As one of the leading makers of Chromebooks, this spring Acer is refreshing its lineup with two new offerings in the Chromebook Spin 714 and the Chromebook Tab 510.
Starting at $750 (or $1,100 for the enterprise model), the Chromebook Spin 714 is the more premium of the two, featuring up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and a 14-inch 2560 x 1600 display. And as an added bonus, the Gorilla Glass used on its display includes an antimicrobial coating designed to resist stains and bacteria. At the same time, the screen's 16:10 aspect ratio gives you a little extra vertical screen space for productivity.
Acer
Meanwhile, because the Spin 714 is part of Intel's Evo platform, the laptop includes good connectivity thanks to support for Wi-Fi 6E, an HDMI jack and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. As for battery life, Acer is claiming up to 10 hours on a single charge, with fast charging that can add four hours of additional runtime after being plugged in for 30 minutes. And for people who want a quick and easy way to login to their laptop, there's also an optional fingerprint reader.
But the feature that sets the Spin 714 apart from a lot of other Chromebooks is its stylus, which features 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and has a built-in garage for easy storage. And despite having a flexible 360-degree hinge, the laptop has MIL-STD 810H durability designed to guard against drops and splashes.
Alternatively, for people looking for a more affordable convertible Chromebook, there's the $400 Chromebook Tab 510. Instead of sporting a 360-degree hinge, the Tab 510 features a detachable 2-in-1 design powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip. That said, for those wanting to use the Tab 510 as a laptop-like hybrid, just remember its Keyboard Folio Case is an optional accessory.
Acer
Sporting a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 screen, the Tab 510 is a lot more portable than the Spin 714, and it gets slightly better battery life too, with Acer promising 11 hours on a single charge. And in addition to its front-facing 5-MP webcam, there's 8-MP camera in back. However, even with its lower price, the tablet also supports MIL-STD 810H durability, along with bumpers on each corner and a reinforced chassis for even more rugged credibility. And similar to the Spin 714, the Tab 510 also comes with a built-in stylus.
In North America, the Chromebook Tab 510 is slated to go on sale sometime in July starting at $400, with the Chromebook Spin 714 arriving slightly later in August starting at $750.
You don't need to pay a hefty sum (or go large) to get OLED in a laptop. Acer has unveiled a refreshed laptop line headlined by the Swift 3 OLED, an enhanced version of its thin-and-light mainstream portable. The highlight, as you'd guess, is a 14-inch "2.8K" display that promises OLED's signature high contrast, accurate color (100 percent of DCI-P3) and 500-nit HDR. Add in a 92 percent screen-to-body ratio and it might be a good fit if you want lush visuals without buying an exotic PC.
The Swift 3 OLED runs on 12th-gen Intel Core H-series chips with Iris Xe integrated graphics, PCIe Gen 4 SSDs and as much as 16GB of LPDDR5 memory. It ships to the US this July starting at $900. While we wouldn't call it a budget laptop, that's a relative bargain given the display tech.
Acer
The are upgrades for convertible machines, too. The 14-inch Spin 5 (shown at middle) comes with a 1600p display and configurations that offer up to a 12th-gen Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. You'll also get two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an improved cooling system that should net more performance under heavy loads. Opt for the Spin 3 and you'll get 'just' a 1080p 14-inch display, but you'll also have the twin Thunderbolt 4 ports, SSD storage and a range of 12th-gen Core CPUs.
The updated Spin 5 arrives first, shipping in July with a $1,350 starting price. Acer delivers the new Spin 3 in August at an $850 base sticker.
And yes, Acer is expanding its eco-friendly Vero line. You'll find new 14- and 15-inch Vero laptops that meld 12th-gen Core, Thunderbolt 4 and 1080p displays with bodies made partly from recycled and ocean-bound plastic. Desktop users can spring for a 24-inch Veriton Vero all-in-one with up to a 12th-gen Core i9 and GeForce MX550 graphics. The Vero portables ship to the US in September starting at $750 regardless of size, while the Veriton Vero will wait until October to sell for $799.
3D TVs may be dead, but Acer isn't giving up on the dream of going beyond 2D just yet. It's spent years hyping up its SpatialLabs technology, which lets you view stereoscopic 3D content without any clunky glasses. Now that innovation is headed to the company's gaming laptops, starting with the new Predator Helio 300 SpatialLabs Edition. The company says you'll be able to play more than 50 modern and classic games in 3D, including Forza Horizon 5, No Man's Sky and God of War (no Halo Infinite yet, sadly).
