The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is a thin and light notebook designed with power users and users who always want their laptop with them in mind.

Starting at $799, the IdeaPad 530S is the most expensive of the new IdeaPad models announced for early 2018, but for the added cost users get a metal body, a thinner design and a notebook that weighs in at 3 pounds. For comparison the IdeaPad 330 is 4.6 pounds and the IdeaPad 330S is 3.5 pounds.

This is the top of the line IdeaPad for 2018, and it’s the best option of the three for users who travel often or who plan to work from coffee shops and classrooms every day.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: What’s New

What’s new on the IdeaPad 530S for 2018.

The IdeaPad 530S starts at $799 and comes in 14-inch and 15-inch sizes. Users can choose from Onyx Black, Copper, Liquid Blue, and Mineral Grey colors for the aluminum body. These notebooks start with a bright 14-inch or 15-inch display in 1920 x 1080, but you can upgrade the 14-inch model to 2560 x 1440 if you need more space on your screen.

Inside you’ll find 8th Gen Intel Core i processors, SSD storage and you can pick from NVIDIA MX130 or MX150 discrete graphics cards if you need more power for video and photo editing, or light gaming. Battery life is rated at 8 hours, and you can get 2 hours of added power with 15 minutes of charging thanks to Lenovo Rapid Charge.

The 530S comes with a Precision Touchpad and a backlit keyboard. There is an optional fingerprint reader for easy login. Harmon speakers round out the entertainment capabilities. Ports include USB Type-C 3.1, USB 3.0, HDMI, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The notebook also includes WiFi and Bluetooth.

• The IdeaPad 530S 14” starts at $799.99
• The IdeaPad 530S 15” starts at $849.99

New IdeaPads are available this month at Lenovo and at retailers online and in store.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Thin & Light Metal Notebook Under $800 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The new for 2018 Lenovo IdeaPad 330S notebooks offer a striking mix of portability and style in a notebook that starts under $500.

Lenovo announced a collection of new IdeaPads in May 2018, including the entry level IdeaPad 330 that starts at $249 with Windows 10. Users who need a more portable notebook will want to explore the IdeaPad 330S.

Lenovo IdeaPad 330S: What’s New

The new IdeaPad 330S offers more portability without a huge price tag.

This new model is 3.5 pounds, about a pound lighter than the IdeaPad 330, and it includes a polished aluminum cover instead of the plastic found on the entry level IdeaPad.

This all new IdeaPad is available in 14-inch and 15-inch screen sizes and most of the bezels on the IdeaPad 330S are super thin. The bottom bezel is a little larger, but overall this helps keep the size of the notebook in check. Users can choose an upgraded IPS display that is brighter with better colors and viewing angles.

The IdeaPad 330S color options include Platinum Grey, Midnight Blue, Rose Pink, Blizzard White and Iron Grey. Colors will vary based on screen size and retailer.

• The IdeaPad 330S 14” starts at $499.99
• The IdeaPad 330S 15” starts at $449.99

Users can choose up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and equip it with up to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 graphics card. Lenovo includes a backlit keyboard on the IdeaPad 330S and 2-watt speakers with Dolby Audio.

The IdeaPad 330S is available starting in May from Lenovo and other retailers.

Lenovo IdeaPad 330S: Power & Portability Under $500 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The all new Lenovo IdeaPad 330 start at $249, offering one of the best prices for a new Windows 10 laptop with a big screen and loads of options to add in features that you need from a touch screen or fingerprint reader to a DVD drive or gaming graphics card.

The all new 2018 IdeaPad lineup includes three upgraded lineups in an array of screen sizes. It starts with the budget friendly 15-inch IdeaPad 330, that also comes in as 14-inch and 17-inch models. Next up is the IdeaPad 330S, in 14-inch and 15-inch sizes designed with more portability in mind. Finally the IdeaPad 530S delivers the top shelf experience for power users who need a laptop with high-end looks and the chops to handle fast paced life on the move.

IdeaPad 330: What’s New

The $249 Windows 10 Laptop from Lenovo.

The new IdeaPad 330 comes in three screen sizes and starts at $249 for the 15-inch model. This is a hefty notebook at 4.6 pounds, but it’s perfectly suited for the needs of many home users and students who will rely on a tablet or a phone for on-the-go computing.

With three anti-glare screen sizes you don’t have to worry about a glossy display reflecting the world around you while you work or play. The 14-inch is available in 13,66 x 768, the 15-inch in 1600 x 900 and the 17-inch in 1920 x 1080.

