AMD Ryzen 5 1500X review

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AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

After a rough couple of years for AMD, Ryzen brought the heat back to the red team’s fire. The Ryzen 7 1700 surprised us with excellent overclocking capabilities and extra cores for increased productivity. The Ryzen 5 1500X is a more standard offering, with four cores, eight threads, and a 3.6GHz base clock, all for just $189.

The Ryzen 5 1500X enters a crowded market, seated directly across the table from Intel’s decidedly mid-range Core i5-7400 at the same price. Can the Ryzen 5 1500X stand out, or will it fade away into the background?

Ryzen’s back, back again

AMD’s new Ryzen chips marked a new era for the red team, with a completely reworked architecture and selling point. Those chips, particularly the entry-level Ryzen 7 1700, impressed us by bringing multi-core performance rivaling the more expensive Intel X99 CPUs to a much more affordable price point. If you’re interested in learning more about what makes Zen fresh and new, head on over to our Ryzen 7 1800X review.

We’re even using the same review system as the last time around. We built it for the Ryzen 7 1800X review, with an Asus Crosshair VI motherboard, 16GB of DDR4, and a Samsung SM951 NVMe SSD.

The basics

This review covers the four core, eight thread Ryzen 5 1500X, which carries a $189 MSRP, pointing it squarely at the Core i5-7400. The Intel chip falls way behind on paper, with a 3.0GHz base clock to the Ryzen 5 1500X’s 3.5GHz, and the AMD option hits 3.9GHz with XFR to the Core i5’s 3.5GHz Turbo Boost. AMD secures the lead with a massive 16MB of L2 cache, plus 512KB per core, embarrassing the Core i5’s 6MB of SmartCache overall.

Only the AMD chip arrives unlocked, if overclocking is in your blood. Intel includes its standard stock cooler, while the Ryzen 5 1500X packs in the AMD Wraith Spire, a new compact cooling option for Ryzen chips on the AM4 socket.

Check out our Ryzen 7 1800X review to learn more about the Zen architecture all Ryzen chips are based on.

On the road again

While our normal system testing is limited to the synthetic GeekBench CPU test, and a 4K encoding test through Handbrake, we run our CPUs through a more rigorous set of benchmarks. That includes the Cinebench multi-core rendering test, the 7-Zip built-in benchmark, and the Octane and Kraken browser tests.

As we dig into these performance graphs, it’s important to note the Ryzen 5 1500X is the cheapest CPU in these tests by far. Its position as the lowest score in most of the tests is to be expected. That said, the Ryzen 5 1500X falls well behind the Ryzen 5 1600X, which packs in two more cores, and has a higher 95-watt thermal design power. The 1600X costs $60 more, but its extra cores make a dramatic difference.

The biggest score difference comes from the Ryzen 7 chips, which both offer eight cores and sixteen threads. This gives them a massive advantage on tests and benchmarks that can take advantage of more than four cores. However, the Ryzen 7 chips don’t have much of a clock speed advantage over Ryzen 5, so the two trade blows in tests that focus less on multi-core performance.

The Ryzen 5 1500X can make sense for users who want a fast, affordable all-rounder. It lacks some of the Ryzen 5 1600X’s extra-core appeal, but at $23 per thread, it could be worth the savings, depending on your workload.

Games well enough, but it’s no superstar

Gaming remains the most common stressful use case for most consumer systems. Here, the most important factor is whether the Ryzen 5 1500X creates a bottleneck for a high-end GPU.

Mid-range system builders tend to care an awful lot about gaming performance, and the GPU is still the biggest determining factor. We tested the Ryzen 5 1500X with both an EVGA SC GTX 980 Ti and a Radeon RX 480 in For Honor, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and the 3DMark Time Spy test, the latter two of which run in DirectX 12.

Most modern games don’t tax the CPU to its full power during gaming, For Honor being a prime example. The average frame rate doesn’t swing very much across the different configurations, with just a 10 percent difference between the worst and best performing chips. That’s pretty minor, and it’d be hard to notice in subjective impressions.

The Ryzen 5 1500X clearly isn’t the best choice for gaming.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI places more stress on the CPU than other games, and the difference between the chips is more pronounced there. The Ryzen 5 1500X falls at the lower end of the spectrum, but not detrimentally so. It’s still reasonably close to the others.

