated graphics that limit them to office productivity apps. HARD-WORKING COMPETITION For our performance benchmarks, I compared the Latitude 7400 to four premium business laptops: the 13.3-inch Latitude 7300, with the same Core i7 CPU as its sibling, and three 14-inch models. The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 and Lenovo ThinkPad T490 also have Core i7 processors, while the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 has a Core i5 chip. $OO ¿YH FRQWHQGHUV KDYH ,QWHO LQWHJUDWHG JUDSKLFV WKDW OLPLW WKHP WR ṘFH SURGXFWLYLW\ DSSV UDWKHU WKDQ gaming. But they all perform well for their intended tasks, with the Latitude 7400 landing at or near the top on all but one test. PRODUCTIVITY, STORAGE AND MEDIA TESTS PCMark 10 and 8 are holistic performance suites developed by the PC benchmark specialists at UL (formerly Futuremark). The PCMark 10 test we run VLPXODWHV GL̆HUHQW UHDO ZRUOG SURGXFWLYLW\ DQG FRQWHQW FUHDWLRQ ZRUNÀRZV :H XVH LW WR DVVHVV RYHUDOO V\VWHP SHUIRUPDQFH IRU ṘFH FHQWULF MREV VXFK DV ZRUG processing, spreadsheet work, web browsing, and videoconferencing. The test generates a proprietary numeric score; higher numbers are better.

Meanwhile, PCMark 8 has a storage subtest that we use to assess the speed of the PC’s boot drive. This result is also a proprietary numeric score; again, higher numbers are better. Only three of the laptops cleared the 4,000-point hurdle that we consider H[FHOOHQW IRU 3&0DUN 2I WKRVH WKH WZR 'HOOV ¿QLVKHG ¿UVW DQG VHFRQG PDNLQJ WKHP VXSHUE FKRLFHV IRU 0LFURVRIW 2̇FH RU *RRJOH 'RFV 7KDW VDLG even the last-place X1 Carbon scored well enough to handle such tasks with no WURXEOH $OO ¿YH QRWHERRNV¶ VROLG VWDWH GULYHV EOD]HG WKURXJK 3&0DUN ¶V storage exercise. Next is Maxon’s CPU-crunching Cinebench R15 test, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC’s suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Although none of these systems proved suitable for workstation-style CAD or 3D rendering apps, all are solid choices for working with business tools such as spreadsheets. Here again, the 7400 was a close second, but the Core i5 Carbon upset the Core i7 laptops for the win. Our Handbrake video-editing trial is another tough threaded workout that’s highly CPU-dependent and scales well with cores and threads. In it, we put a stopwatch on test systems as they transcode a standard 12-minute clip of 4K video (the open-source Blender demo Tears of Steel WR D S 03 ¿OH ,W¶V D timed test, so lower results are better. Cinebench is often a good predictor of Handbrake performance, but not this WLPH 7KH /DWLWXGH HGJHG RXW LWV WZR FORVHVW FRPSHWLWRUV IRU ¿UVW SODFH with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon coming in next to last. We also run a custom Adobe Photoshop image-editing benchmark. Using an early 2018 release of the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, we apply a series RI FRPSOH[ ¿OWHUV DQG H̆HFWV WR D VWDQGDUG -3(* WHVW LPDJH :H WLPH HDFK operation and, at the end, add up the total execution time (lower times are better). This test stresses the CPU, storage subsystem, and RAM, but it can also WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI SRZHUIXO *38V WR VSHHG XS WKH SURFHVV RI DSSO\LQJ ¿OWHUV

The two Latitudes tied for the win, with the HP and Lenovo laptops each taking RQH RU WZR VHFRQGV ORQJHU RQ DYHUDJH IRU HDFK 3KRWRVKRS RSHUDWLRQ RU H̆HFW $Q\ RI WKH ÂżYH ZLOO KDQGOH SKRWR WRXFK XSV UHDVRQDEO\ ZHOO ZLWK QR JODULQJ GL̆HUHQFH EHWZHHQ IDVWHVW DQG VORZHVW LQ UHDO ZRUOG XVH GRAPHICS TESTS 3DMark measures relative graphics muscle by rendering sequences of highly detailed, gaming-style 3D graphics that emphasize particles and lighting. We UXQ WZR GL̆HUHQW '0DUN VXEWHVWV 6N\ 'LYHU DQG )LUH 6WULNH ZKLFK DUH VXLWHG WR GL̆HUHQW W\SHV RI V\VWHPV %RWK DUH 'LUHFW; EHQFKPDUNV EXW 6N\ 'LYHU LV tailored to laptops and midrange PCs, while the more demanding Fire Strike OHWV KLJK HQG 3&V VWUXW WKHLU VWX̆ 7KH UHVXOWV DUH SURSULHWDU\ VFRUHV 'RQÂśW ERWKHU FRQJUDWXODWLQJ WKH RQ LWV OHDGHUVKLS LQ WKLV JURXS²DOO WKH scores were woeful when compared to those of real gaming rigs. None of these laptops is suitable for anything more than casual or browser-based gaming, but these are the usual results from Intel UHD Graphics on U-series 8th Generation processors. Only with newer “Ice Lakeâ€? 10th Generation chips have Intel’s integrated graphics started to show some signs of life. Next up is another synthetic graphics test, this time from Unigine Corp. Like 3DMark, the Superposition test renders and pans through a detailed 3D scene and measures how the system copes. In this case, it’s rendered in the company’s HSRQ\PRXV 8QLJLQH HQJLQH R̆HULQJ D GL̆HUHQW ' ZRUNORDG VFHQDULR DQG D second opinion on the machine’s graphical prowess.

7KH UHVXOWV VKRZ OLWWOH GL̆HUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKH EHVW DQG ZRUVW LQ WKH JURXS Again, these business-minded systems will limit your after-hours enjoyment to casual games and video streaming. BATTERY RUNDOWN TEST After fully recharging the laptop, we set up the machine in power-save mode (as opposed to balanced or high-performance mode) where available and make a few other battery-conserving tweaks in preparation for our unplugged video UXQGRZQ WHVW :H DOVR WXUQ :L )L R̆ SXWWLQJ WKH ODSWRS LQWR DLUSODQH PRGH ,Q WKLV WHVW ZH ORRS D YLGHR²D ORFDOO\ VWRUHG S ¿OH RI WKH VDPH Tears of Steel PRYLH ZH XVH LQ RXU +DQGEUDNH WULDO²ZLWK VFUHHQ EULJKWQHVV VHW DW SHUFHQW and volume at 100 percent until the system conks out. With a bit more than 15 hours of battery life, the Latitude 7400 can take you WKURXJK D IXOO ZRUNGD\ DQG QLJKW RU D ÀLJKW IURP 1HZ <RUN WR -DSDQ ,WV unplugged runtime was the second highest in the group, though all the laptops except possibly the ThinkPad T490 showed very impressive stamina. A TOUGH CHOICE TO MAKE 7KH 'HOO /DWLWXGH GRHVQ¶W R̆HU TXLWH HQRXJK WR UHSODFH /HQRYR¶V 7KLQN3DG X1 Carbon Gen 7 as our favorite business ultraportable, but it comes awfully close. It delivered better performance in most of our tests, though that’s likely because our Carbon test unit had a Core i5 instead of Core i7 processor and only KDOI WKH 5$0 :KHQ , FRQ¿JXUHG D FRPSDUDEOH ; &DUERQ RQ /HQRYR¶V VLWH LW FDPH LQ DERXW FKHDSHU WKDQ WKH 'HOO ZKLFK LVQ¶W D GHDO NLOOLQJ GL̆HUHQFH but is worthy of note.) 0RUH LPSRUWDQW WKH ; KDV WKH ZLGHO\²DQG GHVHUYHGO\²SUDLVHG 7KLQN3DG NH\ERDUG DQG D . GLVSOD\ RSWLRQ WKDW WKH /DWLWXGH ODFNV 7KDW¶V VLJQL¿FDQW since the keyboard and screen are the main ways you interact with any PC, though on the other hand the Dell has an advantage in the key area of battery life. So while either system is an excellent choice, you’ll want to consider both carefully. And if you don’t need a 4K screen, the 7400 may well be your preferred pick. M. DAVID STONE

