Mark HachmanSenior Editor, PCWorld
As PCWorld's senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.
Skype taps Whisper's Signal protocol to test encrypted calls and chats
Microsoft's Skype uses Whisper's Signal protocol to establish Private Conversations for secure end-to-end chats and calls between two devices.
Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 tablet unexpectedly adds a bigger, better 13-inch screen
Lenovo's third-generation ThinkPad X1 Tablet improves upon its predecessors with a larger, 13-inch 3K screen and upgraded pen, among other features.
WPA3 is coming to Wi-Fi routers in 2018, with better encryption and login management
The Wi-Fi Alliance announces the next-gen WPA3 standard, which will help secure routers even with lousy passwords.
Microsoft tests show Spectre patches drag down performance on older PCs
Microsoft says that an older version of Windows or older Intel silicon will experience a noticeable performance hit when applying a Spectre patch. Intel is less detailed in its performance information.
Dell's Mobile Connect app offers a simple way to mirror your smartphone on your PC
The free Dell Mobile Connect app works with iPhones and Android phones, and lets you make calls, play games, or use apps that are stored on your phone.
Qualcomm promotes the concept of combining routers with smart speakers
Your next router from Comcast or Cox could double as a smart speaker powered by Alexa, Cortana, or Google, if Qualcomm has its way.
Intel debuts 49-qubit quantum chip as it wrestles with Meltdown, Spectre fallout
Intel has reportedly added a dedicated chip security group as it wrestles with lingering issues from Meltdown and Spectre. At CES, though, Intel tried to shift focus toward quantum computing and other ventures.
Amazon's Alexa app headed to Windows PCs, exposing Cortana's smart-home weakness
Major PC makers like Asus, Acer, and HP will use Amazon's Alexa digital assistant, highlighting Microsoft's weakness in natural language and smart-home control.
Intel launches five Core chips with Radeon graphics from rival AMD
Intel unveils the speeds, feeds, and prices of the 8th-gen Intel Core with Radeon RX Vega M graphics, or what some are calling Kaby Lake-G. The new chips will appear in notebooks from Dell and HP, plus new Intel NUCs.
HP recalls 50,000 batteries from consumer notebooks after meltdowns are reported
HP has recalled 50,000 notebook batteries sold in the last two years from popular notebooks including the x360, Pavilion, and Envy series, after several reports of batteries' charring and and even melting.
Intel responds to the CPU kernel bug, claiming its patches will make PCs 'immune'
Intel acknowledged that a CPU kernel bug, being referred to as a side-channel analysis exploit, has the potential to affect chips from ARM and AMD. Patches for the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities may carry performance penalties of between 0 and 30 percent.
Blade's Shadow cloud PC service reinvents cloud gaming one more time
Blade, a French startup, is launching a cloud PC service that's optimized for PC gaming, in the spirit of such failed pioneers as OnLive.
Lenovo Ideapad Miix 520 review: A superb Windows tablet with subpar battery life
The Lenovo Miix 520 is one of the best two-in-one Windows tablets we've seen, powered by a new 8th-generation Core chip. Its only big flaw is relatively poor battery life.
Why Microsoft's Groove Music app is the forgotten MP3 player you still need
Remixes, mashups, live tracks: Here's why you'll want to store your archived MP3s on OneDrive and access them via Windows 10's Groove Music app—even if you have a Spotify subscription.
Eye tracking within Windows 10's Fall Creators Update is an assistive technology with potential
Microsoft's Fall Creators Update of Windows 10 includes a beta of an eye-tracking technology, called Eye Control. What could be a solid eye tracker falls short due to an apparent bug.