These new models are made of PC ABS plastic and come in Platinum Grey, Onyx Black, Mint Green, Midnight Blue, Blizzard White, or Chocolate. Colors vary with sizes and retailers.

Users looking for an entry level laptop will fins an Intel Celeron Dual Core N4000 processor with integrated graphics, but there are options to deck this laptop out with up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H processor with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 graphics card to help you play Fortnite and other games.

• IdeaPad 330 14” starts at $349.99
• IdeaPad 330 15” starts at $249.99
• IdeaPad 330 17” starts at $499.99

The IdeaPad 330 is available starting this month at Lenovo and other retailers.

$249 Windows 10 Laptop Arrives With Style & Choice is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

There’s a lot to see at each year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and CES 2018 wasn’t any different. Even still, the biggest show in tech had some standout products and the Notebooks.com Best of CES Excellence Awards for 2018 honor them.

The Notebooks.com staff spent hours waiting in lines to get hands-on time and learn about these new laptops and services.

In their own way, each of these products improves mobile entertainment and productivity. Choose one of them if you’re ready to abandon your laptop and tablet for a single device that does everything. Our highest honor, the Most Outstanding of CES 2018 Excellence Award will change the way you see PC gaming.

The Notebooks.com team recognizes the recipients of these CES Excellence awards for 2018 and we extend our congratulations to the teams behind these outstanding awards.

NVIDIA GeForce Now – Best in Show 2018

NVIDIA GeForce Now wins Notebooks.com’s Best of Show CES 2018 Award for its ability to turn any PC into a certified gaming rig. The service, which is free for anyone with a Mac or PC to try, streams PUBG and other must-play Steam games to any notebook with a fast and reliable internet connection.

Anyone can sign up for the GeForce Now Beta.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1

The new Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is thin, powerful and a pleasure to look at. The laptop has a gorgeous 4K display option that’s ready for touch or drawing with the company’s new digital pen. It gets its power from quad-core Intel Core processors and a Radeon RX3 Vega graphics card with 4GB of dedicated RAM. You can work on this laptop for up to 15 hours.

Expect the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 to launch this April for as little as $1,299.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

This year, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s display looks just as gorgeous as its body does, and that’s why it wins a Notebooks.com Best of CES 2018 Excellence Award.

The notebook’s 14-inch display looks amazing. It has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, giving users more detail than if they were watching a movie on a high-definition display. High Dynamic Range color contrast, Dolby Vision and a maximum brightness of 500 nits make everything on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon look life-like.

The 2017 ThinkPad X1 Carbon launches this January with a starting price of $1,709.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet is the most durable, business-ready tablet coming in 2018. It has a black metal case that meets military specifications and sensors that let any user unlock it without pressing a single button. A 13-inch 3K touch display provides stunning visuals, while quad-core 8th Generation Intel Core processors keep apps and programs running well. A Lenovo Active Pen stylus and cover with an embedded keyboard and trackpad come standard.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet goes on sale this January for as little as $1,599.

Lenovo Miix 630

Thanks to a new processor, the Lenovo Miix 630 offers 20 hours of battery life and mobile internet that’s always ready for you.

This new Windows 10 2-in-1 from Lenovo uses a Snapdragon 835 processor that’s usually found in smartphones. Without any extra accessories, a Lenovo Miix 630 lasts for 20 hours of video playback but only weighs 2.93 pounds. Placing a SIM card inside the laptop lets it share your smartphone’s data plan. With the free Windows 10 Pro upgrade, buyers can install whatever apps and programs they want.

The Lenovo Miix 630 launches this spring for $799.

Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

This aluminum Samsung Notebook 9 Pen turns it into a tablet and works with the S Pen. That’s the same stylus that Samsung uses for its Galaxy Note phones. Together they detect 4,096 different levels of pressure and change how each stroke looks depending on how the pen is tilted. Because the display is 13.3-inches from corner to corner, there’s plenty of room to create whatever you want.

The Samsung Notebook 9 will launch sometime before April in the United States. Samsung hasn’t revealed how much the notebook will cost.

Razer Project Linda

Slip the Razer Phone inside Project Linda’s alcove and your Android phone turns into an Android laptop that’s perfect for gaming. This laptop dock has extra storage, another battery, USB ports, a Chroma keyboard and a 13.3-inch touch display. It’s the phone’s front-facing speakers that provide all the sound. When trying to stay productive, the Razer Phone’s display acts as a touchpad. In games, it’s a second screen to monitor character health and attributes.

Razer says Project Linda is just a concept, though it already sells the Razer Phone.