Naturally, though, you'll have to pay a huge premium to be an early glasses-free 3D adopter. The Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition will start at $3,400 when it arrives in the fourth quarter. You'll get some killer hardware under the hood, like Intel's latest 12th-gen CPUs, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to NVIDIA's RTX 3080, but it's clearly not meant for the typical gamer. It weighs a hefty 6.6 pounds, and the small amount of supported 3D titles makes this laptop seem even more like a niche product.
Acer
Still, the display nerd in me is eager to see how Acer actually implements this technology. I was impressed by some early SpatialLabs demos years ago, but it's another thing to transform a game into a fully 3D experience. The technology relies on a combination of eye tracking (which helps the image stay in focus without additional glasses), real-time rendering and a stereoscopic 15.6-inch screen. Acer is also bringing SpatialLabs' 3D hardware to its ConceptD7 laptop this year.
If you're just looking for a thin gaming laptop, without any fancy 3D screens, Acer is also updating the Predator Triton 300 SE with 12th-gen Intel chips, RTX 3000-series GPUs and 16:10 OLED panels. A 16-inch model with a 240Hz 1,440p display is joining the existing 14-inch version, giving the company options for gamers who want the lightest possible machine or something with a bit more breathing room. The smaller model tops out with an RTX 3060, but the larger one can squeeze in a beefier 3070 Ti.
We've generally liked Acer's gaming hardware over the years (except when they introduce useless concepts like swiveling screens). Based on my brief hands-on time with the Triton 300 SE, it seems like yet another solid option for a stylish-yet-portable gaming rig. The new OLED screen is clearly the star of the show, delivering deep black levels and glorious colors in a few Halo Infinite matches, but its 90Hz refresh rate may disappoint gamers used to faster LCDs. Those folks can just opt for the 165Hz 1080p and 1,440p LCDs, instead. The 14-inch Triton 300 SE is lighter than the Razer Blade 14, clocking in at 3.7 pounds instead of 3.9, and its overall build quality feels just as premium.
You'll find the 14-inch Triton 300 SE in July starting at $1,600, while the 16-inch version will arrive in August for $1,750.
Acer's creativity-oriented ConceptD laptops are joining the wave of OLED upgrades. The PC maker has updated its ConceptD 5 and ConceptD 5 Pro portables with a 16-inch, 3,840 x 2,400 OLED screen that promises very high contrast while preserving the all-important color accuracy for visual editing. You can expect 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, Pantone Matching System colors and Delta E<2 calibration. Acer also promises HDR support, although the display's 400-nit brightness will limit that output.
Both systems promise up-to-the-minute specs, including 12th-gen Intel Core chips (up to the i7-12700H), up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and as much as 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and a full-size SD card reader should also help creatives. The differences largely come down to GPUs. The ConceptD 5 is more mainstream with GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, while the Pro version uses the workstation-focused RTX A5500.
The ConceptD 5 comes to North America in August with a $2,500 starting price. The Pro edition will only be available in Europe and the Middle East this September, when it will sell for €2,599 (about $2,740). That's not a small expense, but it could be easy to justify if your livelihood depends on a powerful laptop.
Acer's no-glasses 3D is finally available beyond a laptop. The company has trotted out SpatialLabs View and SpatialLabs View Pro portable monitors that bring the more immersive screen tech to gamers and creators. Both 15.6-inch displays deliver stereoscopic 3D for content that either has a profile (for over 50 games) or the right export plugin. The screens can convert 2D content to 3D, and they'll still be useful as 4K monitors with a 400-nit brightness and 100 percent Adobe RGB color coverage.
The differences largely come down to tweaks for particular audiences. The Pro builds on the regular SpatialLabs View with both creative tech and an "intelligent industrial design" to help deploy in the field. You can even use a VESA wall mount when you want a more permanent presence than the integrated kickstand (present on both models) can provide.
You'll have to wait until summer for either model. Acer hasn't yet outlined pricing, but these stand-alone monitors should be considerably more affordable than the $1,700 the company originally charged for its lowest-priced 3D laptop. It's just a question of whether or not you want a 3D monitor in the first place. The glasses-free visuals could add a pleasant spin to otherwise familiar experiences, but there's little doubt they'll carry a premium compared to 'plain' 2D screens.