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The Best Fitness Apps for 2020

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rying to lose weight, exercise more consistently, or push yourself to do higher-intensity workouts? Fitness apps can help by reminding you of your goals and prompting you to follow through on them. And they can give you at least some of the tools you need to achieve success. :H¶YH WHVWHG GR]HQV RI ¿WQHVV DSSV DQG WKHVH KDYH HPHUJHG DV WKH EHVW 6RPH are great for people who are already quite athletic, and others are perfect for EHJLQQHUV 6RPH KDYH RQH DUHD RI IRFXV VXFK DV QXWULWLRQ RU PXVLF IRU ZRUNRXWV ZKLOH RWKHUV WDNH DQ DOO LQ RQH DSSURDFK 6RPH DUH VLPSOH DQG others make sure you have all the information you need to keep working toward \RXU KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV JRDOV $QG PDQ\ RI WKHVH DSSV FDQ ZRUN ZLWK KHDUW UDWH PRQLWRUV DQG ¿WQHVV WUDFNHUV WR JDWKHU GDWD DERXW \RXU ZRUNRXWV

,Q JHQHUDO WKH DSSV IDOO LQWR D IHZ VSHFL¿F FDWHJRULHV VKRUW ZRUNRXWV ZRUNRXWV on demand, nutrition, activity tracking, and workout music. 7 MINUTE WORKOUT (BY WAHOO FITNESS) Android, iOS; free with optional in-app purchases

:DKRR¶V 0LQXWH :RUNRXW LV D QR IXVV DSSURDFK WR ¿WQHVV <RX can launch the app and do this quick set of exercises nearly DQ\ZKHUH QR VSHFLDO HTXLSPHQW UHTXLUHG 7KH DSS R̆HUV WKH standard seven-minute workout—12 high-intensity bodyweight exercises in cycles of 30 seconds each followed by a very short rest—as well as YDULDWLRQV RQ WKDW URXWLQH 6RPH RI WKH YDULDWLRQV FRVW D VPDOO IHH DURXQG at the time of this writing), and some are free. This app for quick workouts is even better when you use one of Wahoo’s heart rate monitors along with it, to be sure you’re elevating your heart rate. The Wahoo Tickr X is among my favorite chest straps on the market. 8FIT Android, iOS; free with limited workouts, $59.99 a year or $29.99 for three months for Pro

¿W FUHDWHV D SHUVRQDOL]HG GLHW DQG H[HUFLVH SURJUDP EDVHG RQ the results you want to achieve. It’s best for people who like a ORW RI JXLGDQFH DQG UHPLQGHUV <RX FKRRVH D JRDO ZKHWKHU LW¶V WR ORVH ZHLJKW JHW ¿WWHU RU JDLQ PXVFOH 7KHQ \RX PDNH \RXU JRDO PRUH VSHFL¿F²VD\ WR GHFUHDVH ERG\ IDW WR SHUFHQW LQ WKUHH PRQWKV ¿W WDNHV D ORW RI GHWDLOV DERXW \RX LQWR FRQVLGHUDWLRQ ZKHQ LW FUHDWHV \RXU ¿WQHVV SODQ VXFK DV what time of day you exercise and whether you’re an ambitious cook or prefer simple meal prep. The app also gives realistic assessments of how hard it will be WR UHDFK \RXU JRDOV 2QFH \RX HPEDUN RQ \RXU ¿WQHVV MRXUQH\ \RX XVH WKH DSS to log what you eat, explore meal ideas, and work out using videos in the app. It’s an all-in-one solution. BLOGILATES Android, iOS, Web; free or $0.99 a month for workout calendar

%ORJLODWHV LV DQ DSS EORJ DQG <RX7XEH FKDQQHO DOO FUHDWHG E\ WKH SHUN\ ¿WQHVV HQWKXVLDVW &DVVH\ +R ZKR R̆HUV SOHQWLIXO workouts on demand as well as recommendations for stretches, eating well, and body positivity. The content leans more feminine than PDVFXOLQH +R KDV D VHULHV RI ZRUNRXWV FDOOHG %LNLQL %ODVWHU DQG &RFNWDLO 'UHVV 6HULHV IRU LQVWDQFH EXW WKH H[HUFLVHV DUH EXLOW IRU DQ\RQH (YHU\ YLGHR ZRUNRXW

takes little more than comfortable clothing, a mat, and a can-do attitude. In DGGLWLRQ WR WKH ZRUNRXW YLGHRV WKH DSS SURYLGHV D ZRUNRXW FDOHQGDU DQ H[WUD FHQWV D PRQWK UHFLSHV DQG D VKRS WKDW VHOOV DWKOHLVXUH ZHDU CHARITY MILES Android, iOS; free

When you use this app to run, walk, or bicycle, it helps you VXSSRUW WKH RUJDQL]DWLRQ RI \RXU FKRLFH &RUSRUDWH VSRQVRUV donate a few cents for every mile you complete in exchange for VKRZLQJ \RX VSHFLDO R̆HUV RU RWKHUZLVH H[SRVLQJ \RX WR WKHLU EUDQGV <RX FDQ LQYLWH \RXU IULHQGV WR VSRQVRU \RXU IDYRULWH FDXVH DV ZHOO &KDULW\ 0LOHV ZLOO GRQDWH WR D YDULHW\ RI QRQSUR¿W RUJDQL]DWLRQV LQFOXGLQJ WKH /HXNHPLD /\PSKRPD 6RFLHW\ WKH 1DWLRQDO 3DUN )RXQGDWLRQ 6DYH WKH &KLOGUHQ WKH :RUOG :LOGOLIH )XQG DQG WKH :RXQGHG :DUULRU 3URMHFW ENDOMONDO Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone, Web; free, $5.99 a month or $29.99 a year for Premium

(QGRPRQGR WUDFNV \RXU ¿WQHVV DFWLYLWLHV DQG DOVR HQFRXUDJHV \RXU VRFLDO DFWLYLWLHV ,W LQFRUSRUDWHV GL̆HUHQW ZD\V \RX FDQ interact with your friends and its global community of members. The free app has plenty to explore, but you’ll want to upgrade to a 3UHPLXP DFFRXQW IRU ULFKHU VWDWLVWLFV DERXW \RXU ZRUNRXWV DFFHVV WR WUDLQLQJ plans, and an ad-free experience. FIT RADIO Android, iOS, Web; $27.99 a quarter or $99.99 a year

),7 5DGLR VWUHDPV ZRUNRXW PXVLF DQG DOVR R̆HUV YLGHR JXLGHG sessions for stretching, abdominal work, meditative breathing, and other recovery exercises. The app has playlists for all kinds of workouts—using an elliptical trainer, lifting, and running—as well as a selection of music by genre. Its real area of expertise is in creating mixes that PDLQWDLQ D FRQVLVWHQW EHDW -XVW SOXJ WKH EHDWV SHU PLQXWH \RX ZDQW LQWR WKH app and listen to song after song that matches your speed. There is no free version of this app, but you get a 30-day trial when you enroll.

