About João Carrasqueira
I've been covering the tech world for over 5 years, with a heavy focus on laptops and the Windows ecosystem. I also love all things tech and videogames, especially Nintendo, which I'm always happy to talk about.
What was your first computer?
It's been a long time, but I remember having an old Compaq desktop PC running Windows XP, which was the family computer in my house. It had a 20GB hard drive and, if my memory serves, 512MB of RAM, yet it allowed me to play some of the games I remember most fondly, such as Rollcage and Lego Racers.
How long have you been interested in technology?
I've been interested in tech for as long as I can remember, whether it's computers or phones. I'd always look for ways to enhance the performance of my computer or try new versions of Windows, and I joined the Windows Insider Program the day the first build was released.
What tech products or categories are you most passionate about?
I love all things tech, and Windows has always been my home, so both software and hardware are things that interest me deeply. I'm also a huge fan of console gaming, with a big focus on Nintendo, whose games have a level of charm that most other companies don't replicate, despite their lesser technical prowess.
Latest Articles
The Windows 365 app makes it easier to access your cloud PC on Windows 11
Microsoft has announced that you'll soon be able to use the Windows 365 app to access your cloud PC directly within Windows 11.
Microsoft is continuing to invest more into its cloud services, and at this year's Ignite, it announced some news for Windows 365, its cloud PC offering. Most notably, there's a new Windows 365 app coming to Windows 11 through the Microsoft Store, which will make it easier to access your cloud PC from your existing computer.
Microsoft Outlook adds focused profiles on Mac and other new features
Microsoft has unveiled a set of new features now available or coming soon to Outlook, including support for Focus profiles on macOS.
It's a big day for Microsoft, with the official Surface event taking place earlier this morning - with devices like the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 - along with the Ignite conference also starting today. As part of the set of Ignite announcements, Microsoft has unveiled some new features coming to Outlook, starting with focused profiles for Mac.
Microsoft Edge Workspaces make it easier to collaborate on the web
Microsoft has announced a few new Edge features at Ignite, including new Workspaces that make it easier to collaborate on web contnet.
Microsoft's Ignite event for 2022 starts today, and with it come some big news for a lot of products. One of them has to do with Microsoft Edge, which is getting a brand-new feature called Workspaces meant for collaboration. There are some new security features in tow, too.
The new Dell Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme is a tablet that can take a beating
Dell has announced the Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme, a tablet designed for working in harsh conditions, with 12th-gen Intel CPUs.
Dell has announced the Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme, a modern, rugged Windows tablet that's designed to meet the needs of workers who needs something reliable and durable. The tablet is tested to survive drops up to four feet, and it can resist temperatures between -20ºF and 145ºF, so it'll survive in extreme weather conditions. It's also IP65-rated for water and dust resistance, and you can even get it certified for use in hazardous locations if you need that kind of safety. Dell calls it the "lightest and most powerful 12-inch fully-rugged tablet on the market", with weight starting at 2.78lbs.
Microsoft has a new audio dock and and a presenter remote for Teams
Microsoft has announced a pair of new accessories geared towards Teams users, along with a launch date for its adaptive accessories.
Alongside the new Surface Pro 9, Surface Laptop 5, and Surface Studio 2 Plus, Microsoft has just announced a pair of new accesosries geared towards Teams users and those relying on hybrid and remote work. The two new accessories are the Microsoft Audio Dock and the Microsoft Presenter+, meant to enhance online meetings and presentations in a couple of ways. Microsoft also shared a release date and pricing for its adaptive accessories announced earlier this year.
Microsoft launches Designer and Image Creator tools powered by DALL-E 2
Microsoft has announced two new tools - Designer and Image Creator - which use AI to generate images and make content creation easier.
Microsoft has announced a couple of new big additions to the Microsoft 365 suite of tools, particularly focused on content creators. The new tools are Microsoft Designer and the Bing Image Creator, and the big deal here is that both of these integrate the popular AI image generator DALL-E 2, which you've probably heard of if you've been on the internet recently. This is an AI tool that can generate original images based on purely text-based descriptions, and Microsoft is leveraging it in a couple of different ways.
The Surface Laptop Studio is almost $600 off for Prime Early Access
The Surface Laptop Studio is getting a major $575 discount during Amazon's Prime Early Access sale, making it much more appealing.
The Surface Laptop Studio is one of the most interesting laptops Microsoft has made, featuring powerful internals and a unique design that lets you use it in different positions. It's a pretty expensive device, though, especially the top-tier configurations, but Amazon's latest sales event can help with that. During the Prime Early Access sale, you can grab the Surface Laptop Studio with an Intel Core i7, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $2,124.99 - a massive $575 discount off its usual price.
The Alienware m15 with a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is nearly $400 off at Amazon
Amazon is slashing the prices of some top-tier gaming PCs from Alienware during the Prime Early Access sale, including the powerful m15 R7.
There's no shortage of good deals available during Amazon's Prime Early Access sales event, and Dell's Alienware brand is joining in on the fun. Whether it's gaming laptops or desktops, there are some pretty interesting deals available, and one of the highlights is definitely the Alienware m15 R7.
The Windows 11 2022 Update is getting its first cumulative update with multiple fixes
Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 22621.674 to the general public, bringing multiple fixes to Windows 11 version 22H2.
Today is Patch Tuesday and that means Microsoft is rolling out updates for all supported versions of Windows. For the first time, that includes the newly-launched Windows 11 2022 Update, or version 22H2, and those users are getting a lot of fixes for issues present in the initial release. Those users are getting Windows 11 build 22621.674, while users running the original version of Windows 11 are getting build 22000.1042.