Once again, it’s worth noting the 1500X’s big brother, the Ryzen 5 1600X, falls closer to the Ryzen 7 chips than it does the 1500X. Given the small $60 price difference, that’s to be expected, but it’s certainly an appealing proposition.

3DMark’s Time Spy puts the most strain on the CPU of any gaming test, and benefits from more cores more than a regular game. The Ryzen 5 1500X falls even further behind here, as every processor in the lineup, save the Core i7-7700K, has more cores without sacrificing speed.

So, the Ryzen 5 1500X clearly isn’t the best choice for gaming, but it also shouldn’t prevent you from launching and running any modern titles you throw at it. It might seem a reasonable choice if not for the 1600X hogging all the glory.

Stock cooler woes

With the stock AMD Ryzen Spire cooler, the chip already reaches above 70 degrees Celsius when benchmarking, quickly closing in on the dangerous operating range for a CPU. That didn’t give us a lot of confidence when it comes to overclocking, even though the Ryzen 5 1500X sports an unlocked CPU out of the box. In fact, the automatic sensor put our chip to a 3.6GHz base clock, 100MHz over the chip’s stated base clock.

As you can see, our fears were well founded. We were only able to squeeze another 200MHz out of the Ryzen 5 1500X, and that’s with a bumped voltage and temperatures peaking around 84 degrees Celsius under load. Worse yet, the performance boost under load was nominal in some use cases, thanks to the magic of Extended Frequency Ranges, or XFR.

The Ryzen 5 1500X’s shortcomings in core count hurt its chance of success.

Basically, Ryzen chips come out of the box in normal mode. The system automatically takes a few measurements and sets a reasonable clock speed and voltage for your chip. Because the Ryzen 5 1500X has the “X” at the end, it’s equipped with XFR, which allows the chip to automatically overclock itself beyond its normal Precision Boost maximum when conditions allow. Once you’ve flipped the switch and enabled overclocking mode, XFR is disabled. That means overclocking manually doesn’t net much improvement. We saw the same situation when we overclocked the Ryzen 7 1800X.

The moral of the story is you’re much better off leaving all the settings right where they are when you install the system, at least if you’re using the included cooler. If you do want to overclock, though, AMD’s Ryzen Master software sets the bar high for tweaking utilities, with an easy to use interface and the ability to make significant changes to settings on-the-fly. You can read more about that in the Ryzen 7 1800X review.

Warranty

Like almost every other processor on the market, the Ryzen 5 1500X comes from AMD sporting a three-year warranty. That’s the industry standard, but it doesn’t cover damage due to improper installation or overclocking. If you reach under the hood, make sure you’re careful.

Our Take

AMD’s return to relevance doesn’t stop with the many-cored Ryzen 7 1700, as the Ryzen 5 1500X serves up a gracious helping of mid-tier gaming and productivity performance. At just $189, it should blow Intel’s offering out at the price point out of the water, with plenty of room to grow. That said, the main draw for Ryzen is its high core count at an appealing price, and the Ryzen 5 1500X’s shortcomings in that area hurt its chances of success.

Is there a better alternative?

The DT Accessory Pack

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

$30

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 DRAM

$125

ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero Motherboard

$255

Samsung SM951 M.2 NVME SSD

$200

While processors stretch a huge range from $60 to $1,500 or more, the most obvious competitor is the Intel Core i5-7400. We don’t have one around to test, unfortunately, but we do have the slightly more expensive Core i7-7700K, and it just barely beats out the Ryzen 5, taking a stronger lead in some tests than others. The Core i5 lacks multi-threading, which could help the Ryzen come out ahead.

AMD’s Ryzen 1600X is also in the same league, and it turns out to be the 1500X’s biggest problem. Though it costs $60 more, the 1600X adds two extra cores, which means it significantly beats the 1500X in multi-core tests. If the split between the two were any closer, it would be a no-brainer, but as it stands, the Ryzen 5 1600X offers up a notable performance boost outside of gaming, while the Ryzen 5 1500X may stumble when asked fro more than an Overwatch session.

How long will it last?

AMD has promised to continue using the AM4 socket until at least 2020, leaving users a clear upgrade path for later generation chips down the line. The other Ryzen chips have more than four cores, which may help down the line, but for now, most workloads don’t use more than what the Ryzen 5 offers in terms of core count.

Should you buy it?

