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Norton VPN review: serious upgrades but not without its limits

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Norton has long been a household name for antivirus software, yet despite launching its first VPN, Norton WiFi Privacy, in 2017, it's never achieved the same pedigree status in the space. Its original iteration, Norton Secure VPN, offered little to shout about, though a recent revamp seems to have set the service on a much more promising path. Although not yet rivaling the likes of NordVPN, Norton VPN offers surprisingly quick speeds, a super-friendly interface, and a great array of features you’d expect from a top VPN service. While some gaps in the service remain, it’s clear the Norton VPN team is striving to bring the same security pedigree seen on its antivirus software to its VPN, and pretty quickly, too. We’ve put this new and improved service to the test. Both in day-to-day scenarios and more rigorous, proprietary tests, we’ve uncovered where the service has made great strides, and where it should look next to ensure it reaches the heights it's aiming for, all to help...
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GMKtec NucBox K16 mini PC review: A curious mixed bag that doesn’t quite justify the asking price

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GMKtec NucBox K16: 30-second review GMKtec has been on something of a roll lately, churning out mini PCs with genuine gusto. Where some of its stablemates have leaned on older or obscure silicon, the NucBox K16 takes a different approach, reaching for the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS. This chip has been quietly powering a decent slice of the mini PC market since 2023, and it also made an appearance in some laptops. The 7735HS is essentially a Rembrandt Refresh, which is a Zen 3+ architecture part built on TSMC's 6nm node. It is not, let us be clear, a cutting-edge processor. AMD has since moved on to Zen 4 and is now very pleased with itself about Zen 5. Yet the 7735HS remains a competent and well-understood chip, and crucially, one that GMKtec has used before in the K2 model. Here it's connected to 32GB of DDR5 memory, not its fastest possible option, but enough to feed its Radeon 680M GPU, and dual 2.5GbE LAN ports. The chassis is a step up from the plasticky boxes that characteri...
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I spent two weeks with Cambridge's all-new active bookshelf speakers and they're an immediate pound-for-pound market-leader contender

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Cambridge L/R S: Two-minute review The Cambridge L/R S is the first out of the gate of the British audio brand's new ‘L/R’ wireless range to attack the best stereo speaker systems market . It's also the most affordable: this L/R S sells for Ruark MR1 Mk3-adjacent money, which seems less than accidental. The money buys a crisply accomplished standard of build and finish, as well as some proper specification highlights — not least of which is that this is an active, rather than a powered, speaker system with a dedicated block of amplification for each of its drivers and an active DSP crossover. A choice of five quite fetching colors doesn’t do any harm, and neither does the option of a real walnut veneer alternative — even if the latter comes at additional cost. Support for aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity, along with line-level analog, USB-C and digital optical inputs, means the L/R S can support a reasonably diverse and expansive set of sources. The provision of a pre-out for ...
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I tested the GMKtec NucBox K13 - and this AI mini PC is an excellent example of what Intel does well

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GMKtec NucBox K13: 30-second review Looking back, the GMKtec NucBox K13 is the first mini PC that I’ve covered that uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V I’ve tested. It’s a Lunar Lake-era processor built on TSMC's 3nm process, not on Intel fabs that can’t handle such small track sizes. But it also represents GMKtec's first foray into the new generation of AI-capable, efficiency-first processors, and it makes a rather decent fist of it. Where other makers adhere to their 4-inch boxes, GMKtec has gone with a shape and size that looks more like a docking station on the K13. The alternative layout offers plenty of room for port placement and extra room inside for an additional M.2 PCIe Gen 4 slot. By replacing the 512GB or 1TB M.2 NVMe drive supplied with the K13 and utilising the second slot, it is possible to add 16TB of storage to this mini PC. However, while the storage can be enhanced, the memory is fixed at 16GB of LPDDR5X 8533 MT, as this is soldered to the mainboard. That’...
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