The HP Victus 15 with RTX 3050 graphics is down to just $600 at Amazon
Amazon has discounts running on some great gaming laptops and desktops, including the HP Victus 15, which is now under $600.
The Amazon Prime Early Access Sale is well underway, and there are some fantastic deals to take advantage of. If you're on the hunt for a new gaming laptop or desktop, now might be a good time to buy one. The HP Victus 15 is one of the laptops that's currently discounted, and there are a couple of interesting configurations.
The top-tier Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro with Intel Arc is under $1,500 at Amazon
Amazon is slashing a whopping $440 off the top-tier Galaxy Book 2 Pro with Intel Arc graphics, bringing it well under $1,500.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is one of the best laptops launched in 2022, and if you want the most powerful model in the lineup, you can get it a discount right now thanks to the Amazon Prime Early Access sale. We're talking about top-tier configuration, with an Intel Core i7-1260P processor with 12 cores and 16 threads, paired with an Intel Arc A350M graphics card to accelerate tasks like video rendering and some gaming. Usually, this model costs $1,899.99, but now it's seeing a big $440 discount, bringing it to just $1,459.99.
The HP Chromebook 14 is down to just $225 for the Prime Early Access sale
The HP Chromebook 14 is one of the most popular Chromebooks, and you can get a big $85 discount on it for Amazon's Prime Early Access sale.
Amazon's Prime Early Access sales event is knocking off a sizeable chunk of the price of the HP Chromebook 14, which is one of the most popular Chromebooks out there. Officially priced at $309.99, you can get the HP Chromebook 14 for just $224.99, today - an $85 discount, or 27%.
Windows 11 build 22623.741 brings more fixes to the tablet taskbar
Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 22623.741 to Insiders in the Beta channel, bringing a few more fixes to the tablet-optimized taskbar.
MicrosoMicrosoft has released a new cumulative update for Windows 11 to Insiders enrolled in the Beta channel. As per usual, there are two subsets to these updates - one with new features enabled, which is build 22623.741, and one with those new features disabled by default, build 22621.741.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen vs ThinkPad P1 Gen 5: Which should you get?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 and ThinkPad P1 Gen 5 are nearly identical laptops, but one is more expensive. So what's different?
Lenovo makes a lot of great laptops, particularly business laptops under the ThinkPad brand. But even while that brand is specifically focused on businesses, there are still a wide range of devices that are part of it, from thin and light laptops to full-blown workstations. And if you want something more powerful there are still quite a few options, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 and the ThinkPad P1 Gen 5. If you find yourself deciding between these two, we're here to help.
Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra review: Big power, small package
The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra is a small 3.9-liter workstation that packs a lot of power for more demanding business workloads.
The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra is a new and unique form factor for Lenovo, being a workstation that's about half the size of a typical small form factor (SFF) machine. It's closer to something like HP's Z2 Mini, but it can actually go a bit further in terms of performance. Despite its compact size, it's packing up to 125W processors and powerful Nvidia graphics, and it's designed to be easy to get inside it, so you can always upgrade things like the memory, storage, or CPU.
These are my five favorite features in Windows 11 version 22H2
Windows 11 version 22H2 packs a lot of welcome improvements, but there are a few that stand out. Here are my favorite features in this update.
After more than a year of testing with Windows Insiders, Microsoft finally released Windows 11 version 22H2 - also known as the 2022 Update - to the general public on September 20th. There's quite a lot in this update to improve various parts of the experience, whether it's simple visual changes, adding new features, or bringing back old ones that were removed in the original Windows 11 release. Having tested the update for a few months prior to launch, I've developed some opinions, and I'd like to highlight my five favorite features in Windows 11 version 22H2.
MSI deals slash $240 off the Creator M16 with GeForce RTX 3060 graphics
MSI is running deals on a wide range of its laptops, including the latest Creator M16 with a GeForce RTX 3060, making it just $1,259.
MSI is currently running some deals on a few of its laptops and desktop computers, and if you've been on the hunt for a new PC, now might be a good time to buy one. The deals cover a bit of ground, but a couple of highlights include the MSI Creator M16 and the MSI Presting 14 Evo, two great laptops for productivity.
Windows 11 build 25217 finally adds support for third-party widgets
Windows 11 build 25217 is now available to Insiders in the Dev channel, and it finally lets developers test widgets for their own apps.
Microsoft is rolling out its usual weekly build of Windows 11 to Insiders enrolled in the Dev channel, and with it comes a long-awaited feature - support for third-party widgets. Windows Insiders can now start developing and testing widgets for their third-party apps. This means widgets can be added to the Widgets board - currently only populated with web content offered by Microsoft.
Windows 11 version 22H2 is causing problems with Remote Desktop connections
Users are finding that Windows 11 version 22H2 does not allow TCP connections to be used for Remote Desktop, resulting in connection errors.
Windows 11 started receiving its first major update - Windows 11 version 22H2, or the 2022 Update - on September 20th, and there are quite a lot of good additions to it. However, as tends to be the case with many Windows updates, there are also a few issues in tow. Microsoft had already acknowledged problems with some printers, and now, some users are running into issues with Remote Desktop connections.
The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro can unblur your photos after you've taken them
Google has announced a feature called Photo Unblur for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. It can remove blur from pictures, even from other phones.
Google has revealed a new feature called Photo Unblur for Google Photos on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. As the name indicates, this feature lets you remove blur from a picture, even after you've already taken it. In fact, it can even work on pictures not taken with the Pixel 7 family - you just need the phone for processing.