Amazon has introduced its next generation of Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets, which it says is faster and can last longer than previous models. The new Fire 7 has double the RAM of the previous generation and is powered by a quad-core processor that's 30 percent faster, allowing the tablet to deliver a smoother performance and to more quickly switch between apps. It also has 40 percent more battery life and can last for up to 10 hours while browsing and watching videos. And, unlike previous Fire 7 models, it now comes with a USB-C port instead of a micro-USB.
The new Fire 7 has two-megapixel front and rear cameras. While they won't be taking the clearest pictures you'll see, they can be good enough for video calls with their 720p HD video recording capability. As expected of an Amazon device, it comes with Alexa and can play videos and music, open apps, check the weather and call or message anybody with just a voice command.
Meanwhile, Fire 7 for Kids comes bundled with a kid-proof case in blue, red or purple. It has a two-year worry-free guarantee and a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, which gives children access to age-appropriate educational content from Disney+, Sesame Street Workshop, PBS Kids, National Geographic and other sources.
Now that the Matter smart home standard is finally close to launch, Samsung is doing its part to help device makers get ready. The company's SmartThings unit has launched an early access program that will help some smart home companies test their first Matter-friendly products. The initial roster of 10 brands includes a multiple well-known names like Eve Systems, Nanoleaf, Wemo and Yale.
The program will verify that devices will support both SmartThings hubs and control through the SmartThings app. You ideally won't need a dedicated hub just to bring this technology into your household. Matter will support a range of assistants (including Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri) as well as connectivity like Bluetooth LE, Thread and WiFi.
The effort comes just days after Google committed to rolling out Matter in the fall. The standard has endured multiple delays, and it's not yet clear how well it will work in practice. However, Samsung's testing should increase the chances of a smooth debut – it may just be a question of choosing the devices that best suit your needs.
At the most basic level, the only kitchen equipment you really need are a knife, cutting board, a heatproof vessel of some kind and perhaps a utensil or two. But if you really want to take your cooking to the next level – and who doesn’t? – you’ll want to invest in a few accoutrements. From pressure cookers to toaster ovens, these are our favorite kitchen must-haves that will make cooking easier, faster and maybe even more enjoyable.
Best multi-cooker: Instant Pot Duo Plus
Instant Pot
If you haven’t yet hopped on the bandwagon, a multi-cooker like the Instant Pot could become part of your regular rotation. This cult favorite can perform multiple tasks, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, rice cooking, yogurt making, steaming and warming. The combination of all these features make it easy to prepare stews, soups, braises and more. You can make cheesecake in it too! Our favorite model for most people is the Instant Pot Duo Plus because it’s simple to use, with several quick-cooking modes for soup, eggs, porridge and grains. It has sterilizing and sous vide cooking functions too.
Want a smarter Instant Pot instead? Consider the Instant Pot Pro Plus. It not only has updated features like a canning function and an oven-safe inner pot, but you also get WiFi connectivity and a companion app, which offers step-by-step guided instructions for over 800 recipes. Plus, you can use it to release the Instant Pot’s steam remotely. You can also use the app to set a timer to release the steam automatically.
Nobody wants to eat undercooked meat, but it’s pretty inedible when it’s overcooked as well. One way to avoid either extreme is to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Our favorite is the Thermapen One from ThermoWorks. It gives readings instantaneously, and the screen rotates automatically depending on how you’re holding it. The auto-wake and sleep feature is useful for quick temp checks, and its IP67 waterproofing rating means you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping it in the sink.
The ThermoPop is a more affordable option in ThermoWorks’ lineup. It’s not quite as fast as the Thermapen One, and it doesn’t have the rotating display or backlight. But it still measures temperatures accurately and while it’s not waterproof, it is splash resistant.
Bakers everywhere know that the most precise way to measure ingredients is with a scale. A “cup of flour” can be wildly different depending on how you scoop it, while a scale can tell you exactly if you have 120 grams. A digital scale is best for the most accurate measurements, and we especially like the Escali Primo. You can switch between grams and ounces with a single press, and importantly, there’s also a tare button that zeros out the weight so you can keep measuring in the same container. One reason we like the Escali Primo over other models is that it has a very long auto-off timer, allowing it to stay on for four minutes before shutting off. That’s important for when you need the extra time to chop up vegetables or gather other ingredients without having to worry about the scale resetting to zero.
