Snom showcases the benefits of its SRAPS provisioning tool
Snom has unveiled enhancements to its hosted provisioning service, SRAPS, which simplifies IP phone management for VARs and IT professionals since 2019. 
© 2025 ITBrief 0:45am The dream of a phone that doubles as a laptop is so close I can taste it
For nearly as long as we’ve had smartphones, there have been attempts to turn them into something “more.” Motorola tried with the Atrix 4G and Webtop chassis back in 2011, and Razer’s Project Linda gave the concept another whirl in 2018.
But the dream of taking a smartphone, plugging in peripherals, and using it like a laptop never quite came to life. The closest thing we ever got to a success is Samsung’s DeX, but even that hasn’t truly taken off.
With the latest rumblings in Android devices, the concept might be ready for another go. More devices now support display output over USB, plus desktop-style interfaces, plus serious leaps in performance. Microsoft’s recent push for Arm makes the prospect that much more interesting.
All combined, Android phones now have more potential than ever before to fulfill the needs of someone who wants a phone and laptop in one device and live that convenient double-life.
Rethink what you know about performance
Smartphones, with their piddly little mobile processors, are no match for most laptops, right? I’ve strongly agreed with that sentiment for a long time, but the latest smartphone SoCs have blown me away.
Sure, there are still plenty of high-end laptop CPUs that smoke mobile CPUs with no contest. But I’ve also tested tons of low-end laptops with crappy performance — and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite has advanced enough to match or even surpass those slowpokes.
In testing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, I’ve seen the impressive benchmarks and real-world testing results with my own eyes. The chip averages over 3,090 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core test and 9,724 points for multi-core performance.
To put that into perspective, I also recently tested the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 13th Gen Aura Edition laptop with a brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. The Geekbench 6 results for that one showed 2,659 points for a single core and 10,797 for all cores. That puts the mobile SoC within spitting distance (while running on battery power, no less).
Qualcomm
Looking at some additional testing we’ve done, these phones aren’t terribly far behind the latest from Intel or AMD, and they consistently have the lead in single-core performance, and they’re remarkably competitive where on-battery performance is concerned.
Even graphics performance is up to snuff. The same phones that achieved these Geekbench scores averaged 2,298 points in 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light benchmark while the ThinkPad managed 2,518 points. Again, very close! I also tested the Dell XPS 13 (9345) with a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 chip, and its 1,969.5-point average in Steel Nomad Light shows that its job could possibly be filled by the phones instead. Intel’s Arc graphics and AMD’s Radeon 890M show a clear advantage in graphics performance, but the difference isn’t world’s apart.
All of this shows how well modern phones stack up against the better laptop configurations available today. They perform even better when you start comparing them against budget options and alternatives.
While smartphones might not have the most powerful innards for a system to run on, it’s clear that some of them now have what it takes to hold up in everyday tasks, like web browsing and basic productivity.
How to make it happen today
It’s no longer the internal hardware that’s holding phones back from doubling as laptops. But there are still other hurdles to overcome.
For one thing, not every phone is ready to use its USB charging port as a display output. It’s becoming increasingly more supported, of course, and Google’s recent introduction of DisplayPort Alt Mode via USB-C in the Pixel 8 series was a big step in the right direction from one of the market’s key players. But overall movement is still slow.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Once smartphones are ready to connect to external displays, the next step is the supporting hardware. There’s always the option to build your own “franken-system” by hooking up a portable monitor and a keyboard through a USB hub accessory. A mouse or trackpad could be a good idea, too. (Fortunately, some phones turn their screens into trackpads while in a setup like this, giving you one fewer thing to worry about.)
Some complete solutions already exist, by the way, like the ones by NexDock and Uperfect. These all-in-one solutions are great because you can easily connect your phone to all necessary peripherals with one swift action. That said, DIY options still offer more modularity and piecemeal upgradeability akin to what Framework laptops offer.
Ways it could be even better
A functional external display is essential and becoming more common, but software support is another big obstacle here.
Some device makers already have special apps and platforms that allow their phones to shift their operating systems into “desktop mode” when docked. Samsung DeX is one of the best examples, but it’s only available on its flagship and upper-tier devices. Motorola has a similar capability through Ready For. Few others have hopped aboard, though.
These tools change the look and behavior of their respective operating systems when connected to an external display. For devices with these features, really the only thing to wait for is newer devices that have the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, which should narrow the performance gap between thin-and-light laptops and smartphones, making it possible to use a phone as a laptop seamlessly without poor performance.
