About Rich Woods
Hello! I'm the Editor-in-Chief of XDA, and I've been reporting on all things consumer tech since 2013. More recently, I've had more of a focus on Windows, and I've reviewed pretty much every mainstream laptop under the sun. If you see me somewhere, come say hello and let me ask you awkward questions about why you use the tech that you use.
What was your first computer?
I'm not sure of the brand, but back in 1987, my family had a PC with an Intel 8088 processor, 512KB RAM, and 20MB storage. It's fun to think about how I now have photos that wouldn't have fit on that entire hard drive. It ran DOS, and I used it to play games like The Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.
How long have you been interested in technology?
A few years after I got that first PC, I liberated my father's book on GW-BASIC. That was my start with wanting to learn more about how computers worked. By the time I was in high school, I was writing Visual Basic programs to figure out the passwords on school computers. Weirdly, I never actually got into trouble for that.
What tech products or categories are you most passionate about?
Windows! It's the software that I've been using since I was a child and I've always admired the broad range of hardware that uses it. This interest is what led to that passion to understand why people choose the tech that they do, and to help people to make those decisions by reviewing the products that they might end up buying.
Latest Articles
HP Dragonfly Pro review: Trying to compete with Apple
HP and AMD say that the Dragonfly Pro laptop is made to compete with Apple's MacBook Pro, but did it succeed?
When HP held a workshop in New York City and gave out our Dragonfly Pro review units, there was talk about competing with not just Apple Silicon but the new MacBook Pro. That's a bold statement, something I've never heard anyone on the Windows side make. But AMD has Apple in its crosshairs, and frankly, it's put a lot of work into the custom Ryzen chip that's in the Dragonfly Pro to hit some of the features that only Apple has been able to deliver.
Which Samsung Galaxy laptops have 5G?
While Samsung doesn't make as many laptops as some competitors, it does have a bunch of 5G and 4G LTE Galaxy laptops to choose from.
There are lots of reasons to want a cellular laptop. It's more secure than connecting to public Wi-Fi, or maybe you just don't want to end up on the Starbucks mailing list. Maybe you just want the convenience of being connected to the internet all the time, because you know, it's 2023, and connecting to the internet shouldn't be something that you have to think about.
Microsoft is adding a Canary Channel to the Windows Insider Program, likely for Windows 12 testing
Microsoft is adding a fourth channel to its Windows Insider Program called Canary, where a new branch of builds will be tested.
It's once again that time of the year when Microsoft's Amanda Langowski pens a blog post to outline what's in store for the Windows Insider Program. This time, there are some big changes, as the team is introducing a public Canary Channel. No, this isn't the daily-update internal that you've heard of. This seems a lot like the Dev channel, but for testing Windows 12.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro review: Two steps forward, one step back
Samsung's Galaxy Book 3 Pro fixes the pain points of its predecessor but takes away what made it special.
Samsung's Galaxy Book laptops have always been some of my favorite laptops, but they've also definitely been flawed. Last year's Galaxy Book 2 series came with AMOLED screens standard, but they only had a 16:9 aspect ratio and FHD, even on the 15.6-inch models.
Microsoft finally documents how to run Windows 11 on an Arm Mac
It's official. You can finally run Windows 11 on an Apple Silicon Mac, but nothing has changed.
Today, Microsoft is publishing documentation about running Windows 11 on an Apple Silicon Mac, such as one using its custom M1 or M2 chipsets. That's it; that's the story.
Dell Latitude 9330 2-in-1 review: Finally competing with the best
Dell's Latitude 9330 2-in-1 finally competes with its premium competitors.
The Latitude 9330 2-in-1 is the best business laptop I've seen from Dell to date. If there's one takeaway here, that should be it. In the past, I've complained that the relatively new 9000 series wasn't ready to compete with Lenovo's best ThinkPads and HP's EliteBook 1000 series, but that all changes with this device.
Surface Studio 3 wish list: Here's what we want to see in Microsoft's next all-in-one
The Surface Studio 2+ may have been a disappointment, but we have some ideas for how Microsoft can avoid that with its successor.
It's fair to say that the recent launch of the Surface Studio 2+ was the biggest disappointment of Microsoft's 2022 lineup, which launched in October with the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5. After four years, Microsoft delivered only a modest upgrade, with new internals and little else. In fact, Microsoft actually stepped down from 45W processors to a 35W model, so the upgrade is nowhere near as impressive as it could have been. Plus, the design was essentially unchanged, so it's still nearly identical to the first model.
Here's how you can install Microsoft Edge on Chrome OS, even though it is not supported
Microsoft's Edge browser is officially unsupported on Chrome OS, but you can still install the Linux version from the Beta channel. Read on!
If you're using a ChromeOS machine, that doesn't mean you have to stick to Google Chrome all the time. If you're a newcomer to the operating system and recently purchased a great Chromebook after using Windows you can actually run Microsoft Edge and even Mozilla Firefox, too.
Hands on: The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is at the top of its class again
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is here, and once again, it's one of the best.
