Articles by: Alex Wawro

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering the movers and shakers in both industries for media outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to printers, keyboards and mice. If you plug it into a PC, he's probably the person to talk to.

Articles by: Alex Wawro

Intel Meteor Lake CPU on blue background

New Meteor Lake laptops from Samsung, HP and more could arrive as soon as next week

By Alex Wawro published 4 December 23

The first Meteor Lake laptops from Samsung, HP and more could arrive as soon as this month.

By the way, did you know Alexa's annoying suggestions can be turned off? Here's how

By Alex Wawro published 3 December 23

One simple phrase can put an end to Alexa's annoying "By the way, did you know..." suggestions for good. Here's how.

Apple just landed a patent that could kill the iPhone notch for good — here’s how

By Alex Wawro published 29 November 23

Apple's latest patent lays out ways to embed a camera beneath a display, which could spell the end for the dreaded notch on your iPhone and MacBook.

Dell XPS 13 Plus: Reasons to buy and skip this Black Friday deal

By Alex Wawro published 25 November 23

Dell's Black Friday deal on a new XPS 13 Plus (2023) knocks $300 or more off the price of its lightest laptop. Here's good reasons to snag this deal, as well as reasons you may want to wait.

I love this Dell touchscreen monitor + USB hub — and it’s $100 off for Black Friday now

By Alex Wawro published 18 November 23

This 24-inch touchscreen monitor may not be the brightest, the fastest or the best, but it has a slew of features that make it a great complement to your laptop — and I love the way it moves.

Windows 11 just became an app for your iPhone — here's how it works

By Alex Wawro published 17 November 23

Microsoft dropped a new Windows app (in preview form) that lets you stream Windows to iPhones, iPads, Macs and Android devices. Here's what you can do with it, and when.

Bing with ChatGPT is now Copilot — what it means for you

By Alex Wawro published 15 November 23

Microsoft is officially rebranding Bing with ChatGPT to Copilot, envisioning it as an extension of its Microsoft 365 Copilot service. Here's how that's going to change things.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit on a coffee table running Windows 11

Windows 11 could finally let you uninstall one of Microsoft's most annoying apps

By Alex Wawro published 14 November 23

Windows 11 may soon let you uninstall some of its most annoying bloatware, including the Camera and Cortana apps, if an in-development Windows update rolls out to everyone.

I've never bought a Mac, but this one thing would sell me instantly

By Alex Wawro published 12 November 23

Touchscreens on Macs make so much sense that I started dreaming they were real. Here's a glimpse at what a glorious future that could be.

Apple Vision Pro may let you draw a ‘privacy cloak’ around you and a friend — here’s how

By Alex Wawro published 9 November 23

Get ready to gossip with confidence in AR, VR and beyond

MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 holding in air open

MacBook Pro M3 battery life tested — this blows everything else away

By Alex Wawro last updated 7 November 23

The new MacBook Pro M3 laptops are remarkably long-lived, outlasting some of the best laptops on the market—but not the best MacBooks.

Windows 11 Copilot could be a game-changer for how I work — here's why

By Alex Wawro published 4 November 23

Windows Copilot + Voice Access could revolutionize PCs for me

Apple October Event recap: M3 MacBook Pro, new M3 iMac and all the ‘scary fast’ news

By Jason England last updated 31 October 23

Here's everything we learned at the Apple October 'Scary Fast' event on October 30, where we met the new Apple M3 chip family and the new iMac and MacBook Pros they power.

Apple ‘Scary Fast’ event — all the new products we expect to see

By Alex Wawro last updated 30 October 23

Here's all the Macs we expect Apple to launch on Monday's 'Scary Fast' event, which kicks off Monday October 30th at 5 PM Pacific.

Microsoft CEO sees AI-powered Copilot as 'like the Start button' of Windows

By Alex Wawro last updated 26 October 23

"[Windows Copilot] completely changes, I think, the user habits" said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a recent chat with Qualcomm's CEO that could give us a hint of what's to come in Windows.

macOS Sonoma desktop on MacBook Pro 14 inch

macOS Sonoma lets you turn any website into an app you can dock — here's how

By Alex Wawro published 26 October 23

Apple's macOS Sonoma gives you the ability to turn any website into an "app" you can dock and open like any other. Here's how to do it, and what the benefits are.

Siri presenting 'Go ahead, I'm listening' in text on iPhone screen.

Apple reportedly spending $1 billion a year on AI — here’s what it could bring your iPhone and more

By Alex Wawro published 23 October 23

Apple is reportedly planning to spend $1 billion a year on generative AI, which means you should expect to see ChatGPT-like features showing up in iOS, iPadOS and macOS down the road.

Woman grimacing at a bright computer screen

Everything needs a Dark Mode now that OLED is everywhere

By Alex Wawro published 22 October 23

Dark mode is more critical than ever in the age of HDR and OLED, so why don't more major sites and services offer it? Here's how our computing editor avoids getting blinded in 2023.

How to use Windows 11 Copilot — here's what you can do with AI

By Alex Wawro last updated 21 October 23

Want to do more with your Windows PC? Follow our straightforward guide to how to access Windows 11's brand-new AI chatbot.

Intel debuts new Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs without raising prices

By Alex Wawro published 16 October 23

Intel's new Raptor Lake desktop chips refresh the line with a fresh set of CPUs that are slightly more powerful and slightly cheaper than last year's models.

This smartwatch does everything I want from an Apple Watch for just $30

By Alex Wawro published 14 October 23

This $30 open-source smartwatch isn't as powerful or as capable as the Apple Watch, but it works with my iPhone 13 well enough and does everything I want it to for hundreds of dollars less.

Windows 11 finally gets RGB lighting controls - here's how to use them

By Alex Wawro published 5 October 23

Windows 11 finally gets a menu for controlling your PC's RGB lighting, though it's a bit anemic at launch. Here's how it works, and how to make the most of it.

Windows 11 update with Copilot just dropped — here's what it's like to use Microsoft's AI assistant

By Alex Wawro published 27 September 23

You can now download the latest Windows 11 update to get access to the new Copilot assistant as well as new features in File Explorer, Paint and more. Here's how.