FITBIT COACH Android, iOS, Web, Windows; free, $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year for Premium

Whether you own a Fitbit tracker or not, you can use the Fitbit &RDFK DSS WR ZRUN RXW WR VKRUW YLGHRV WKDW \RX FDQ GR QHDUO\ DQ\ZKHUH ,W¶V D JRRG ¿W IRU SHRSOH ZKR ZDQW WR EH WDONHG WKURXJK WKHLU H[HUFLVH URXWLQHV DQG WR VHH UHDO KXPDQV GRLQJ WKH PRYHV 6RPH RI WKH ZRUNRXWV DUH VLPLODU WR WKRVH \RX PLJKW ¿QG LQ D VHYHQ PLQXWH ZRUNRXW DSS², OLNH WKH RQH IURP -RKQVRQ -RKQVRQ ZKLFK DSSHDUV D OLWWOH ODWHU LQ WKLV DUWLFOH²EXW )LWELW &RDFK R̆HUV PRUH YDULHW\ DV ZHOO DV ORWV RI DXGLR FXHV WR FRDFK \RX <RX FDQ FKRRVH WR DGG EDFNJURXQG PXVLF RU SOD\ \RXU RZQ $ IUHH DFFRXQW KDV OLPLWHG ZRUNRXWV DQG RSWLRQV ZKHUHDV 3UHPLXP XQORFNV WKH ZKROH kit and kaboodle. JEFIT Android, iOS, Web; free, $6.99 a month for Elite

<RX FDQ XVH -H¿W WR GHVLJQ ZRUNRXWV HVSHFLDOO\ OLIWLQJ H[HUFLVHV RU WR IROORZ LQFOXGHG URXWLQHV -H¿W LV JUHDW IRU ZHLJKW WUDLQLQJ as you can log the amount you lift for each set along with the number of repetitions you do. It also has a section for logging your body measurements, from your weight to the circumference of your thighs. $ FDOHQGDU KHOSV \RX SODQ \RXU ZRUNRXW GD\V DQG UHVW GD\V -H¿W¶V IUHH YHUVLRQ LV DG VXSSRUWHG DQG LWV IHDWXUHV DUH OLPLWHG DQ (OLWH PHPEHUVKLS XQORFNV advanced features such as progress charts and removes the ads. THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON OFFICIAL 7 MINUTE WORKOUT Android, iOS; free

This circuit-training workout app lets you squeeze exercise into \RXU GD\ DW DQ LQWHQVLW\ OHYHO WKDW¶V ULJKW IRU \RX <RX MXVW QHHG a chair and about seven minutes. The interface is attractive and uncomplicated; audio and visual cues tell you when to start and stop each exercise in the routine, and a video demonstration appears in the middle to guide you. A PHGLXP LQWHQVLW\ ZRUNRXW LQFOXGHV MXPSLQJ MDFNV ZDOO FKDLU VLWV KLJK NQHH UXQQLQJ LQ SODFH WULFHSV GLSV RQ D FKDLU DQG D IHZ RWKHU PRYHV <RX FDQ DOVR create custom workouts by stitching together exercises that are right for you. 7KH -RKQVRQ -RKQVRQ 2̇FLDO 0LQXWH :RUNRXW DSS LV RQH RI WKH EHVW IRU WKUHH UHDVRQV LW¶V IUHH LW EDODQFHV VLPSOLFLW\ ZLWK DGHTXDWH LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG LW¶V suitable for a wide variety of ability levels.

KEELO Android, iOS; $11.99 a month, $29.99 a quarter, or $89.99 per year

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MapMyFitness tracks running, walking, bicycling, and plenty of other activities—including mowing the lawn and hot yoga. /DXQFK WKH DSS ZKHQ \RX VWDUW DQ DFWLYLW\ DQG LW FDSWXUHV VWDWLVWLFV VXFK DV GLVWDQFH DQG GXUDWLRQ 8SJUDGLQJ WR WKH 093 PHPEHUVKLS adds data such as cadence and heart rate. If you forget to track an activity in UHDO WLPH \RX FDQ ORJ LW PDQXDOO\ 'DWD LV VDYHG WR \RXU 0DS0\)LWQHVV DFFRXQW ZKHUH \RX FDQ VHH ZKHWKHU \RX¶UH LQFUHDVLQJ \RXU ¿WQHVV OHYHO <RX FDQ VHQG \RXU GDWD WR PRVW RI WKH ELJ QDPH ¿WQHVV WUDFNHU DSSV LQFOXGLQJ )LWELW DQG *DUPLQ &RQQHFW 0DS0\)LWQHVV ZRUNV ZLWK $SSOH :DWFK $QGURLG :HDU DQG 6DPVXQJ *HDU WRR MYFITNESSPAL Android, iOS, Web; free, $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year for Premium

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0LQGERG\ KHOSV \RX VHDUFK IRU ¿WQHVV FODVVHV QHDUE\ EDVHG RQ your preferred workout type or date and time availability. For instance, you can look for yoga classes on weekday evenings or a QHZ 0XD\ 7KDL VWXGLR <RX FDQ XVXDOO\ ERRN WKH FODVV YLD WKH DSS WKRXJK ERRNLQJ UHTXLUHPHQWV YDU\ 6RPH ORFDWLRQV \LHOG PRUH VHDUFK UHVXOWV WKDQ RWKHUV LQ WHVWLQJ WKH DSS ZDV PRVW XVHIXO LQ PDMRU FLWLHV LQ WKH 86 DQG &DQDGD SOXV 0H[LFR &LW\ 0LQGERG\ FDQ KHOS \RX ¿QG RWKHU NLQGV RI ZHOOQHVV VHUYLFHV such as massage therapists, nutritionists, and beauty treatments. MYPLATE (BY LIVESTRONG) Android, iOS, Web; free; $9.99 a month, $30 for six months, or $44.99 a year for Gold

6LPLODU WR 0\)LWQHVV3DO \RX XVH 0\3ODWH WR ORRN XS DQG UHFRUG HYHU\WKLQJ \RX HDW²EXW LQ 0\3ODWH \RX FDQ VHH D QXWULWLRQDO DQDO\VLV RI \RXU PDFURQXWULHQW LQWDNH IRU IUHH 0\)LWQHVV3DO UHTXLUHV D SDLG subscription to see these details). When you set up an account, the app asks DERXW \RXU FXUUHQW ¿WQHVV OHYHO DQG ERG\ FRPSRVLWLRQ WKHQ DVNV \RX WR HQWHU DQ ideal weight. From there, you choose to lose or gain weight in increments of a half-pound per week, but no more than two pounds per week. Based on this information and how often you exercise, the app estimates your nutritional needs. The app also has workouts on demand, which you can do at home with a PDW DQG FRPIRUWDEOH FORWKLQJ <RX JHW D ORW IRU IUHH ZLWK 0\3ODWH <RX FDQ DOVR upgrade to a Gold membership for more details about nutritional intake, plus some additional workouts and an ad-free experience. NIKE TRAINING CLUB Android, iOS; free

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PEAR—PERSONAL FITNESS COACH Android (on Samsung devices), iOS; free, $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year for PEAR+

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RockMyRun is a music app for running and other workouts. <RX FDQ FKRRVH GL̆HUHQW SOD\OLVWV EDVHG RQ D EHDW \RX OLNH KDYH the music in the app match the beat of your footfalls while you UXQ RU FRQQHFW WKH DSS WR D KHDUW UDWH PRQLWRU DQG KDYH WKH WHPSR DGMXVW WR \RXU LQWHUQDO EHDW :LWK D SDLG 5RFNVWDU PHPEHUVKLS \RX FDQ DOVR DGMXVW WKH tempo of the music to where you like it. With a wide variety of genres, including classical, RockMyRun has plenty of music to explore. RUNMETER Android, iOS; free, $9.99 a year for Elite

Rich with stats and highly customizable, Runmeter is among WKH EHVW UXQ WUDFNLQJ DSSV \RX¶OO ¿QG IRU $QGURLG RU L26 ,W works well for people who like to collect data about their runs, DQG LW¶V D JUHDW VWDQG LQ IRU D ¿WQHVV WUDFNLQJ UXQQHU¶V ZDWFK 7KH IUHH DSS XVHV \RXU SKRQH¶V *36 DQG LQWHUQDO VHQVRU WR JDXJH VSHHG GLVWDQFH GXUDWLRQ DQG RWKHU UXQQLQJ PHWULFV :LWK (OLWH PHPEHUVKLS \RX JHW an ad-free experience, plus extra features such as the ability to control your PXVLF IURP WKH DSS DQG LQWHJUDWLRQ ZLWK $SSOH :DWFK (OLWH PHPEHUV FDQ WUDFN other activities too. RUNTASTIC PRO Android, iOS, and Web; $4.99