The hottest kitchen gadget right now seems to be the air fryer, presumably because the idea of “frying” foods without the oily mess is an easy sell. Really, though, air fryers are just miniature convection ovens. They’re typically pod-shaped and often come with a removable basket. There are also toaster ovens with an air-frying function – see our recommendations below – if you prefer to have a multi-purpose appliance.
Though both have their own merits, if you think you’re going to be air-frying a lot, we actually recommend a dedicated pod-shaped air fryer. These devices tend to result in crispier food, plus they’re easier to clean. One of our favorites is the Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook and OdorErase. As the name suggests, it has a window so you can see what you’re cooking, as well as odor-eliminating filters that help reduce cooking smells – not many other air fryers have both. It also doesn’t take up as much space as a large toaster oven and it has easy to use controls.
Sure, you could probably mix together a batch of cookie dough by hand, but it’ll take time and quite a bit of upper body strength. That’s even truer if you want to knead bread dough or whip up a meringue. Save yourself the trouble by getting a stand mixer. The favorite among bakers and amateur cooks for years have been KitchenAid’s Artisan series. It’s durable, powerful and it comes with your choice of paddle, hook and whisk attachments. We also like that the KitchenAid mixers are compatible with a variety of accessories and attachments that can turn the machine into an ice cream maker, a meat grinder and a pasta machine just in case you want to expand your culinary horizons.
It’s hard to beat the Vitamix in this space. The high-performance blender brand makes machines that do more than just prep smoothies, but can also make sauces, batters and soups. It’s especially handy if you have a habit of adding tougher ingredients into your recipes – things like nuts, dried fruit and frozen produce. Whereas other, less powerful blenders may leave chunks once you introduce hardier ingredients, the Vitamix won’t, leaving you with a silky smooth final product.
Depending on the model you get, you can also buy different attachments to make the most of the blender’s powerful base. You can pick up 64-ounce containers for making smoothies for your whole family at once or a “dry grain” container that’s outfitted with a blade specifically for grinding up things like whole grains so you can make your own flour.
Vitamix currently has four series of blenders: the basic Vitamix One, which comes in at $250; the slightly more advanced Explorian series, which starts at $350 and is arguably best for most people; the Legacy series, starting at $400; and the advanced Ascent series, which will set you back at least $500. Yes, these are expensive machines, but it’s worth investing in if you do a lot of blending or like to experiment with making things from scratch.
Best toaster oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
Breville
A toaster oven is a surprisingly versatile appliance. Yes, you can use it to toast bread, buns, and all manner of baked goods. But it’s also a great alternative when you don’t want to warm up your whole house with your full-size oven. It heats up far faster too, which makes it a more efficient choice for warming up leftovers.
We love the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro as it’s big enough to roast a chicken and it also has other functions like dehydrate, proof and air fry (thanks to a super convection mode). It also includes presets for baking pizzas and toasting bagels. A step up from that is the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, which adds WiFi connectivity so you can control it from your phone. The app has lots of recipes, too, and there’s an “autopilot” feature that automatically adjusts the temperature during cooking.
If you don’t want something quite so large, a smaller and more affordable alternative is the Panasonic Flash Express. It’s roomy enough to handle a slice of pizza but definitely won’t take up as much space as the Breville. It’s definitely a great option if all you want is a toaster oven for heating up frozen snacks or toasting several bread slices at once.
Best sous vide machine: Anova Precision Cooker Nano
Anova
If you want to make sure your expensive steak is perfectly medium rare without having to constantly monitor its temperature, consider getting a sous vide cooker. These machines let you cook anything inside a temperature-controlled water bath so that it’s done to perfection. We’ve successfully made steak, chicken, burgers, eggs and even yogurt in a sous vide cooker, and the results have been perfect every time.
Our favorite model is the Anova Precision Cooker Nano. It’s relatively affordable, it’s compact enough to store in a drawer and the controls are easy to use. The companion app is thoughtfully designed as well, with hundreds of recipes and the option to control the machine remotely. There are other sous vide cookers that might be more advanced, but the Nano is the only one that combines affordability and precision in this compact of a form factor. And even though there’s a companion app, you don’t have to use it; you can easily adjust the temperature with the on-board controls and the large digital display.