No. The Ryzen 5 1500X presents a solid alternative to the Core i5-7600K with all the modern features one would expect from a CPU, but the main draw for Ryzen chips is extra cores at the right price. The slightly more expensive Ryzen 5 1600X adds two cores and four threads, which will help with everything from streaming, to gaming, to productivity. Even if you’re prefer an AMD chip over Intel, you’re better off choosing the 1600X instead.

Western Digital unveils spinning disk G-Drives with USB Type-C, 10TB of storage

Why it matters to you

If you need to carry around a ton of storage, then WD’s new G-Drive options have you covered — and they can charge your Mac while they’re at it.

The new USB Type-C connection continues to make waves in the market, with more and more machines adding the new port and in some cases making it the exclusive connectivity option. As more peripherals switch over to USB Type-C, that becomes a net benefit, because the new specification offers some real benefits over legacy connections.

Storage is one area where USB Type-C can offer some advantages, and we’re seeing more storage options being released that leverage the new specification. Western Digital (WD) has just announced another USB Type-C storage option that focuses on high capacity, as 9to5Mac reports.

More: Western Digital’s My Passport SSD is available now with up to 1TB capacity

The WD G-Technology G-Drive now offers a hard disk drive (HDD) option to go along with the company’s external solid-state disks (SSDs) that WD had previously introduced. The spinning disk version of the G-Drive USB-C external drive offers between 4TB and 10TB of storage capacity for anyone who needs to store tons of photos, videos, and files and for whom performance isn’t the primary concern.

The G-Drive uses 5400 RPM class disks and offers up to 195MB/s transfer rate across the USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. The primary advantage provided by the USB Type-C connection is the ability to provide up to 45 watts of USB power to charge compatible MacBook and MacBook Pro machines through a single USB Type-C connection. The G-Drive is formatted to be compatible with the Mac out of the box, and can be quickly reformatted to work with Windows machines as well.

Mike Williams, WD’s VP of Advanced Technologies, described the G-Drive by saying, “The addition of the G-Drive USB-C external drive provides tech enthusiasts a single-cable high capacity, high quality storage solution that meets their individual creative needs. The G-Drive USB-C ensures pros can work seamlessly with the latest computers, and with a USB-C port and support for USB Power Delivery, it allows a user’s charging capability to be more efficient without having to worry about connecting yet another cable to their computer for charging.”

In terms of construction, the G-Drive utilizes an all-aluminum chassis for durability and aesthetics. WD includes a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter to make it easy to connect to older systems lacking in the latest connectivity option. In addition, the USB Type-C connection supports specs ranging from USB 2.0 all the way to Thunderbolt 3.

The G-Drives will be available in the second quarter of 2017, with the 4TB version retailing for $200, the 8TB version for $350, and the 10TB version for $500. WD is backing up the drives with a three-year limited warranty for some peace of mind.

Tweaks to Google’s image search allow you to buy items you see in photos

Why it matters to you

Finding handbags and sunglasses you like should be easier than ever, now that Google’s image search finds products within images and links you to places where you can purchase them.

Along with looking up pictures for creating the latest memes, you can now use Google image search to go shopping. In an update to image search, Google has created a “Similar Items” system for the mobile web and Android Search app. It finds products within images and links you to places where you can purchase them.

Have you ever seen an image of a celebrity wearing something you’d like to purchase for yourself? Or spotted a cool accessory in a stock photo that you wouldn’t mind owning? Google’s Similar Items system is designed to make that acquisition much easier. It uses machine vision technology to identify products within photos and then link to them on retailer websites.

While it’s certainly true that Google’s fancy image analytics algorithms are doing some of the legwork, Search Engine Land points out that Google also asks web developers to utilize metadata to help make the feature as fluid as it is. Without that, products may not be eligible for sale through the Similar Items system.

More: Google’s updated Search app comes with Gboard, Google’s third-party keyboard

Google has reportedly been encouraging the use of the metadata tags since December, though that could simply be because it wants to seed the web with compatible sites and products before sending the feature live.

The feature doesn’t cover every kind of product out there just yet. As it stands, Google’s algorithm is able to pick up specific brands of sunglasses, handbags, and shoes, with the search giant promising that “other apparel and home and garden categories,” will be coming in the next few months.

Google claims that some of the most common searches alongside brand-name products are pricing and availability, so creating a shortcut to a shopping experience is likely to be a profitable move for the company.