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6WUDYD LV D ¿WQHVV WUDFNLQJ DSS IRU UXQQHUV DQG F\FOLVWV DQG some swimmers) who are looking for competition, whether DJDLQVW WKHLU SHUVRQDO UHFRUGV RU RWKHU SHRSOH LQ WKH 6WUDYD FRPPXQLW\ ,W XVHV WKH *36 RQ \RXU SKRQH RU D FRQQHFWHG GHYLFH WR WUDFN ZKHUH you run or bike and how fast you go; then it analyzes who else among its members have followed the same segments on your route and pits you against them on a leaderboard. Be sure to read through the details of how and where your data will be shared, because much of it becomes public unless you opt out. 7KH IUHH DSS KDV SOHQW\ WR JHW \RX VWDUWHG EXW H[SORUH 6WUDYD 6XPPLW IRU advanced features. JILL DUFFY

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

JANUARY 2020

FEATURES

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

HEALTH AND FITNESS TECH IN 2020

BY JILL DUFFY

Whether you’re just getting started counting steps or training for a triathlon with the help of technology, here’s exactly what you need to amp up your fitness routine this year.

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oogle will pay $2.1 billion for Fitbit, according to announcements from both companies last November. Fitbit has been around only since EXW LW¶V D VWDU LQ WKH ¿WQHVV WHFK ZRUOG ,W¶V KDUGO\ WKH RQO\ RQH Garmin, a company founded in 1989 and once known for GPS devices, saw 28 SHUFHQW JURZWK LQ LWV ¿WQHVV GLYLVLRQ IURP WKH WKLUG TXDUWHU RI WR WKH VDPH SHULRG LQ $QG MXVW D IHZ \HDUV DJR LQ ¿WQHVV FORWKLQJ PDNHU 8QGHU Armour bought MyFitnessPal, a free app that does little more than let users FRXQW FDORULHV 7KH SULFH PLOOLRQ 7KHUH¶V ELJ PRQH\ EHKLQG ¿WQHVV tech—and for good reason. 7KH PDUNHW IRU ¿WQHVV WHFKQRORJ\ LV YDVW VWURQJ DQG JURZLQJ ,W HQFRPSDVVHV HYHU\WKLQJ IURP ZHLJKW ORVV DSSV WR VRFNV ZLWK EXLOW LQ UXQQLQJ VHQVRUV )LWQHVV tech has gone mainstream, as wrist devices incorporate heart rate monitors, VWHS FRXQWHUV DQG VOHHS GHWHFWLQJ WHFKQRORJ\ <RXU EDWKURRP VFDOH FDQ QRZ FKHFN \RXU KHDUW KHDOWK DQG \RXU IXOO OHQJWK PLUURU FDQ XVH DXJPHQWHG UHDOLW\ to become a virtual exercise class. ,¶YH UHYLHZHG ORWV RI SURGXFWV LQ DOO WKHVH FDWHJRULHV KHUH¶V D FRPSUHKHQVLYH RYHUYLHZ RI ZKDW ,¶YH IRXQG WR EH WKH EHVW DVVLVWV IRU \RXU KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV FITNESS TRACKERS )LWQHVV WUDFNHUV DUH DW WKH KHDUW RI WKH ¿WQHVV WHFKQRORJ\ PRYHPHQW 7KH\ KDYH EURDG DSSHDO SUDFWLFDOO\ DQ\ERG\ FDQ XVH WKHP $QG \RX FDQ H[WHQG D ¿WQHVV tracker’s capabilities by connecting it to other devices and apps. But their main DSSHDO LV WKDW WKH\ FDQ FUHDWH D VQDSVKRW RI \RXU SK\VLFDO ¿WQHVV DW DQ\ JLYHQ WLPH²KRZ DFWLYH \RX DUH \RXU ZHLJKW ÀXFWXDWLRQ \RXU UHVWLQJ KHDUW UDWH KRZ many calories you consume. When you can see and understand your lifestyle, you’re better empowered to make healthy changes.

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)RU WKRVH LQWHUHVWHG LQ D IXOO ÀHGJHG VPDUWZDWFK WKDW DOVR LQFOXGHV ¿WQHVV tracking, the Apple Watch Series 5 (which does just about everything except measure sleep) or Samsung Galaxy Fit are the best options. With a smartwatch, you get apps and a lot more functionality, such as the ability to send text messages from your watch. But one major disadvantage is battery life. The best ¿WQHVV WUDFNHUV FDQ ODVW D ZHHN RU PRUH EXW VPDUWZDWFKHV XVXDOO\ QHHG WR EH charged once a day. )RU UXQQHUV F\FOLVWV DQG DQ\RQH HOVH ZKR¶V DOUHDG\ LQYHVWHG LQ ¿WQHVV WKH EHVW RSWLRQ LV D UXQQHU¶V ZDWFK WKDW GRXEOHV DV DQ DOO GD\ ¿WQHVV WUDFNHU <RX FDQ WUDFN \RXU SDFH 35V SHUVRQDO UHFRUGV DQG RWKHU DGYDQFHG PHWULFV IRU running (or whatever your sport) while counting steps and calorie burn throughout your day. Garmin makes some of the best watches in this category. ,¶P HVSHFLDOO\ IRQG RI WKH )RUHUXQQHU VHULHV 7KH )RUHUXQQHU WUDFNV DGYDQFHG UXQQLQJ PHWULFV DQG DOO GD\ ¿WQHVV 7KH PRUH H[SHQVLYH )RUHUXQQHU KDV VWRUDJH IRU PXVLF VR \RX FDQ VWUHDP D SOD\OLVW ZKLOH RQ D UXQ 7KH DOVR WUDFNV ELF\FOLQJ DQG RSHQ ZDWHU VZLPV PDNLQJ LW D JUHDW option for triathlons. SMART SCALES Looking at the number on the bathroom scale can change the tenor of your day. Weighing yourself and tracking your weight is as much a psychological game as D PDWWHU RI KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV :LWK D VPDUW EDWKURRP VFDOH \RX FDQ ZHLJK LQ without having to look at your numbers... or at least delay it until the time is right. The best scales sync your weight, body fat, and other metrics wirelessly to an app or web account, where you or your health care professionals can look at them later.

$ UHDOO\ JRRG EDWKURRP VFDOH PHDVXUHV PRUH WKDQ MXVW ZHLJKW ,W DOVR FDSWXUHV body fat, bone density, water percentage, bone mass, and sometimes even heart rate. The Withings Body Cardio does all that, and it can report the day’s weather forecast, too. 0DQ\ RI WKH ELJ QDPHV LQ ¿WQHVV WUDFNLQJ R̆HU VFDOHV WKDW V\QF \RXU ZHLJK LQV to the same app you use to track your steps and activities. For example, Fitbit PDNHV WKH )LWELW $ULD VPDUW VFDOH *DUPLQ DQG 3RODU PDNH EDWKURRP VFDOHV for their apps as well. But you don’t necessarily need a scale made by the same company for it to work ZLWK \RXU RWKHU KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV GHYLFHV )RU $SSOH :DWFK XVHUV DQ\ VFDOH WKDW ZRUNV ZLWK $SSOH +HDOWK ZLOO GR 7KH 4DUGLR%DVH LV RQH H[DPSOH ,W¶V D IDQWDVWLF VFDOH ZLWK D EHDXWLIXO GHVLJQ DQG LW KDV D VZLWFK WKDW OHWV \RX WXUQ R̆ impedance measurements, making it safe for people who are pregnant or have implanted electrical devices, such as pacemakers. HEART RATE MONITORS ,I \RX¶UH VHULRXV DERXW ¿WQHVV \RX QHHG D KHDUW UDWH PRQLWRU +50 7KH\¶UH XVXDOO\ HLWKHU FKHVW VWUDSV RU ZDWFK VW\OH GHYLFHV DQG WKH\ UHDG \RXU SXOVH ZKLOH \RX ZRUN RXW 7KH\¶UH QRW PHDQW IRU PRQLWRULQJ \RXU KHDUW UDWH IRU medical purposes while you’re inactive. For that, you should look for a heart UDWH PRQLWRU WKDW¶V )'$ DSSURYHG RU WKH HTXLYDOHQW LQ \RXU FRXQWU\