Best of CES 2018: The Tech You Need This Year is a post by Travis Pope from Notebooks.com.

If you’ve ever dreamed of quickly converting your phone to a bigger screen with a full size keyboard, Razer Project Linda is the the tech product you’re going to spend the rest of the year lusting after.

The Razer Phone docks inside the shell of a Razer notebook and becomes the trackpad while still delivering great sound and morphing into a specialized touchscreen for some games and photo editing apps.

Project Linda is a concept, so there is no specific release date or price. We’ve seen similar ideas in the past, but this is one of the most well rounded, and powerful versions to date.

Unlike Samsung’s DEX system, you don’t need to plug into a monitor or carry a keyboard and mouse. It’s all built in to Razer Project Linda, including a bigger battery and added storage.

The Razer Phone’s Snapdragon processor and 8GB of RAM power the system and the 5.7-inch phone screen acts as a touchpad or a second display. You can also connect an external keyboard and mouse.

“Android power users and laptop enthusiasts share a need for performance in a mobile form factor, which we provide with our award-winning Razer Phone and Razer laptops,” says Razer co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan. “Project Linda combines the best of both worlds, bringing a larger screen and physical keyboard to the Android environment, enhancing the experience for gaming and productivity.”

The full size keyboard includes Razer Chroma so you get the epic gaming looks that you’re used to on Razer gear. Project Linda has is 15mm thick, weighs under three pounds and includes a 13.3-inch Quad HD touchscreen. The laptop portion has 200GB of storage, USB C, USB A and a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a webcam.

Razer Project Linda Turns Your Phone Into a Badass Laptop is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Lenovo made the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook for the modern two-in-one laptop market with a screen that will swivel back into tablet mode useful for the Google Play Store and Android apps, which are coming soon. This Chromebook also enjoys a rugged design that will withstand a drop from up to 2.4 feet and spills on the keyboard thanks to the sealed ports, trackpad and keyboard.

Schools snap up Chromebooks in large numbers today because they’re inexpensive and simple to use. Companies like Lenovo make the Lenovo Flex 11 rugged for that market.

Kids in classrooms sometimes drop their devices. If you’re going to make it rugged, then give it water resistance as well. And design it small enough for grade school kids to use. That describes the Lenovo Flex 11 perfectly. However, how does it measure up as a consumer laptop?

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Hardware Design

The Flex 11 comes in an ugly dark gray textured two-in-one design with a screen that will rotate back so users can hold it in multiple modes. They include the following:

• Tablet mode with the screen folded back almost 360 degrees seen above.
• Stand mode so you can prop it up with the keyboard facing the table directly below.
• Tent mode with a V formation and the screen facing forward seen in the last photo in this section below.
• Traditional laptop mode as seen in the first picture above.

Thanks to the rugged nature it’s a little thicker than some of the other Chromebooks released recently. At 2.9lbs. the Flex feels a little heavy for an 11-inch laptop.

The hinges that swivel around nearly 360 degrees degree offer enough resistance to keep the screen upright while in laptop and stand modes. The hinge also makes it hard to open with one hand.

Around the display, there’s a thick bezel compared to other computers this size. That reinforces the strength but makes it wider and taller that other 11-inch Chromebooks.

The design style feels dated. People won’t buy this model for the look, like the Samsung Chromebook Plus or Pro buyers might. Despite the small dimensions the laptop feels bulky for a small computer designed for portability and for school kids. That’s what makes this model compelling to a segment of the market. It will stand up to some abuse.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Performance and Battery Life

Inside, we get a MTK 8173C Processor with quad-core 2.10GHz speed. That’s an ARM system on a chip design meant for long battery life and enough speed for simple tasks that most Chromebook users need like browsing, typing documents, checking email and maybe a little video streaming online. It should handle light casual online gaming too. The ARM processor also handles graphics performance.

I tried opening 12 browser tabs and the computer didn’t slow down, even though my Internet connection did struggle. The computer performed well even if the public Wi-Fi hotspot didn’t. At my home, where Internet speeds are fast, the slowdown went away.

Buyers will get 32GB of built-in storage, plus an SD-card reader. Add in 4GB of RAM for decent browsing performance. Expect to open up a dozen tabs in Chrome without much slowdown.