Fitbit smartwatch 2017: News and rumors

Why it matters to you

Fitbit’s 2017 smartwatch could challenge the Apple Watch. Here is everything you need to know.

Fitness-focused Fitbit is working on a new wearable. Following the lukewarm reception of the Blaze 2, the firm’s first smartwatch, it has reportedly gone back to the drawing board. Rumors suggest Fitbit’s next smartwatch will pack high-end sensors, revamped software, and apps that do more than tracking your sleep and workouts.

Details are a little hard to come by, but here is everything we know so far about Fitbit’s 2017 smartwatch.

Design

If the rumors are true, Fitbit’s next smartwatch will look familiar. Yahoo Finance, which got its hands on a presentation deck shown to retail partners like Best Buy and Target, describes the aluminum, “waterproof” smartwatch as bearing a striking resemblance to last year’s Blaze. That is not a good thing, apparently — one source described it as “very retro-looking,” and several Fitbit employees who saw the design reportedly complained about it.

Specs and battery

But the new smartwatch could be poised to address one of the Blaze’s biggest shortcomings: Lack of GPS. Fitbit’s next smartwatch, like the Apple Watch Series 2, will reportedly track your jogging, walking, and cycling routes on a map for posterity.

GPS is the tip of the iceberg. Fitbit’s new smartwatch is said to boast a color display with 1,000 nits of brightness, comparable to the Apple Watch Series 2. It will reportedly have a heart-rate monitoring chip, in addition, and support for Apple Watch-style contactless payments.

More: Pebble acquisition could help Fitbit build a successful smartwatch

And it won’t have to charge very often. According to Yahoo Finance, Fitbit’s next smartwatch will last about four days.

Manufacturing delays

Fitbit’s apparently struggling to deliver a working smartwatch. According to Yahoo Finance, company engineers ran into problems making the smartwatch fully waterproof and the GPS functional. In one of the final prototypes, the GPS didn’t work because “the antennae wasn’t in the right place,” a source told the publication. “[The team] had to go back to the drawing board to redesign the product so the GPS got a strong signal.”

Those and other production woes have forced Fitbit to push back the smartwatch’s release timeframe. It’s now expected to launch in the fall of 2017 instead of spring.

Joby GripTight One accessories: Our first take

The original GorillaPod redefined the tripod by giving it flexible legs that can wrap around a variety of surfaces, bringing versatility to a camera support system that is only about a half-foot tall. Now, Joby is back at it again with the GripTight One, a suite of tripod tools designed around a simple smartphone mounting system. The series includes the GripTight One Mount, GripTight One Micro Stand, the Grip Tight GP Magnetic Impulse, and the GripTight One GP stand, with the last two incorporating several features from the original GorillaPod.

More: Use your smartphone like a ‘real’ camera with Joby GripTight POV kit

While the original GorillaPod is flexible, the new GripTight stretches that into an entirely new level. Let’s take a look at each component in the GripTight One system, and how they all work around the module that ties them all together, the GripTight One Mount.

GripTight One Mount

The entire system is based around the GripTight One Mount, a simple adapter that attaches a smartphone to any tripod with a standard 1/4-inch screw. The mount has a spring-loaded back piece that pulls out to accommodate different sizes of smartphones, even ones within a case. In fact, the mount works best with a case, since the thicker edges give the phone less room to wiggle and, therefore, more stability.

The mount is simple in design, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to: give a smartphone an attachment point for a tripod. When not in use, it folds flat enough to fit inside a pocket. A small hole near the tripod thread allows for a key ring to be attached.

Mounting a phone is easy: Just pull back on the mount, slide the smartphone in, and let go. The mount stretches just past 3.5 inches in width. Our test device, an iPhone 7 Plus with a protective case, was a tight fit, but it worked; smaller phones shouldn’t be an issue. Despite being made with ABS plastic, the GripTight feels sturdy and well-built.

Retailing for $20, the GripTight One Mount is an easy-to-use smartphone cradle that’s simple, but does exactly what it advertises. Now, let’s look at the accessories that connect to the mount.

GripTight One GP Magnetic Impulse

Joby’s newest flagship accessory is the GripTight One GP Magnetic Impulse ($60). It takes the traditional GorillaPod and adds magnets and a Bluetooth remote, along with a GripTight One Mount.