Even before the Samsung Galaxy S23 series was official, it was kind of a no-brainer that the Galaxy S23 Ultra was going to be one of the best phones on the market. After all, the premium segment of the US market is just Samsung, Apple, Google, and OnePlus, and the Galaxy S Ultra series is the only one that makes a serious effort when it comes to lossless zoom with the camera.
How to check if your PC has TPM for a Windows 11 upgrade
Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system requires TPM 2.0, so here's how you can check if your machine has it.
When Microsoft announced Windows 11, it was clear that this is going to be the first time in a while that the minimum hardware requirements have changed. One thing that seems to have some people stuck is the new requirement for a TPM, which stands for Trusted Platform Module (yes, people that say TPM module are like people who say ATM machine).
HP EliteBook 840 G9 review: Solid in all the right ways
HP's EliteBook 840 is the company's mainstream business laptop, but it's as reliable as it gets.
Mainstream business laptops are never the sexiest, but they do get the job done. After all, HP's EliteBook 800 series is its best-selling business lineup. So while it's not as slim, light, and premium as the 1000 series, the HP EliteBook 840 G9 checks the right boxes, from performance to reliability.
The Asus ProArt Studiobook 3D is pretty impressive, bringing 3D to OLED
The cool thing about the Asus ProArt Studiobook 3D is that it brings its 3D display technology to OLED.
At CES 2023 this year, Asus announced a laptop with a 3D OLED display, the ProArt StudioBook 3D. But contrary to a lot of the stories to comeout of CES, the real story is the OLED, not just the 3D.
The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra might be the best webcam there is
Razer's new Kiyo Pro Ultra has a 1/1.2-inch sensor, f/1.7 aperture, and can shoot raw 4K video at 24 FPS.
In a very poorly lit Las Vegas hotel room at CES 2023, there was a running joke between the Razer representatives and me: This would be a great spot to demo a webcam that touts great low-light performance. Luckily, the company has one, not that it booked that room on purpose. I'm talking about the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, which is probably the best webcam on the market outside of using an actual DSLR.
Hands on: LG's new Gram Style laptop blows me away
In a sea of spec bumps, LG has a new product called the Gram Style, and it really seems like the best laptop the company has ever made.
LG's Gram laptops have always been good, but they've pretty much had one value proposition: they're really light. Whether it's a 2.2-pound 15.6-inch laptop or a 2.98-pound 17-inch laptop, they're as light as they come. The design was always a bit dull, and the magnesium build never really felt premium, but they still did that one thing well. Things have changed. This year's lineup of Gram laptops is different, and the LG Gram Style just blew me away when I got to see it at CES 2023.
Vaio and Gateway were at CES in all their nostalgic glory
You might not have heard the names in a while, but we all remember brands like Vaio and Gateway. They still make computers.
Back around 2002, I remember at my local community college, they used to sell their old computers when they replaced them. I got my first Gateway 2000 desktop for something like $25, and it was great. The company was acquired by Acer in 2007, and the brand disappeared over time. Back in 2020, it was resurrected.
Robo & Kala is the Surface Pro we wish Microsoft would make
Robo & Kala is a company that you've undoubtedly never heard of, but it had a Surface killer to show off at CES.
We toss around the phrases 'Surface Pro killer' a lot, pretty much any time someone makes a new Windows tablet. I'm not going to do that here, but I have to say, the Robo & Kala is a really impressive Windows tablet.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist combines the best of OLED and color E Ink
Ever want a laptop with an OLED display and an E Ink screen? Lenovo has you covered with the new ThinkBook Plus Twist, announced at CES 2023.
Lenovo is no stranger to E Ink displays. The original ThinkBook Plus had an E Ink screen on the lid, as did its successor. Strangely, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 abandoned E Ink in favor of a secondary display on the keyboard deck, but now, it's back with the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist. We got to test it out at CES 2023, and we're huge fans, especially of the color E Ink display. Yes, you heard that right.
Hands on: Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i is the Surface Neo that Microsoft never gave us
Lenovo launched a dual-screen laptop called the Yoga Book 9i at CES 2023, and we got to play around with it.
Lenovo always shows off innovative new products at CES, and this year it had several. But perhaps most interesting is the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, the first proper dual-screen laptop. Indeed, Microsoft announced the Surface Neo years ago, and while that product doesn't exist anymore, Lenovo is the one that's moving forward with the idea.
Intel's entire 13th-gen lineup is here, from laptops to desktops
Intel has unveiled its entire 13th-generation lineup, including the U-series, P-series, H-series, S-series, and even more.
It's CES, and if you keep track of these things, you know that that means it's time for big announcements from PC hardware manufacturers. Intel is unveiling its entire 13th-gen lineup. While its unlocked K-series is already on the market for gamers, now it's time to take a look at the parts that will go inside of ultrabooks, gaming laptops, mainstream desktops, and more.
Acer Swift Edge review: A 16-inch laptop that will blow you away
It's 2.58 pounds with a big old OLED display.
When it comes to 16-inch laptops, you really have to think about your use case. Some are larger and heavier, packing 45W processors and discrete graphics that wouldn't fit in a 13-inch laptop; that's what you buy if you need more power. Some, like the Acer Swift Edge, serve the same purpose as a smaller laptop, just with a larger screen.