$ ¿WQHVV +50 UHDGV \RXU SXOVH ZKLOH \RX¶UH UXQQLQJ lifting weights, interval training, bicycling, or doing any other kind of activity. How high you push your heart rate during a workout and how long you keep it WKHUH D̆HFWV WKH EHQH¿WV RI WKDW ZRUNRXW )RU ¿WQHVV SXUSRVHV WKHUH DUH ¿YH KHDUW UDWH ]RQHV 7KH\¶UH EDVHG on your minimum and maximum heart rate, VRPHWLPHV FDOOHG +50D[ =RQH LV DURXQG WR SHUFHQW RI \RXU +50D[ DQG WKDW¶V ZKDW \RX¶G VHH during very light activity. The scale goes up in LQFUHPHQWV RI XQWLO \RX¶UH DW PD[LPXP H̆RUW ZKLFK LV WR SHUFHQW RI \RXU +50D[ 7KH H[DFW QXPEHUV IRU KHDUW UDWH ]RQHV DUH EDVHG RQ D person’s health, weight, age, and other factors. A GRFWRU FDQ KHOS \RX ¿JXUH RXW WKHVH QXPEHUV 6RPH +50V DQG WKHLU FRPSDQLRQ DSSV KDYH D WHVW WKDW KHOSV \RX HVWLPDWH \RXU +50D[ DQG FDOFXODWH KHDUW UDWH ]RQHV RU HYHQ GHWHUPLQH \RXU 9 0D[ DQRWKHU number that athletes use to help them train. *HQHUDOO\ VSHDNLQJ H[HUFLVH LQ ]RQHV DQG LV FRQVLGHUHG IDW EXUQLQJ :RUNLQJ RXW LQ ]RQHV DQG EHQH¿WV \RXU FDUGLR KHDOWK DQG HQGXUDQFH training. Polar’s heart rate monitors, including the Polar OH1, have excellent WRROV IRU ¿QGLQJ \RXU KHDUW UDWH ]RQHV DV ZHOO DV IHHGEDFN VFUHHQV \RX¶OO VHH DIWHU D ZRUNRXW WKDW H[SODLQ WKH EHQH¿WV RI WKDW SDUWLFXODU DFWLYLW\ IRU \RXU KHDUW DQG the rest of your body. $V IRU ZULVW EDVHG +50V VRPH DUH ¿WQHVV WUDFNHUV RU UXQQLQJ ZDWFKHV ZLWK D KHDUW UDWH VHQVRU EXLOW LQ DQG VRPH DUH VWDQGDORQH +50V WKDW ORRN OLNH armbands. Fitness trackers and running watches often let you see your heart rate in real time—so while you’re running, you can glance down and check your SXOVH &KHVW VWUDS +50V DQG VWDQGDORQH +50 DUPEDQGV GRQ¶W KDYH VFUHHQV so to see your heart rate while working out, you need to pair them with a compatible app that can show it. Otherwise, you’ll see the heart rate data at the end of the workout after you sync the device with an app.

6RPH ÂżWQHVV DSSV KDYH VSHFLDO IHDWXUHV IRU +50V VXFK DV DQQRXQFLQJ \RXU SXOVH YLD DXGLR ,PDJLQH \RX KDYH headphones on while running and are listening to ZRUNRXW PXVLF (YHU\ VR RIWHQ D YRLFH FKLPHV LQ WR VD\ Âł+HDUW UDWH EHDWV SHU PLQXWH 'LVWDQFH RQH PLOH ´ 7KH PDMRULW\ RI +50V DUH FKHVW VWUDSV DQG ZDWFKHV EXW some are headphones that take your pulse from within \RXU HDU RQH LV -%/ÂśV 5HĂ€HFW )LW 7KH UHDVRQ IRU SXWWLQJ DQ +50 RQ WKH HDU LV EHFDXVH WKH VNLQ WKHUH LV TXLWH WKLQ PDNLQJ LW HDV\ WR WDNH DQ DFFXUDWH UHDGLQJ (DU EDVHG devices aren’t nearly as mainstream as chest straps and wristwatches, but they are available. There’s also been VRPH H[SHULPHQWDWLRQ ZLWK EXLOGLQJ +50V LQWR WKH straps of sports bras by makers such as Sensoria and 0L 3XOVH 1HDUO\ DOO +50V DUH ZDWHU UHVLVWDQW HQRXJK WR KDQGOH sweat and rain, but only a few can read heart rates DFFXUDWHO\ GXULQJ D VZLP 7KH *DUPLQ +50 6ZLP DQG the Polar OH1 can. 7KH SULFH IRU D JRRG +50 YDULHV EDVHG RQ ZKHWKHU LWÂśV XVHG VWULFWO\ IRU PHDVXULQJ KHDUW UDWH WR RU has additional features. The Wahoo Tickr X ($99), for LQVWDQFH GRXEOHV DV D UXQ WUDFNHU DQG FDQ FRXQW UHSV when you lift weights. And as mentioned, plenty of UXQQLQJ ZDWFKHV DQG ÂżWQHVV WUDFNHUV LQFOXGH D +50 That usually pushes the price above $199. SMART HOME GYM EQUIPMENT 3HUKDSV \RXÂśUH OXFN\ HQRXJK WR KDYH VHHQ WKH ROG 79 FRPPHUFLDOV IRU 7RWDO *\P WKDW VWDUUHG DFWLRQ PRYLH KHUR DQG EODFN EHOW PDVWHU &KXFN 1RUULV 7KH DGV DUH OHJHQGDU\ EXW WKH KRPH J\P HTXLSPHQW ZDV D FOXQNHU compared to what you can get today. Now, the best home gym technology not only is beautifully designed but also brings interactive classes right into your living room.

Some ďŹ tness apps have special features for HRMs, such as announcing your pulse via audio.

$PRQJ WKH PRVW ZHOO NQRZQ RI WKHVH SURGXFWV LV WKH VXSHU KLJK HQG 3HORWRQ Bike. (Maybe you’ve seen the Peloton memes showing the smart stationary bike LQ ORFDWLRQV WKDW DUH XQUHDOLVWLF IRU DOO EXW WKH RQH SHUFHQWHUV RI WKH ZRUOG ,I \RX FDQ D̆RUG RQH RI WKHVH ELNHV \RX¶OO ULGH LW ZKLOH IROORZLQJ DORQJ ZLWK D FODVV RQ D GLVSOD\ VHW LQ IURQW RI WKH KDQGOHEDUV <RX FDQ MRLQ D VSLQ FODVV virtually and compete with others around the world who have joined the same FODVV <RX PXVW DOVR SD\ D PRQWKO\ VXEVFULSWLRQ IHH IRU WKH FODVVHV RQ WRS RI buying the bike, but it could be a worthwhile investment if you spend that much per year on studio classes. Peloton also has a treadmill called Peloton Tread, ZKLFK KDV D KHIW\ VWDUWLQJ SULFH RI $W KRPH J\P V\VWHPV KDYH HYROYHG QRW RQO\ E\ LQFRUSRUDWLQJ FODVVHV EXW DOVR LQ their design. Some are so handsome and discreet that they blend in with your OLYLQJ URRP IXUQLWXUH 7KH VOHHNHVW RI DOO WKH KRPH J\P WHFK RSWLRQV DUH VPDUW ¿WQHVV PLUURUV :KHQ QRW LQ XVH WKH\ KDQJ RQ \RXU ZDOO RU OHDQ DJDLQVW LW OLNH QRUPDO IXOO OHQJWK PLUURUV 7XUQ RQH RQ DQG \RX JHW DQ DXJPHQWHG UHDOLW\ H[SHULHQFH $Q RYHUOD\ RI LQIRUPDWLRQ DSSHDUV VXFK DV ¿WQHVV FODVVHV \RX FDQ join from home. As you participate in the class, you use the mirror to check your form as well as to see what’s happening in the class.