The flexible GorillaPod legs wrap around objects to give the tripod added support and height. The legs are about five inches tall and can easily wrap around signposts, tree branches, and more. Even with objects too large for the legs to fully encircle, the Impulse has enough grip to hug the sides for enough support, while still keeping the smartphone upright. The legs are even sturdy enough to hold the weight of an iPhone upside down, like on the monkey bars.

The legs are even sturdy enough to hold the weight of an iPhone upside down, like on the monkey bars

At the Impulse’s feet is a trio of rather strong magnets. It allows the tripod to cling to the side of something metallic while still holding the weight of the smartphone. Along with giving the Impulse climbing skills that Spider-Man would be proud of, the magnets give the tripod a tighter grip by clinging to each other when wrapping around an object.

The included Bluetooth remote is only slightly larger than a quarter and slides into the back of the Impulse for storage, or can also be attached to a key ring.

We expected the remote to require using a Joby smartphone app but the shutter release actually works with the native camera app. Connecting the remote is just as simple as pairing with Bluetooth headphones – press and hold the button, then open up the connectivity settings in the smartphone to find and connect the remote.

The Bluetooth remote works well and is small enough to hide in your hand when taking a selfie. The remote is also handy for triggering long exposures, without touching the phone (which can add unwanted vibration). The remote works up to 90 feet away.

More: Pocket Tripod keeps your smartphone photos steady, fits neatly in a wallet

A variation of a ball head mount allows the smartphone to tilt down for vertical shots. The added versatility is nice, but the head doesn’t move very easily and takes a good amount of pressure to get the mount to move to the side.

GripTight One Micro Stand

If the Impulse is Joby’s most full-featured tripod, the Micro Stand ($40) is the most portable. Unfolding like a Swiss Army Knife, the tiny tripod actually fits inside a pocket – not just a roomy pocket inside a pair of cargo pants, but even the knuckle-deep pockets of a pair of women’s skinny jeans.

Pull apart the metal legs and unfold the GripTight Mount, and the tripod is ready to go. The Micro Stand gives the smartphone almost no added height, but keeps it steady on top of a flat surface. Unlike the Impulse, the ball head here is easy to move; the small height only allows a range of less than 45 degrees, but the stand is easy to adjust in slight angles.

The Micro Stand is constructed from metal, with rubber tips for more grip (and to avoid scratching whatever surface it’s on). The stand adjusts smoothly and folds down to about the size of a small pocketknife.

The Micro Stand is incredibly tiny, yet impressively sturdy. While the mini tripod doesn’t offer the same leg-bending flexibility as the GorillaPod legs of the Impulse, it’s so tiny it can go wherever your smartphone goes. The only thing that would make the Micro Stand better is if there was some way we could attach it to a smartphone case.

GripTight One GP Stand

The GripTight One GP stands in between the Micro Stand and the Impulse. It’s essentially the Impulse without the magnetic feet and the remote. The legs have the same flexibility and can still hold the weight of a smartphone upside down, but the legs can’t cling sideways to a magnetic surface.

The GP is a traditional GorillaPod that includes the new GripTight One Mount smartphone cradle. It costs $40.

Conclusion

The new suite of GripTight One accessories offer nimble photography support for the smartphone photographer. It is flexible and easily adaptable for selfies, long exposures, tight or weird spaces, and more. Tripods tend to have longer lifespans, and these GripTight One products will likely last several generations of smartphone upgrades.

While there are a number of competing products on the market, Joby’s GripTight One series is well priced. Manfrotto, for example, makes a smartphone adapter that’s all aluminum instead of plastic and has a hot shoe slot for accessories, but it’s also $50 compared to Joby’s $20 GripTight One Mount, and it uses a knob to adjust instead of the simpler spring system. Jellyfish makes a Jelly Grip that has more flexibility in the ball head but less versatility thanks to traditionally designed tripod legs.

We’ve always been fans of Joby’s GorillaPod products, so it’s great to see it in a new generation of smartphone tripods. We wish Joby offered a complete package that included every aforementioned component.

Highs

• Incredible flexibility
• Well-priced
• Micro Stand is portable
• GorillaPod legs are strong enough to hold a smartphone upside-down
• Fits almost any smartphone, in an instant

Lows

• GP ball heads are tough to turn
• Some wiggle-room on thin smartphones

Available here:Amazon

How Windows Ink could make 2-in-1s the new go-to tool for students

Microsoft’s new Creator’s Update puts an emphasis on 3D Paint, as well as enhancements to the Edge browser. Look a little closer, though, and a sleeper feature waits in the wings which Microsoft says could transform 2-in-1 tablets, and become a go-to tool for students.