The 3-cell 45 watt-hour battery lasts about 6-8 hours in real world usage. Lenovo promises 10 hours, but that’s not likely with the screen at a bright enough level to use in a bright room. The SoC Arm processor sips power compared to other Chromebooks and still handles day-to-day tasks well while giving users long battery life on a budget.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Display and Audio

We get an 11.6-inch IPS AntiGlare display that boasts a 1366×768 resolution, which means we get 720P HD performance. While it’s not as bright and brilliant as the Samsung Chromebook Plus, which offers a beautiful display, it does give users a nice look for a sub-$300 Chromebook.

Lenovo calls the display on the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook “AntiGlare”, but I wouldn’t. It’s shiny and under bright lights has plenty of glare. It is not what any reasonable person would call “AntiGlare”.

Watching a movie on the Lenovo Flex 11 in any of the four modes (laptop, stand, tent or tablet) will entertain users even if the display’s a little too reflective. The sound’s a little muddled, but adequate for use on an airplane or in the car on a long ride. Students can enjoy it for basic tasks while away from home in the dorm.

Plug in a set of decent headphones and the sound quality goes up drastically. The weak speakers under the keyboard wrist rest produce decent sound for basic tasks, but the headphone jack gives a better listening experience for movies, music and other audio.

We get a basic 720p camera. It’s fine for streaming video chats or going live on social media, but little else.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard’s decent compared to other budget notebook computers. It feels a little springy and has a little give in the middle.

The Flex 11 keyboard gives users a spill-proof experience. Don’t test it if you get one, but should a user accidentally spill their drink, it should hold up. The touchpad and ports also promise spill-resistance. That’s a great thing for a notebook that’s designed for young hands.

The touchpad feels accurate and gives the user enough space for comfortable pointing. Like the keyboard the click feature feels springy and that’s not a good thing. At this price, it’s adequate, like the keyboard.

The touchscreen makes the touchpad less important. Since the screen responds well to swipes, touches and even dragging, the user might use the touchpad even less.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Ports and Networking

Unlike other recent Chromebook releases, the Lenovo Flex 11 comes with plenty of legacy ports. In addition to a USB-C port that functions as a video out or data port and for charging the system, there’s an HDMI port, USB 3 port and a full-size SD card slot all on the left side of the system.

Over on the right we get a Kensington Lock for security, the power button and volume up/down buttons. There’s also a mic/headphone combo port.

The Lenovo Flex 11 comes ready to connect wireless with 802.11 a/b/n/ac Wi-Fi. It also has Bluetooth 4.0, but no LTE option.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Software

Lenovo advertises this as a Chromebook ready for Android apps, however, it shipped with a Chrome OS version that didn’t include the Google Play Store yet. Users will need to upgrade to the Dev Channel of Chrome OS to get the Play Store and install Android apps. Hopefully the Play Store will filter down to Beta and eventually Stable Channel very soon on the Flex 11.

I upgraded almost immediately and the computer ran smoothly even on Dev Channel. If you don’t like running it on Dev Channel, switch back to Stable, a trivial matter thanks to the easy Powerwash feature of Chrome OS.

Android apps run fine on the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook in Dev Channel. At first they will launch in a small portrait window and, if the app supports full screen mode, you can open the app to cover the entire screen. The Flex 11 handled all the Android apps I use on a Chromebook without any issues.

Bottom Line

Buyers can get the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook for just $279 at Lenovo. That’s a great price for a rugged 11-inch machine with touchscreen and good battery life. It performs well enough and will give users a good experience for basic tasks like schoolwork, light browsing the web and even some entertainment. It’s a little chunky and heavy compared to other recent Chromebooks. It’s also not as attractive in its design.

For those with simple needs or for a young person wanting a device for homework, we can recommend the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook without reservation. Others may want something a little more powerful or with a more attractive design. The current king of the Chromebook market comes from Samsung. The Samsung Chromebook Plus costs at least $200 more its big brother, the Samsung Chromebook Pro, and will set you back twice as much money. The Flex 11 will likely win a spot in our top five Chromebooks this summer, knocking out Dell’s 11-inch Chromebook for education.

Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook Review: Rugged and Durable is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The new Razer Blade Stealth arrives with a bigger display option and a new optional under the radar design that will help you blend in at the office if you don’t want a bright Razer logo announcing your presence.

Perhaps best known for the Razer Blade, the more portable Razer Blade Stealth is an exciting option that the company offers with a focus on portability and the power that you need for work and everyday use in a package that’s a bit easier to carry anywhere.

The 2017 Razer Blade Stealth in black and a new professional Gunmetal color.

In addition to the design that includes a bold green logo and rainbow style Chroma keyboard, Razer offers a new 2017 Blade Stealth with a gunmetal finish and standard white backlit keys that will help you carry it into work without standing out. Razer also upgrades the trackpad to a Windows Precision Trackpad that should deliver a better experience.