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5XQQHUV OLNHO\ DOUHDG\ NQRZ WKHUH DUH SOHQW\ RI UXQ WUDFNLQJ DSSV VXFK DV 5XQNHHSHU DQG 6WUDYD 7KHVH DSSV XVH \RXU SKRQH RU D FRPSDWLEOH ZDWFK RU ¿WQHVV WUDFNHU WR UHFRUG \RXU SDFH GLVWDQFH PLOHDJH DQG PRUH On iOS devices, you can turn on a setting in the Apple Health app to turn your SKRQH LQWR D SHGRPHWHU QR ¿WQHVV WUDFNHU UHTXLUHG $SSV VXFK DV 0DS0\)LWQHVV FDQ GR WKH VDPH WKLQJ 0DS0\)LWQHVV FDQ DOVR WUDFN QRQ VSRUW DFWLYLWLHV DV SDUW RI \RXU ¿WQHVV SODQ²IRU LQVWDQFH VKRYHOLQJ VQRZ UDNLQJ leaves, or walking briskly. Counting calories? Looking to manage your weight? MyFitnessPal is one of the best apps for logging the foods you eat to count calories and get a nutritional breakdown of your meals. Most apps in this category come with a barcode scanner so you can easily get nutritional information from packaged foods. :HLJKW :DWFKHUV KDV DQ DSS WKDW JRHV ZLWK LWV RQOLQH VXEVFULSWLRQ EDVHG program for losing weight, as do a few newcomers to the space, including Noom and Lifesum. Weight Watchers and Noom include access to coaches through the DSS DV ZHOO DV FRPPXQLW\ DVSHFWV VR \RX ZRQ¶W EH DORQH RQ \RXU ¿WQHVV MRXUQH\ :KDW DERXW DSSV WKDW R̆HU FKDOOHQJLQJ ZRUNRXWV DQG H[HUFLVH FODVVHV" ,I \RX ZDQW KDUGFRUH WUDLQLQJ E\ DQ 00$ FKDPSLRQ 7RXFKIW *63 JLYHV \RX D VHULHV RI YLGHRV E\ ¿JKWHU *HRUJH 6W 3LHUUH KHQFH WKH *63 LQ WKH QDPH WKDW JHW KDUGHU RU HDVLHU GHSHQGLQJ RQ KRZ GL̇FXOW \RX UDWH HDFK H[HUFLVH -LOOLDQ 0LFKDHOV KDV D VLPLODU DSS ZLWK YLGHR EDVHG ZRUNRXWV DQG KHU DSS FRPHV ZLWK D GLHW SODQ ,¶P D IDQ RI WKH EXEEO\ DQG SHUN\ &DVVH\ +R ZKRVH %ORJLODWHV workouts are always so much harder than they seem like they’ll be. <RX FDQ OLYH VWUHDP FODVVHV DQG MRLQ WKHP YLUWXDOO\ ZLWK DSSV DQG VLWHV VXFK DV )RUWH ¿W DQG 2SHQ¿W ZKLFK UHFHQWO\ DFTXLUHG *L[R DQRWKHU OLYH DQG RQ GHPDQG H[HUFLVH FODVV DSS %RWK )RUWH DQG 2SHQ¿W R̆HU D UDQJH RI FODVVHV HYHU\WKLQJ IURP FRUH DQG DE ZRUNRXWV WR FDUGLR LQWHQVLYH FODVVHV ZLWK RSWLRQV IRU RQ GHPDQG DQG OLYH 7KHQ WKHUH DUH DSSV DQG VLWHV WKDW VSHFLDOL]H LQ RQH type of class, such as ballet, barre, and yoga. And through apps such as Trainiac, \RX FDQ HYHQ JHW D SHUVRQDO WUDLQHU WR ZRUN ZLWK \RX RQ D SHUVRQDO ¿WQHVV SODQ APPS AND DEVICES FOR IMPROVING SLEEP 7HFKQRORJ\ FDQ ERWK KHOS DQG KXUW \RXU VOHHS ,W GHSHQGV RQ KRZ \RX XVH LW

<RX PD\ KDYH KHDUG IRU H[DPSOH WKDW WKH EOXH OLJKW IURP VFUHHQV²PRELOH phones, tablets, and computers that we put just a foot or two from our eyes— FDQ GLVUXSW RXU VOHHS ,¶OO DGPLW WKDW , XVHG WR EH VNHSWLFDO RI WKLV FODLP XQWLO one of the world’s leading chronobiologists told me it was true.) This blue light is similar to the light from the sun. When we view it, our bodies believe it’s daytime and don’t produce melatonin, a chemical that helps it fall asleep. Some people have a stronger response to blue light than others. What can you do about blue light? Most computers and mobile devices have a setting that reduces or eliminates blue light between hours that you determine. <RX FDQ VHW \RXU FRPSXWHU WR HPLW D PRUH UHGGLVK KXH EHWZHHQ WKH KRXUV RI VD\ S P DQG D P ,I \RXU GHYLFH GRHVQ¶W KDYH D EOXH OLJKW RU ³QLJKW VKLIW´ VHWWLQJ DQ DSS FDQ GR WKH MRE ) OX[ DQG ,ULV DUH WZR JRRG RSWLRQV ,Q DGGLWLRQ WR PLQLPL]LQJ H[SRVXUH WR EOXH OLJKW DW QLJKW VOHHS H[SHUWV VD\ LW¶V LPSRUWDQW WR JHW DGHTXDWH H[SRVXUH WR QDWXUDO OLJKW GXULQJ WKH GD\ 7RR RIWHQ SHRSOH EODPH WKHLU FRPSXWHUV IRU SRRU VOHHS EXW GRQ¶W UHDOL]H WKDW H[SRVXUH WR sunlight helps keep the body on an appropriate sleep schedule. +RZ HOVH FDQ WHFKQRORJ\ KHOS XV VOHHS EHWWHU" <RX FDQ WUDFN \RXU VOHHS WR OHDUQ more about your sleep patterns. What time do you get into bed? What time do you fall asleep? How often do you wake up during the night? When do you get RXW RI EHG IRU JRRG" <RX FDQ¶W FKDQJH D EHKDYLRU LI \RX GRQ¶W NQRZ ZKDW LW LV 6OHHS WUDFNHUV FDQ KHOS \RX FROOHFW WKH GDWD \RX QHHG 0RVW ¿WQHVV WUDFNHUV QRZ include sleep tracking, Apple Watches excepted.