Windows Ink, which provides a rich feature suite for those using an active stylus, is rolling out to more and more devices, and Microsoft seems to think the latter half of 2017 will be its time to shine.

More: Close to the Metal Ep. 37: Does the Windows 10 Creators Update live up to its name?

Bringing Ink to everyone

Microsoft believes Ink’s continued relevance is as much a matter of availability as capability. Progress on new features has not stalled, but the real focus seems to be on bringing existing features to a wider audience. That audience, it appears, will be made up of a whole bunch of students. But to do that, they’ll need to make Windows Ink accessible in hardware that students can afford.

Peter Han, VP of Partner Device Solutions at Microsoft, told Digital Trends that “By back-to-school 2017, we will see 60 percent of tablets and 2-in-1s with that inking capability,” meaning those devices will be Windows Ink compatible. That’s a substantial chunk of hardware, as the 2-in-1 itself is the fastest growing category of PC sold today.

The timing, of course, is purposeful. Jerry Koh, Partner Group Program Manager at Microsoft, thinks students are the perfect fit for Ink’s capabilities. “You’ll see more emphasis on this kind of broad spectrum of pen devices to target users going back to school,” he said, adding that “It’s a great use case. Students want to take notes. They still use a lot more pen and paper than they’d want to.”

While the features of Ink fit what students need, pricing has proven a barrier. Han thinks that Microsoft can handle that. He told us Microsoft’s partners will “be bringing [Ink] all the way down even into very affordable, sub-$300 education devices. It’s very open, very democratic, very big-tent.” Koh supported that, and made a point to note this is a goal for the 2017 back-to-school season. ““It’s not the next couple of years,” he told us. “It’s happening now.”

Cooperation is key

Bringing Ink to affordable price points in the 2017 back-to-school season is not a goal just settled on. Both the company’s representatives told us Microsoft is, and has been, working much more closely with OEMs than a half-decade ago. Han went into detail, and told us “What we’ve evolved with the OEMs is a rolling 20-month calendar, where we’re looking five or six selling seasons in advance, and saying we know we’re building for this feature, we know we’re going to market that feature.”

“Windows Inking capability is a great example of that,” he continued. “We’ve targeted this on OEM roadmaps for well over a year, and they’ve obviously had to make some hardware investments.”

“[Ink] will come into affordable, sub-$300 education devices. It’s very open, very democratic, very big-tent.

It’s not just the Ink software that’s a part of that cooperation, but also the details of hardware that makes smooth use of Ink possible. “We’ve been working hard to share a lot of technology with the eco-system,” Han told us. “We built the Surface Pen technology in-house, and that technology is something that in the past that our partner teams have not had access to. But that, since the Anniversary update, has changed.”

That makes Han optimistic about the potential for affordable devices that are also great to use. “The more suppliers can build the same sort of technology, the better the economy of scale. We don’t think that the component prices really are the barrier. The interesting thing now is really whether an OEM partner can put together a device at the right price, to target the right market.” This attitude suggests that Microsoft has a lot of confidence in its hardware partners.

Han drove that point home with a not-so-subtle diss to Mac users. “We want to bring Windows magic not just to the premium price band, where there’s already great experiences, and Windows is taking a lot of demonstrable share from Macs,” he said. “We want to bring Windows magic back to the middle of the market.”

Windows magic, now at a lower price

The phrase “Windows magic” underlines how bullish Microsoft is on the prospect of affordable Ink devices. It not only believes that they’re possible, but also that they can deliver a solid experience on systems far more affordable than the Surface Pros, ThinkPads, and Spectres that currently serve as the flagships of stylus use.

More: Lenovo takes first place in recent notebook comparison guide, Apple ties for 5th

If the magic does come to market as planned, it could prove a major turning point for Windows 10. We’ve long been a proponent of the operating system at Digital Trends, but mostly for its desktop features instead of its touch and stylus support. Releasing a new wave of mid-range devices with Windows Ink support could go a long way towards making the feature feel relevant to everyone.