Another option we recommend is the Breville Joule. It’s a little more expensive and it lacks the digital readout that the Anova has, but it’s even more compact. Plus, it has a magnetic base that makes it a little easier to attach to certain pots. We’re also a fan of the Joule app, which has a “visual doneness” guide that shows you photos of how the food should look when it’s done.
Best smart displays: Amazon Echo Show 8, Google Nest Hub
Google
Though they’re not made specifically for the kitchen, smart displays from either Amazon or Google make wonderful cooking companions. Searching for recipes is as easy as using your voice (you can say “Look up recipes for tomato soup,” for example). Each recipe features a list of ingredients that you can easily add to your phone, plus step-by-step instructions that you can follow along on screen as you cook. Some recipes even have photo or video guidance, which is especially helpful for beginner cooks. Additionally, you can use smart displays to set timers – a must-have feature for kitchen use.
As for which smart display to choose, we recommend going with either the Amazon Echo Show 8 or the 7-inch Google Nest Hub. They each have a decent screen size for reading through recipes and are fairly affordable as well. We generally prefer the Nest Hub because we like YouTube (there are plenty of great cooking shows on there), but the Echo Show 8 does offer apps for Food Network Kitchen and Allrecipes. Of course, you should pick the smart display that best aligns with your preferred ecosystem regardless. You can read more about picking the best smart display here.
If you prefer a more portable device, tablets are also fantastic options. You can look up recipes from any source you like, including blogs and social media, which aren’t always accessible on smart displays – be sure to check out our guide on online cooking resources for some examples. Sure, you can use your phone as well, but a tablet’s larger screen can make all the difference when you want to read a recipe at a glance. We probably wouldn’t suggest a super high-end tablet for kitchen jobs – you don’t want to cover your $1,000 possession in flour do you? – but a model with 720p resolution is fine for watching recipe videos. For iOS users, we recommend Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad, while we think Android users will be happy with Amazon’s Fire HD 8.
Huawei is today launching the Watch GT 3 Pro, which takes much of the features from the existing Watch GT 3 and sticks them in a much nicer body. The three regular versions, each with 46mm cases, are getting a titanium body and, depending on which model you opt for, a rubber, leather or titanium strap. From there, you’ll get most of the same features as the GT 3, albeit with the ability to run your own ECG when Huawei gets permission to activate the feature.
Huawei
Of more interest is the new Ceramic 42mm version, which offers a white case with gold accents and a white strap. It may be aimed at a different demographic, but it also looks at first blush like the coolest, fanciest and most unique of the bunch. Otherwise, you’ll get much of the same health and fitness tracking found on the GT 3, plus a bunch of pre-loaded golf maps and a free diving mode to help folks who like going underwater without assistance.
At the same time, Huawei is also announcing the Watch Fit 2, a sports and activity tracker that offers coaching. The new 1.74-inch AMOLED display is nearly 20 percent larger than was found on the Fit 1, and the feature set has broadened to include quick replies for WhatsApp as well as Huawei’s own apps. With space for 500 songs on board, and Huawei’s latest optical heart-rate sensor on the back, it’s designed to scratch the itch for folks who want a fitness-focused gadget but don’t need a full-blown smartwatch.
Apple's third-generation AirPods are a big improvement over the previous model and only came out late last year. But you can now grab a pair at Amazon for just $150, a significant 16 percent ($29) off the regular price and only $10 higher than the cheapest deal we've seen to date.
Apple's latest earbuds garnered an Engadget review score of 88, and we noted that they were "better in nearly every way" than the 2nd-gen models. That's due in part to a new, more comfortable design that's a better fit for more people. Sound quality is equally improved thanks to the rich bass and overall clarity and you get an excellent 30 hours of battery life with the included charging case. And on top of improving performance, the H1 chip enables hands-free Siri, spatial audio support with head tracking and pairing with multiple Apple devices.
If you really have trouble with earphones fitting, the one-size-fits-all AirPods might not be right for you — for a more custom fit and noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro might be a better choice. Those are also on sale as well, luckily, for $197 or 21 percent off the regular price. Just remember that both models are really designed for Apple's ecosystem of devices, so Android users had best look elsewhere.
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