,I \RX GRQ¶W OLNH ZHDULQJ D ZULVWEDQG ZKLOH \RX VOHHS RWKHU VOHHS WUDFNHUV JR RQ your bed instead, including smart mattresses with tracking technology built in. These devices are often more accurate than wristbands, because they include sensors for respiration, and they can more accurately sense how you shift while \RX VOHHS 7KH PRVW DGYDQFHG VXFK DV WKH 6OHHS 1XPEHU PDNH adjustments during the night that are tailored to you—say, warming your feet. <RX FDQ VSHQG IURP DERXW WR IRU RQH RI WKHVH EHGV $W WKH WRS HQG LV WKH &DOLIRUQLD .LQJ 6OHHS 1XPEHU P 6PDUW %HG ZLWK WHPSHUDWXUH EDODQFLQJ DQG SUHVVXUH UHOLHYLQJ IHDWXUHV A company called Eight Sleep also sells smart mattresses with thermoregulating IHDWXUHV IRU D VOLJKWO\ ORZHU SULFH ,WV QHZHVW SURGXFW 7KH 3RG FRVWV IRU D TXHHQ VL]H PDWWUHVV There are simpler solutions than buying a new mattress, of course. The :LWKLQJV 6OHHS LV D VOHHS VHQVLQJ SDG WKDW \RX VOLS XQGHU \RXU PDWWUHVV DQG DW $99, it’s a comparative bargain. Or you could consider a smart pillow that plays ZKLWH QRLVH DQG GHWHFWV VQRULQJ VXFK DV WKH 5(0 )LW =HHT 6PDUW 3LOORZ although a PCMag analyst found it rather disappointing when she tested it. Once you have data, you can look for reasons you wake up in the night or ways WR JHW PRUH VOHHS , UHFHQWO\ ORRNHG RYHU VOHHS GDWD IURP P\ )LWELW &KDUJH DQG QRWLFHG WKDW ZKHQ , JHW LQWR EHG EHIRUH S P , VOHHS DW OHDVW PLQXWHV PRUH SHU QLJKW WKDQ ZKHQ , VWD\ XS ODWHU ,W¶V D VPDOO FKDQJH EXW FXPXODWLYHO\ , FDQ get up to two more hours of sleep per week. And a colleague once kept waking up in the middle of the night. He tracked his sleep and noticed it always happened at the same time. He eventually discovered that a certain noise occurred every night at the same time. For him, ear plugs did the trick. OTHER WAYS TO TRACK :LWKLQ WKH ¿WQHVV WHFK PDUNHW WKHUH DUH SOHQW\ RI GDUOLQJV EXW MXVW DV PDQ\ GXGV ,W¶V WRXJK WR SUHGLFW ZKDW¶V JRLQJ WR WDNH R̆ DQG ZKDW¶V JRLQJ WR ÀRS Smart water bottles that track your water consumption and remind you to drink DOZD\V VHHPHG OLNH D FDVK JUDE JLPPLFN -XVW EHFDXVH \RX FDQ SXW D VHQVRU RQ something and hook it up to your mobile phone doesn’t mean you should. Companies such as Thermos and Hidrate decided to try anyway. The results are about as lacking in innovation and utility as you would imagine.

:KHQ VPDUW FORWKLQJ FDPH DORQJ , DSSURDFKHG WKRVH products—bras, capris, tops—with an optimistic but VNHSWLFDO H\H $ SDLU RI %OXHWRRWK FRQQHFWHG UXQQLQJ socks by Sensoria (now in version 2.0) showed a lot of early promise. They give feedback to runners about their form in real time, commenting on heel strikes, cadence, and the like. Promising as they may be, they’re still very much below the radar of most runners and tech enthusiasts. Keep an eye on smart clothing as a category, though, and you’ll see a lot of products ³FRPLQJ VRRQ ´ :LWQHVV WKH VPDUW \RJD RXW¿W IURP Pivot, which claims it will give you feedback about your alignment as you go through postures using the company’s app for yoga classes (but isn’t yet available). 8QGHU $UPRXU KDV EHHQ SXVKLQJ D ZKROH OLQH RI VPDUW sneakers for nearly two years. These shoes have a VHQVRU WKDW FROOHFWV GDWD DERXW UXQV ,W VHQGV WKH GDWD WR WKH 0DS0\5XQ DSS ZKLFK 8QGHU $UPRXU RZQV IRU analysis and review. The shoes last about a year and don’t cost much more than a typical pair of running VQHDNHUV EHWZHHQ DQG 6RPH ¿WQHVV HQWKXVLDVWV KDYH EHHQ VROG RQ WKH LGHD WKDW WKH VHFUHW WR PD[LPL]LQJ WKHLU ¿WQHVV SRWHQWLDO LV LQ WKHLU EORRG $ VHUYLFH FDOOHG ,QVLGH7UDFNHU ZLOO VHQG D SKOHERWRPLVW WR \RXU KRPH RU ṘFH WR FROOHFW D EORRG sample and send it to a lab, costing you anywhere from $299 to $589, depending on the service you choose.

When smart clothing came along, I approached those products— bras, capris, tops—with an optimistic but skeptical eye.

When the results are in, you get a detailed reading of biomarkers in your blood (iron, glucose, calcium, sodium, etc.) plus recommendations for changes, mostly dietary, that might adjust them into an optimal UDQJH 7R UHGXFH \RXU ]LQF HDW IHZHU EDJHOV DQG PRUH ]XFFKLQL )RU \RX FDQ XSORDG \RXU EORRG GDWD from a screening you’ve done elsewhere and get a similar report.) %HDU LQ PLQG WKDW ,QVLGH7UDFNHU LVQ¶W )'$ DSSURYHG and therefore does not give medical diagnoses, VRPHWKLQJ D QXWULWLRQLVW UHJLVWHUHG GLHWLWLDQ ÀDJJHG DV D SRWHQWLDO SUREOHP ZKHQ , DVNHG IRU KHU LQVLJKW DERXW it. She said if certain biomarkers are outside the ideal range, the reason might be something unrelated to food DQG JHQHUDO OLIHVW\OH ³,I \RX KDYH KHSDWLWLV ZH QHHG WR NQRZ WKDW \RX KDYH KHSDWLWLV ´ VKH VDLG <RXU EORRG PD\ RU PD\ QRW JLYH \RX SRLQWHUV IRU improving your health. But what about your poop? Human biome analysis kit uBiome creates a picture of your gut health from a tiny swab of fecal matter you VHQG WR D ODE 5LJKW QRZ WKH VHUYLFH VHHPV WR EH PRUH in the business of collecting data than providing DFWLRQDEOH LQIRUPDWLRQ ,W WROG PH P\ JXW KDG D KLJK OHYHO RI DUWL¿FLDO VZHHWHQHU ZKLFK , GRQ¶W HDW DQG WKDW , have a possible intolerance to gluten (not a chance). There is no stone, or muscle, left untouched when it FRPHV WR ¿WQHVV WHFK $QG VKRXOG \RXU PXVFOHV JHW VRUH IURP DOO WKH DFWLYLW\ \RX FRXOG DOZD\V WU\ ]DSSLQJ WKH pain away using a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit, such as the Power Dot 2.0 and its companion app.

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Human biome analysis kit uBiome creates a picture of your gut health from a tiny swab of fecal matter.

FEATURES

HOW RPG LOGIC AND SIMULATIONS

ARE CHANGING THE GAME IN HEALTHCARE BY GADJO SEVILLA

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ole-playing games (RPGs) and simulations (SIMs) are some of the most engaging types of games because they place players in various immersive situations. Participants can succeed or fail at their quests depending on how they respond to situations and challenges. They can also learn from their mistakes and increase their experience the more they play. This type of game logic is now being integrated with various technologies to EHQH¿W KHDOWKFDUH SURYLGHUV DQG SDWLHQWV E\ KHOSLQJ WKHP EHWWHU HQJDJH LQ potentially life-saving conversations. Kognito is a health simulation company that designs scenarios and virtual human training solutions that hone conversational skills to improve patient interactions. Their scenarios help patients navigate possible treatments by conversing with an avatar called a “virtual human.” “We started around 10 years ago and have around 90 employees composed of instructional designers, writers, behavioral psychologists, and software engineers,” said Ron Goldman, co-founder and CEO of Kognito. “We’re not trying to be the Google or WebMD for healthcare training. We apply technology and game logic to create simulations. We track and analyze decisions people make as well as user feedback to help us get better.” Kognito has engaged more than one million users and currently has three key applications: Patient Screening and Intake, Coaching, and Role-Play Conversations. By creating a library of scenarios based on game logic and the science of human emotions, Kognito’s simulations can train users to say the right words at the right time. Similar to other online corporate training services, scenarios unfold in onscreen role-play conversations with virtual humans, the avatars that serve as practice patients. Users can assume various roles ranging from teachers who are talking to students showing signs of psychological distress or healthcare providers discussing delicate medical issues with patients. While the advantages of simulation-based training are evident for healthcare, it’s easy to see how they could also be applied across other business disciplines, such as customer relationship management (CRM), help desk solutions, and human resources (HR).