Here’s everything you can do with M in Facebook Messenger

Notice a little “M” logo near the textbox in Facebook Messenger recently? It’s the social media network’s artificially-intelligent assistant that’s meant to offer suggestions in your conversations — similar to how Google Assistant can jump in to help in conversations via Allo. M has been in development for some time now, but we’re seeing wider roll out of the assistant across the U.S.

M itself is powered by Facebook-built AI, and so far works by popping up in your chats when it detects that it can help with something. For example, if you mention going somewhere, M can detect this and will offer up a quick way to book a ride with Uber or Lyft (you can set your preference) — all without leaving the Messenger app.

More: Facebook wants to educate users on how to spot ‘fake news’ online

Before diving into what Facebook’s M can do, there are a few things to keep in mind. Most importantly, Facebook is still working on M and it’s likely the assistant will evolve a lot over the next few months and years. It will also roll out globally at some point as Facebook says users across the globe will “start seeing a redesigned way to compose messages.” If you want nothing to do with this AI revolution, or if you think M makes your conversations too cluttered, you can mute it by heading to Messenger’s settings — tap on the person icon on the top-right of Messenger’s main page, then tap M settings and toggle Suggestions off.

A lot of M’s functions are available in Facebook Messenger — simply tap on the “+” icon on the left, and you’ll be able to share your location, book a ride, plan an event, and more. All M does is take away an extra step, and it reminds you these features exist in Messenger. If M has indeed caught your eye, here’s a list of all the ways it can currently help in your conversations.

Stickers

Facebook’s M can help make using stickers a little easier, preventing the need to search through them. During your chats, M may suggest stickers relating to whatever you’re talking about. For example, if someone says goodbye, you may see a group of stickers depicting “goodbye,” like the image above. You can swipe left or right to hide these suggestions.

Location sharing

During a conversation, it might be appropriate to share your location with the other person in the chat. If you’re meeting up with a friend who asks where you are, M will suggest you share your location. It’s not hard to share your location without M, too. Tap the “+” icon on the left and scroll to Location. You can share your real-time location for 60 minutes.

Settings reminders

Your phone probably has a way to set reminders, such as with Siri on iOS or Google Assistant on Android. Reminders with M will involve others, such as when a significant other or friend asks you to remind them of something. These are not location-based reminders, sadly, but just time-based.

Sending and requesting money

It has been possible to send money to friends with Messenger for a while, but M makes it easy. If someone mentions sending or requesting money, M will ask members of the conversation if they want to follow through. It’s really pretty easy to use — but you will have to enter your payment information first. You can store your payment information beforehand by heading into Messenger’s settings and scrolling to Payments.

Planning Events

Facebook M can also help you plan out events. Perhaps the easiest way that it does so is by looking for things like restaurants nearby — so if the assistant sees you planning to meet up with a friend, it will let you create an event with a name, date, and time.

Hail a ride

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Along with helping you plan where you want to go, M can help you get there too. When you’re planning to meet up with a friend to go somewhere, M will suggest you book an Uber or Lyft, and it will help you through the booking process — you never have to leave Messenger.

Starting a poll

Last but not least is the ability to start a poll, however this option is only available in a group chat. If you’re asking a question in a group chat, for example, M might suggest a poll to more easily gather information.

Evernote adds MacBook Pro Touch Bar support to simplify taking notes

Why it matters to you

If you’re an Evernote user and own a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, then you’ll want to head over to the Mac App Store immediately and get updated.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro Touch Bar OLED touchscreen display continues to gain value as developers add support. Some of the most important creative applications already support the Touch Bar, and now productivity applications like Microsoft Office are taking advantage of the innovative input mechanism.

The latest productivity application to gain Touch Bar support is Evernote, one of the most popular note-taking and information management utilities on the market. Evernote’s developers took a little time to build Touch Bar support into their application, but the wait was likely worth it for devoted MacBook Pro users.

More: MacBook Pro Touch Bar support added to Office 2016 for all users

As with all applications that make good use of the Touch Bar, the focus is on making sure there’s a task-specific set of function keys that adapt efficiently to what a user is actually doing in the application. The ability to morph the function keys into task-specific buttons is at the heart of Evernote’s own efforts to provide relevant Touch Bar support, and that resulted in a “top-five” list of the most relevant functionality.