You’ll find new display options including a larger 13.3-inch display with a 3,200 x 1,800 resolution that fills out the bezels and supports touch. Razer still offers the 12-inch 4K display, which the company considers the best mobile 4K display on the market. The large bezels on the 12-inch model and the 100% Adobe RGB support make it a natural choice for creative users.

You can choose your screen size on the 2017 Razer Blade Stealth.

Razer told Notebooks.com that creatives and users who need the most accurate color will want to stick with the 12-inch 4K display, while users focused on productivity at work or in school will likely opt for the larger 13.3-inch display.

Razer upgrades the base RAM to 16GB and includes the Intel Core i7 7500U processor with integrated Intel HD graphics standard. With the 13.3-inch screen, the Razer Blade Stealth is $1,399 on Razer today and will be available at Best Buy, Amazon and Microsoft stores later this month. The 12-inch 4K Blade Stealth starts at $1,599.

Expect 9 hours or more of Razer Blade Stealth battery life and you can buy the Razer Power Bank to crank the combined power up to 15 hours, and you can quickly charge your other mobile devices as well.

The 2017 Razer Blade Stealth is still thin and light.

This setup is designed to handle your needs during the day and on the go. You can plug into the Razer Core external GPU when you are at home to get a more robust gaming or editing workstation. The Razer Core is $499 standalone, but if you buy it with the Razer Blade Stealth you save $100.

Razer ships the Blade Stealth with support for TPM 2.0 Security and includes the bare minimum of pre-installed apps so that you are ready to work or game with the security you need and without the bloatware you don’t need.

You can buy the standard black Razer Blade Stealth 2017 today at Razer and the Gunmetal version is coming later this summer. There is a $899 special edition of the Blade Stealth with a Core i5 through back to school season as well.

2017 Razer Blade Stealth Gains Bigger Display, Stealthier Design is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

At WWDC 2017 Apple announced an update to the 2017 MacBook Pro lineup, putting the faster and more efficient Kaby Lake processor in the laptop. The entry point price also drops to $1,299 for their lowest price 13-inch MacBook Pro model. Users will get faster SSD storage as well. The Kaby Lake chipset fixes the biggest complaint people had about last year’s MacBook Pro update.

Last year Apple updated the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and made other changes, like a larger glass trackpad and a better keyboard, it left out upgrading to the 7th generation Intel Kaby Lake processor. The omission disappointed a lot of Apple’s fans, but their hopes were finally realized with this update available now from Apple.

2017 MacBook Pro with Faster Specs

The 2017 MacBook Pro gets Kaby Lake for the first time, replacing the 6th generation Skylake architecture. The 7th generation processor and architecture from Intel gives the new 2017 MacBook Pro better performance and more efficient power usage. The battery will last up to 10 hours, according to Apple’s claims. These new computers will give users a speed bump in the megahertz numbers as well.

Intel’s new Kaby Lake chip has a 14nm manufacturing process, which means Intel can put more power in the same size chip. Also, the chip will give users better UHDTV or 4K video encoding.

The base model 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro laptops will come with integrated graphics chips. Gamers will want to jump to a higher-end system, as will serious graphics creatives or hardcore design pros. The integrated Iris Plus GPU probably does a great job since it’s similar to the earlier generation Intel Iris GPU available in older models. They’re not as powerful as the dedicated graphics processor that Apple puts in their high-end model but do come with 64MB of embedded DRAM to accelerate graphics for everyday applications.

Apple gave their 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro a quad-core AMD Radeon Pro graphics card. It comes with 4GB of graphics memory using GDDR5 chips. What does this mean in usage? Faster performance in applications like Final Cut Pro X as well as better gaming and VR options.

Video Editors will appreciate getting faster rendering while using their 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro with Final Cut Pro X. Editors can also work with up to 3 streams of 4K video in a single project.

For those who care about the detailed specs, Apple says the new SSDs will get 3.2GB/s sequential reads and 2.2GB/s sequential write speeds on both the 13 and 15-inch systems. The 13-inch MacBook Pro offers a 3.5GHz or 4GHz processor. The 15-inch MacBook Pro has 3.1GHz or 4.1GHz. These represent maximum speeds of the Kaby Lake processors and will depend on which speed processor the buyer chooses.

