Articles by Mark Pickavance

Mark is an expert on 3D printers, drones and phones. He also covers storage, including SSDs, NAS drives and portable hard drives. He started writing in 1986 and has contributed to MicroMart, PC Format, 3D World, among others.

Articles by: Mark Pickavance

Fastest external SSD of 2025

By Desire Athow last updated 14 April 25

Updated We've tested the fastest external SSDs for speedy storage expansion.

I reviewed the X9-14 Aura Edition laptop - and it's like Lenovo and Intel had a next-gen love child

By Mark Pickavance published 13 April 25

The Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition Laptop takes a new generation Intel CPU and GPU combination for a spin.

I tested the Nimo N155 barebones laptop - sounds like a great idea, but it isn’t sturdy enough for business deployment

By Mark Pickavance published 12 April 25

The Nimo N155 uses a Zen3+ mobile processor to deliver some surprisingly perky performance for its relatively low cost.

I reviewed the espresso Display 15 - a premium portable monitor that's as minimalist as I've ever seen

By Mark Pickavance last updated 5 April 25

The espresso 15 portable monitor offers an elegant and highly mobile means to bring a second screen to a laptop.

Front of Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D with 3D model bursting from screen

Best 3D modeling software of 2025

By Mark Pickavance last updated 1 April 25

Updated We compared the best 3D modeling software for designing, building, and rendering digital models.

I reviewed the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 5 Dock and it might be the best TB5 unit for the price right now

By Mark Pickavance published 30 March 25

A TB5 dock from Cable Matters shares many features with the Kingston SD5000T5, but it is cheaper.

My verdict on the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Enterprise Edition is that it should be cheaper, and the camera badly needs a telephoto sensor

By Mark Pickavance published 29 March 25

Recommended

The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Enterprise Edition is a rugged phone that looks like any normal phone that delivers a high-end user experience.

Dell and Intel conspired to make the Dell Pro 14 Premium a swing and a miss for me after tests

By Mark Pickavance published 24 March 25

The Dell Pro 14 Premium is an expensive, high-specification ultrabook that mostly delivers battery life for its excessive cost.

One of the best mockup software picks, MockFlow, against a techradar two tone background

Best mockup software of 2025: Top tools for prototyping and product design

By Craig Hale last updated 18 March 25

Updated We tested the best mockup software for creating viable prototypes and products.

Testing the new SanDisk Extreme PRO with USB4 SSD proved both challenging and revealing

By Mark Pickavance published 16 March 25

The SanDisk Extreme PRO with USB4 delivers internal SSD speeds externally

Screenshot of graphic design software Affinity Designer 2

Best graphic design software of 2025: Top picks tested for beginners and professionals

By Steve Clark last updated 14 March 25

Updated We reviewed the best graphic design software for designers and artists.

Privacy Hero II VPN Router

By Mark Pickavance published 12 March 25

The pitch of the Privacy Hero II is to elevate a basic router by having it promote a familiar VPN service that you can use out of the box.

When I tested this global tracker, it trounced the Apple AirTag in so many ways

By Mark Pickavance published 11 March 25

The GlocalMe KeyTracker establishes its location using six different technologies and transmits that data back to you over global cellular networks.

Best mini PC of 2025: we benchmarked the top mini computers for every budget

By Steve Clark last updated 11 March 25

Buying Guide We benchmarked the best mini PCs, thin clients, and NUC boxes for the home, office, content creation, gaming, and so much more.

Best virtual machine software of 2025

By Mark Pickavance last updated 11 March 25

Updated We list the best virtual machine software, to make it simple and easy to setup and run a new OS virtually on an existing PC or laptop.

I reviewed the ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola and while it's not as fast as its predecessor, it's the superior phone in so many ways

By Mark Pickavance published 9 March 25

Recommended

The Motorola ThinkPhone 25 follows the original ThinkPhone with a more refined rugged design.

I wanted to like the Kensington SD5768T dock, but the price and power management impacted my verdict

By Mark Pickavance published 8 March 25

The Kensington SD5768T EQ Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station is a dock that works with many standards, but it is costly.

Best transcription service of 2025

By Jonas P. DeMuro last updated 7 March 25

Updated We list the best transcription services, to make it simple and easy to transcribe audio and video content into text format for your organization.

TeamGroup PD20 external SSD review

By Mark Pickavance published 2 March 25

Recommended

The TeamGroup PD20 uses USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 to deliver an external SSD with impressive speed

Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station review

By Mark Pickavance published 1 March 25

The first TB5 dock is ahead of the curve, with relatively few things to connect to it.

Someone filling out a multiple choice answer sheet.

Best survey tool of 2025

By Mark Pickavance last updated 28 February 25

Updated We list the best survey tools, to make it simple and easy to find out what your customers want and need.

Best rugged tablet of 2025

By Steve Clark last updated 27 February 25

Updated We tested the best rugged tablets to see which were the most durable for working on the go, outdoors, and in hostile environments.

FRITZ!Box 7690 router review

By Mark Pickavance published 23 February 25

Eight years after the FRITZ!Box 7590 AX, AVM has delivered a new router with the latest technology in an oddly familiar-looking box.

TerraMaster T12-500 Pro review

By Mark Pickavance published 22 February 25

The TerraMaster T12-500 Pro is a powerful NAS with the ability to have fourteen drives and up to 64GB of RAM internally.

Chuwi CoreBook X laptop review

By Mark Pickavance published 17 February 25

The Chuwi CoreBook X is a low-cost laptop using a 12th-generation Core i5 mobile processor.

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