First up is the ability to use a single tap to create a new note:

Next, search functionality is enhanced with a simple way to kick off a new search:

Tagging is also made significantly more efficient and intuitive with a note-specific list of available tags that can easily be scrolled to find the perfect one:

The Evernote team also focused on making the color picker easier via the Touch Bar, by presenting a set of “crayon box” colors for customizing text, table borders, and table cells:

Finally, Evernote users can more easily provide feedback to other users — or themselves, for future reference — with a set of annotation features provided via the Touch Bar. And Premium users can use the same set of tools for annotating attached PDFs:

You can check out more about the new Touch Bar support at the Evernote blog. If you haven’t already, head over to the Mac App Store and download the latest update to add in the new Touch Bar Evernote support.

Yardwork is hard work — Let Honda’s robot lawn mower Miimo do it for you

Why it matters to you

Until now, robot lawnmowers have been made primarily by smaller companies. Honda’s involvement may just give this industry a boost.

A robot can already vacuum your floor, so it follows naturally that one ought to be able to mow your lawn, too. And now, Honda is helping you do just that. Meet Miimo, a robotic mower that promises to be “convenient, intelligent, and automated” to provide you with the “ultimate in lawn mowing.”

By way of a microcomputer, timer, and plenty of sensors, the Miimo can take care of one of life’s most arduous chores. The battery-powered bot promises quiet operation, quick recharges, and three different programmable cutting patterns. Simply set a timer, define your lawn area, and let it go.

“Honda Power Equipment’s Miimo lawn mower delivers a beautiful lawn without homeowners having to physically cut their grass,” said Michael Rudolph, vice president of Honda Power Equipment. “For customers who want to be on the cutting edge of technology, have busy lifestyles and don’t have the time for lawn care, or for customers who don’t enjoy cutting the grass, Miimo is the high-tech approach to achieving a beautiful yard.”

More: 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport review

Before you can start using your Miimo, you will need a Honda Power Equipment dealer to install a boundary wire so your robotic mower doesn’t just start mowing everything indiscriminately. The wire can be installed either beneath your property or above ground, and can be used to protect various obstacles like your favorite rose bush or tree.

At launch, the Miimo will come in two models — the HRM 310 and the HRM 520, both of which feature  independent 360-degree sensors which will force the machine to change direction if it detects any accidental contact. And don’t worry — while they may want to, your neighbors won’t be able to just steal Miimo. If it’s lifted from the ground, it’ll sound an alarm and stop operations, and can only be reactivated should you enter a unique anti-theft PIN code.

So if you’re already dreading braving the heat this summer to keep your lawn looking prim and proper, consider investing in a Miimo, and letting this robot take care of your dirty work.

Parihug is a stuffed animal that lets you hug your loved ones from a distance

Why it matters to you

Ever wanted to hug a loved one when they are not physically present? This innovative stuffed animal is here to help.

From cash to lemonade, there is no shortage of things it’s possible to send over the internet. Well, now you can add one more to the mix, since a new Kickstarter campaign for a stuffed animal toy allows you to send hugs to a loved one — even when they are nowhere near you.

Called Parihug, it is a concept designed to let moms on business trips still hug their kids, people in a long-distance relationship hug each other, or grandparents who live across the country connect with their grandchildren.

More: Hugs on with the Parihug Bear

“Each Pari comes with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so an adult with a smartphone can use it with [a smartphone] app, but a child without a smartphone can stay connected to their home Wi-Fi,” founder Xyla Foxlin told Digital Trends. “The haptic responses use a single vibration motor embedded in the electronics pack, and the sensor system is patent-pending, but based on a barometric pressure sensor. This means we are processing a range of values, so the haptic hug response is actually equivalent to how much its pair is being hugged.”

Foxlin said that she built the first Pari as an experiment at a hackathon. At the time, she was dating a guy who lived 1,300 miles away and thought it was a cute way of staying in touch. (“We are no longer together, but not because Pari didn’t work,” she told us.) The concept snowballed and she wound up receiving a 1517 Fund grant of $1,000 to try turning it into a company.

We first wrote about the project at CES 2016 but since then Foxlin has further developed the idea, including creating a new design for the cuddly creature itself, which now sports an aardvark-esque animal complete with a large snout for resting over your shoulder.

If this sounds something you would be interested in, you can currently place a pre-order by pledging for the Kickstarter campaign. A pair of Paris will set you back $105, with shipping set to take place in December.

Until then, you will just have to hug the old-fashioned way. With emojis.