2017 MacBook Pro Prices

The new 2017 MacBook Pro that Apple announced today starts at $1,299 for a 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar. It looks more like the old design that’s a little thicker, however it does sport the faster, more efficient 7th generation Kaby Lake processor and faster SSDs. Apple claims the SSD will perform 150% faster than the previous models from 2016. The speed boost will get tested and we’ll see whether Apple’s claim end up proving accurate.

To get the Touch Bar buyers will need to spend $500 more for a 13-inch MacBook Pro for $1,799. It comes with the new keyboard and larger glass trackpad Apple introduced last year. You still get the faster SSD and newer 7th gen processor. A 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2,399. They also still offer the older 15-inch model for about $2000.

Apple also added the Kaby Lake processor to their 12-inch non-Pro MacBook. It comes with the same keyboard and pointing device, faster SSD but no Touch Bar. It’s designed as an introductory computer for people who want mobility more than power. This means it’s a little thinner than than the Pro.

All of these new models went on sale today as soon as the online Apple Store came back online after the live WWDC 2017 announcement.

macOS High Sierra Update Details

Apple added a few cool features to their slight upgrade to macOS. Instead of Sierra, it’s now called High Sierra. It adds better security features and privacy. There’s support for VR and external graphics cards so that Pros can get updates to their graphics system without waiting for Apple to offer one.

The new operating system will go through beta testing throughout the summer and ship in Fall 2017. Beta testers will get access today. The new 2017 MacBook Pro will ship with Sierra, but developers can get the beta now and others can get it later this month. Over at GottaBeMobile, readers can see the following features list:

• Safari – Faster and more secure.
• AutoPlay Blocking – Stops autoplay video from annoying you.
• Intelligent Tracking Prevention – Stops advertisers from tracking you.
• Photos Upgrades includes better face recognition that syncs across devices.
• Photo Editing Upgrades This includes new editing tools like curve, selective color and more.
• Photo edits sync back to photo library from Photoshop or Pixelmator.
• Third Party Printing Services allow you to print wall art and books.
• Apple File System on Mac delivers super fast file transfers and management.
• Metal 2 delivers better graphics support.
• External GPU Support with Thunderbolt 3
• Metal for VR – Steam Engine, Unity and Unreal

For more information on the Apple WWDC 2017 announcement, please see GottaBeMobile.com.

2017 MacBook Pro Updated with Kaby Lake and Lower Price is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

If you own a MacBook or Mac desktop running macOS, the macOS Notification Center offers some interesting tools and features to help you get work done quickly. Users can find information and even calculate figures with a calculator. We’ll show you how to change what shows up in the macOS Notification Center and control the notifications you see and don’t see.

Open macOS Notification Center Settings

Some people want to see the pop-up notifications that show up in the upper right corner of their screen every time an email or status updates. However, most of us don’t want to see all of them and would like to control which ones show up.

To get started open Settings. The quickest way to get to the Notifications Settings is to open the Notification Center. You do this by clicking on the macOS Notification Center icon in the upper right corner on the Menubar. It looks like a bullet point list with three items on it.

Scroll down to the bottom of the Notification Center window and click on the gear icon in the lower right corner. This opens the macOS Settings app to the Notifications screen. The other way to get into this screen is by opening Settings from the Apple Menu or using the Settings icon on the Dock, which look like the same gear icon seen in the Notifications Center. Then click on Notifications, the last item on the right in the top row of Settings App icons.

Control Do Not Disturb in macOS Notifications Center Settings

First, consider turning on the Do Not Disturb schedule. Click on Do Not Disturb on the left column (at the top by default) and then click the check mark next to From: with the two times. Choose your times. The first will set the time that Do Not Disturb starts. I like 11:00 PM. Then choose the time that the computer turns off Do Not Disturb and allows notifications.

I keep the notifications on by not checking When the display is sleeping. I turn off notification When mirroring to TVs and projectors by checking it so that my computer won’t show notifications while I’m doing a presentation. You can choose whether to allow calls from everyone or repeated calls when Do Not Disturb is on.

Change Notifications for Each App

Now it’s time to change the way each app on your Mac offers notifications. Below the Do Not Disturb notifications screen you’ll see each app installed on your Mac listed. Click on the app title to change how that app can notify you.

In the screenshot above I’ve chosen Aurora HDR 2017. Notice that at the top of the section on the right you see how the Notifications for that app will look. This controls only how that app’s notifications behave.

• None – won’t show a notification for the app at all.
• Banners – a banner will fly out in the upper right corner of the screen and go away after a short time.
• Alerts – show up in the same place as Banners but stay there until the user dismisses the notification.