LINDA, THE VIRTUAL HUMAN AS A COACH If you want to try an example of Kognito’s approach, there’s Linda, an app designed to help patients understand various treatment options in the form of a YLUWXDO FRDFK ZKR DSSHDUV LQ DQ RXWGRRU SDUN VHWWLQJ <RX¶OO ¿QG /LQGD RQ WKH Talk to Someone: Triple Negative Breast Cancer webpage; virtual avatars like Linda have been used in various types of medical simulations. “She is a fully articulated and emotionally responsive virtual human and speaks to the real-life experience of a survivor. She tailors her messages to each user’s knowledge level, concerns, and overall motivation,” Goldman explained. The simulation is publicly available and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Linda is designed to respond to users’ queries; navigating a conversation with Linda is similar to playing a turn-based role-playing game, except with a focus on informing patients about the most viable treatment options for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) diagnosis. “Linda assists patients posing their questions about TNBC, chemotherapy, life during treatment, and survivorship,” Goldman said. As a coach, Linda helps patients who may have otherwise not considered chemotherapy understand the pros and cons of treatment. During their conversation with Linda, users are asked the following two questions at the beginning and again at the end of the simulation: “Do you have enough information to make a treatment decision?” and “Are you planning to pursue chemotherapy?”

Âł3UHOLPLQDU\ GDWD FROOHFWHG IURP XVHUV VKRZ WKDW IRU WKH ÂżUVW TXHVWLRQ percent of those who initially reported not having enough info to make a treatment decision reported at the end of the sim that they now do. And for the second question, there was a 38 percent increase in women who said that they ZRXOG GHÂżQLWHO\ SXUVXH FKHPRWKHUDS\ DIWHU FRPSOHWLQJ WKH VLPXODWLRQ ´ Goldman said. Virtual avatars such as Linda are ideal for patients who want to explore treatment options on their own time or without the pressure of discussing their diagnosis with a doctor or healthcare provider. For healthcare professionals who do need to engage patients, Kognito’s simulation and role-playing exercises can improve their skills and ensure they are interacting with patients in a knowledgeable and empathic manner. BETTER TRAINING THROUGH SIMULATED CONVERSATIONS Healthcare professionals speaking to patients about sensitive medical situations have to be knowledgeable and reassuring; they also have to be able to communicate properly and clearly . “As with many sensitive interactions, how someone says something is just as important as what they are saying,â€? Goldman said. “Gestures, non-verbal cues, and mannerisms all weigh heavily in these interactions.â€?

Kognito’s various simulations help train users by simulating conversations and YDULHG UHVSRQVHV ,Q D VLPXODWLRQ FDOOHG 3ULPDU\ &DUH 2̇FH 9LVLW $QWLELRWLFV SDUWLFLSDQWV DUH WUDLQHG RQ H̆HFWLYHO\ GLVFXVVLQJ WKH DSSURSULDWH XVH RI antibiotics between healthcare providers and patients. The simulation provides hands-on practice applying motivational interviewing to improve patient outcomes. “Users choose between playing the provider or patient in the clinical case,â€? Goldman explained. The simulation is publicly available and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 7KH 3ULPDU\ &DUH 2̇FH 9LVLW $QWLELRWLFV VLPXODWLRQ OHWV SDUWLFLSDQWV WDNH WKH role of a coughing patient or the doctor. Each question brings the conversation to another step in learning about symptoms as well as whether antibiotics can help based on the patient’s symptoms. Aside from the conversation between the YLUWXDO DYDWDUV D FRDFK ZLGJHW DW WKH ERWWRP R̆HUV XVHIXO WLSV DQG KLQWV Running through the role-play simulation as a patient and as a doctor helps train healthcare professionals to better understand topics from both sides. “The more we can mimic real life in our sims, then the better the experience will be,â€? Goldman said. Looking at technology that can help Kognito create more immersive experiences for their users, he singled out Natural Language Processing (NLP) and augmented reality (AR) as emerging technologies worth following. 1/3 ZKLFK LV D VXEÂżHOG RI DUWLÂżFLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH $, LV DQ DUHD WKDW *ROGPDQ believes can one day improve training by being able to accurately track voice tone and analyze human emotions. “I think NLP that can understand intonation ZLOO EH D VLJQLÂżFDQW EUHDNWKURXJK EXW ZHÂśUH QRW WKHUH \HW ´ VDLG *ROGPDQ

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How to Add Emergency Info to Your Phone’s Lock Screen BY JILL DUFFY

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TIPS & HOW TOS ITUNES & APPLE MUSIC

How to Add and Organize Albums in iTunes and the Apple Music App BY LANCE WHITNEY

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Let’s move the album itself out of the Compilations folder on your computer and into a more specific and suitable folder.

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WHAT’S NEW NOW WHY AXIS

The World Relies on China’s Surveillance Technology

BY JASON COHEN

S

urveillance technology is projected to be a $62 billion industry by 2023, and it looks like that market will be controlled by China. In 2019, a majority of countries that use AI surveillance and facial recognition get it from China. While many countries use American and Chinese surveillance tech together, China has far more exclusivity around the world. According to a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tech from America and China are used in Australia, Brazil, India, Russia, and many European countries, as well as in the US and China themselves.

Many countries in Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and South America use Chinese tech only. Meanwhile, Canada and New Zealand are the only countries that rely solely on American technology. One reason for China’s apparent dominance in the surveillance sphere is that the country is uniquely set up to control the world’s semiconductor manufacturing for DUWL¿FLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH 7KLV LV DOVR WKH UHVXOW RI WKH %HOW and Road Initiative launched in 2013 to strengthen infrastructure, trade, and investments with the rest of the world. 7KH SUREOHP ZLWK DOO WKLV²DVLGH IURP WKH LPSOLFDWLRQV IRU $PHULFD¶V FXUUHQW WUDGH ZDU ZLWK &KLQD²LV WKH concern that China’s tech companies are not independent enough from the Chinese government to be trusted. Many fear that these companies could be providing their government with backdoor access to the products they export and the infrastructure they install. As a result, the United States has already blacklisted PDQ\ &KLQHVH WHFK ¿UPV RYHU DOOHJHG VXUYHLOODQFH abuses. And the race to 5G has resulted in the ban of Huawei from American markets. %XW PDQ\ RI WKHVH FRPSDQLHV DUH DOUHDG\ ¿UPO\ embedded in the AI surveillance game; Huawei supplies tech to 50 countries. By comparison, American companies IBM, Palantir, and Cisco supply surveillance tech to only 26 countries between the three of them. When you stop to consider that AI surveillance technology in China has advanced to the point that authorities can now identify you by the way you walk, it makes sense that some are questioning whether the wrong people will have access to this data.

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The concern is that China’s tech companies are not independent enough from the Chinese government to be trusted.

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PC MAGAZINE NETWORK Dan Costa EDITOR Wendy Sheehan Donnell MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL EDITIONS Carol Mangis PRODUCTION DESIGNER José Ruiz

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CONTRIBUTORS John R. Delaney, Jill Duffy, Tim Gideon, Eric Grevstad, Ben Z. Gottesman, William Harrel, Edward Mendelson

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