When the notification appears, it has some interaction available for the user to click. The above offers to Cancel the transfer of the photo that I sent to my Mac from my iPhone. After it finishes the transfer the Cancel button changes to an Open button so that I can Open the photo after the photo finishes copying from the iPhone.

The list of check boxes offers the following options below the three options for how to display notifications:

• Show notifications on lock screen – shows the notifications for that app when the screen is on but locked so that the user has to enter a password to log into the computer.
• Show in Notifications Center – show the notification in the screen that shows up when you click the Notifications icon in the menu bar.
• Badge app icon – puts a red circle on the app icon in the Dock.
• Play sound for notifications – plays a sound when macOS shows the notification on the screen in the upper right corner.

Go through the list of apps and change each app you want to change. I turn off some of the more annoying notifications, like those from Facebook. I can wait till I open Facebook to see who wants to get ahold of me. You’ve probably got other apps you want to turn off. Some you may want to make sure they stay active until you dismiss them, like Reminders notifications or Calendar notifications. They’re on the Alerts notification setting by default, but look at them to make sure.

Change What Shows in macOS Notification Center

Now, let’s change what shows up in the macOS Notification Center. Open the Notification Center by clicking the icon in the upper right corner like we did above. Again, it looks like a bullet list with three items.

Scroll down to the bottom of the Notification Center to find the Edit button and click it. You’ll see a new section fly out from the right edge of the screen next to the widgets in the macOS Notification Center.

The available widgets show up in this new list. To add it to the Notification Center click on the green plus icon. To remove one, click on the red minus icon of the items in the left side column of the macOS Notification Center. They’ll go away.

At the bottom of the Notification Center, when you click on the Edit button a new button shows up. It reads App Store. Click it to open the Mac App Store and see apps with Notification Widgets.

How to Control macOS Notification Center is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The Windows 10 Start Menu looks a lot like the one that came with Windows 8, but it’s a big departure from the Windows 7 and earlier Start Menus. In this round-upwe’ll show users how to master their Windows 10 Start Menu with ten awesome tips so you can get control of their Windows PCs like professionals.

Microsoft made a video showing some of the tips and tricks in this article. They include a few tips that we didn’t.

Windows 10 Start Menu Resizing

Windows 10 users don’t have to settle for the default size of their Start Menu. They can change the Start Menu in one of a couple of ways. First, users can make it fill the entire screen. Second, they can drag and drop to make it larger or smaller than it now is, even if it doesn’t fill the entire screen.

Open the Start Menu by clicking on it from the lower right corner or by using the Windows key on your keyboard, if it has one. Then move the mouse cursor over the edge of the Start Menu. You can see the way it changes in the image above. Now drag to resize it. You can drag from the sides or the top of the menu area.

Windows 1o Start Menu in Tablet Mode

Users might prefer to make the Windows 10 Start Menu fill the screen. Do this by changing the PC into Tablet Mode. Open the Action Center by clicking in the small box that looks like a quote call out in the lower right corner of the screen. The Action Center opens and probably includes a button at the bottom of the Action Center that says Tablet Mode. Click on it and the Taskbar changes so that all of your program icons disappear. However, your Start Menu will now fill the screen when you click on the Windows button or press the Windows key on the keyboard.

If you don’t see the Tablet Mode button in the Action Center, then you can turn it on by opening All Settings from the Action Center or from the Start Menu. You’ll find Settings two icons above the Windows button when you click it. You can also right-click on the Windows button and choose Settings.

In the Settings screen, click on System. Then click on Tablet Mode (#1 above). In the Tablet Mode settings screen click on the first drop down box under the phrase When I sign in (#2 above). Choose Use Tablet Mode that the system always opens up with the full screen Start Menu showing.

While in Tablet Mode, the taskbar changes hiding the pinned program icons. You can get them back by turning on the switch under Hide app icons on the taskbar in tablet mode (#3 above).

Quickly Open System Tools Using Right-click on Start Menu

As we mentioned above, you can quickly open a list of system tools using the right-click action on the Start Menu Windows button in the lower left corner. Here’s a list of the available tools:

• Apps and Features – opens the Apps and Features settings including a list of currently installed apps and programs that the user can uninstall. It also includes a place to turn on or off optional Windows 10 features.
• Power Options – change any power features like how quickly to turn off the computer or when to go to sleep.
• Event Viewer – shows event logs, which let advanced users know more about what’s happening if there’s a crash or system problem.
• System – shows information about the system, like the name the PC shows on a network or installed RAM and more.
• Device Manager – shows the devices installed on the computer and lets the user work with device drivers.
• Network Connections – network connection settings.
• Disk Management – lets user see what drives the computer has installed and lets users work with drives so they can format them or partition them.
• Windows PowerShell – like a command prompt that lets users run powerful scripts. Users should not use PowerShell unless they know how to use it properly since it could mess up their system.
• Windows PowerShell (Admin) – same as above with administrative rights.
• Task Manager – shows details about programs running and features in Windows running in the background where users can actually see them. Take a look at the Startup tab to see programs that run each time you start your computer. They can slow down the computer and you may want to remove them from the list.
• Settings – a central place for all the important Windows 10 Settings, like adding or removing devices, updating Windows, personalizing the look and behavior of the OS and more.
• File Explorer – opens the Windows File Explorer so you can work with your files.
• Search – lets you search your computer and more using Cortana.
• Run – lets users run programs using the program file name.
• Shut down or sign out – fly out menu that shows a new menu listing the following:
  • Sign out – sign out of the current user account but doesn’t shut down the system.
  • Shut down – shuts the computer down and turns off.
  • Restart – restarts the computer.
• Desktop – hides all open windows and shows the Windows Desktop.

Use Alphabetical Program Lists

People with a lot of programs on their computer might struggle to find them. When you open the Start Menu, there’s a list of programs along the left and they’re organized into three groups. There’s Recently added, Most used and the alphabetical listings under each letter of the alphabet.

You may not want to scroll down a long list of programs to a piece of software that begins with the letter T. Just lick on the section label, like Recently added, Most used or the A in the group of programs that begin with the letter A. You’ll see all the letters of the alphabet. Click the letter T and it jumps to that grouping of programs that all begin with that letter.

You can go back to the list by clicking on the icon next to the letter A that looks like a little clock.

Turn Live Tiles On or Off

Live Tiles offer a cool feature in the Windows 10 Start Menu. They show information in real-time like sports scores, news updates or live weather. However, people may want to turn them off and then later turn them back on. It’s simple to do. Open the Start Menu using the Windows Start button in the lower left corner or with the Window keyboard button. Find the tile you want to change and right-click on it or long press with your finger. If you right-click a pop up menu shows up. Click on More and then Turn Live Tile off.

Long press with your finger on a live tile to show the two controls and tap the lower control.

If you long press with your finger, two controls show up. Tap on the one with three dots in the lower right corner of the live tile to show the pop up menu and then tap on More and Turn Live Tile off.

Rearrange Tiles on the Windows 10 Start Menu

Move the Windows 10 Start Menu tiles around to arrange them the way you want. Drag and drop each tile to put them where you like.

I like to arrange my Start Menu tiles by groups. For example, I put all the apps for my laptop manufacturer that I use in one group. I have a group for creative apps and another for Favorites. Just drag those tiles into a group. Play around to see how they behave as you drag and drop them.

Resize Tiles on Windows 10 Start Menu

The tile arrangement on the Windows 10 Start Menu can change depending on the user’s preferences. Sometimes it’s helpful to change the size of tiles to arrange them more effectively. To do this, right-click or long press the way you did above to turn Live Tiles on or off. Then, choose the menu item labelled Resize and then pick one of the sizes.

Not all tiles will show all four of the sizes. Also, Live Tiles won’t show live content when you resize the tile too small.

Open Recent Files from Tile Right Click Menu

One of the cool features of tiles shows a list of recent files opened in a program. For example, the Microsoft Office tiles show a list of recent files open by the various Office programs.

To show the program’s list of recent files, open the Start Menu and then right-click on the tile of the program. The list shows up at the bottom of the pop up menu. Click a file to open that program with that file open. Hover over the file to see a pop up that shows the place on the Windows hard drive.

Uninstall Apps and Programs from the Start Menu

The Windows 10 Start Menu lets uses uninstall programs and apps from the menu. To do this, right-click on a tile and choose Uninstall from the pop up menu. You can also find the program from the alphabetical list of programs on the left side. Right-click the name of the program from the list and choose Uninstall.

Pin and Unpin Programs to the Start Menu

If you want to add a program to the Windows 10 Start Menu, then find the program in the list on the left side of the Start Menu and right-click it or press and hold till the context menu pops up. Choose to Pin to Start to add it to the Start Menu. You can then drag and drop it where you want on the menu or change the size of the tile using the steps mentioned above.

You may want to remove some programs on the Start Menu. Right-click or press and hold the tile. Choose Unpin from Start from the context menu that pops up.

10 Windows 10 Start Menu Tips to Master Your PC is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.