For other devices, like those from OnePlus and Google, you might find that they offer display outputs but don’t have the same kind of tuned desktop experiences offered by Samsung and Motorola. For example, I couldn’t quickly or easily get phones from either brand working with an external display beyond simply mirroring the phone’s screen. This might do in a pinch, but it’s hardly an elegant long-term solution.
“Did someone say dual OS?”Lenovo
To realize the dream of a phone that doubles as a computer, we need more support from device makers and their software. Better yet, Google could bake it into Android at the system level and make it available to a wider swath of devices without the need for phone manufacturers to roll up their own solutions a la Samsung DeX. There are already some elements of this in Android — though so far I’ve only seen them in developer options and couldn’t get them working — and Google has the power and influence to take it all the way.
While Android phones are probably the only avenue for this (just look at Apple’s obstinance in allowing macOS on iPads), I don’t see why it needs to be relegated to only Android phones. Even if workable Android-based solutions already exist, Android may not be the operating system people want for a phone that can double as a laptop.
In 2024, Microsoft made a massive push to promote Snapdragon processors, and therefore Arm architecture, on Windows devices. While I’m sure there are some sneaky differences between Snapdragon SoCs made for laptops and phones, I have little doubt that greater Windows compatibility with Arm architecture could make Windows 11 dual-boot setups on phones all the more realistic.
In fact, we’ve already seen that Windows 11 for Arm can run on an Android smartphone (as Tom’s Hardware reported) and that was managed with a weaker device running an older Snapdragon 860 chip. The newer Snapdragon 8 hardware that got me excited about this prospect in the first place could make all the difference.
Barriers clearly still exist. But with performance catching up, proper hardware checking the right boxes, and software support looking better every day, this dream may not be too far from reality anymore.
© 2025 PC World 0:45am  
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Here are 20 YouTube Shorts creators I love, as TikTok’s ban looms
There’s a lot of stuff happening right now. Here in the US, it seems kind of inescapable. And it surely doesn’t help that a lot of people might be without their short-form social video fix very soon. TikTok, for all its many, many faults, is something millions of people use in the US. That said, a TikTok ban seems increasingly likely.
But there is another. There are a lot of others, actually, all initially trying to ape TikTok’s success, now poised to try and fully replace it. My personal poison (only slightly joking) is YouTube Shorts, perhaps because it happens to be built into the thing I already use. I have a lot of beef with YouTube as a platform, but that doesn’t take away from the many talented creators that are on it.
YouTube Shorts is filled with a lot of the same garbage littering TikTok. Clips blatantly stolen from movies and TV shows, reactions that add nothing to the original video, AI-generated slop that the uploader didn’t even bother to check. But there’s some genuinely entertaining, interesting, and instructional stuff too. Here are 25 of my favorites to get you started.
I’m so sorry, puppets. We’ve all failed you.
Food I don’t know how to cook
SJohnsonVoiceOvers, AKA SnackDaddy: Stefan Johnson is a professional voice actor, but lately he’s been diving into his love of food, in both the snack/junk and home-cooked varieties. He’ll do earnest and often hilarious reviews of fast food and restaurant products, try out trending recipes, and generally give you some great ideas. It doesn’t hurt that his takes and advice are easy to follow even for amateur cooks like me.
Turkuaz Kitchen: Betel Tunc is a cook who loves using traditional methods, ingredients, and tools to make amazing meals. Frankly she’s way beyond me in all of these areas, but I love watching her intense focus in short, bite-sized videos that leave my mouth watering from whatever she ends up with, all set to some chill music with no narration. Check out her full YouTube channel (and cookbook!) if you want more detailed instructions.
Jose.elcook: As a recovering Texan, I almost hate this guy, if only because it’s really hard to find good Mexican food in rural Pennsylvania. Jose’s passion for Mexican and other recipes from Latin America shines through in his simple and straightforward delivery, though he’s not at all limited to that niche. Inject that salsa verde straight into my veins, please. Longer recipes and equipment reviews are on his main YouTube channel.
CookShowTrevor: This idiot makes pizzas that should not exist, and I say that in full confidence that he would agree with me. Trevor, or at least the caricature that he plays for YouTube, puts pretty much everything on lovingly handmade pizza just to see what happens. Frequently it burns, occasionally it explodes, every once in a while it’s a legitimately good result. I give it the highest honor I can bestow: a seven out of ten.
Crafts I don’t know how to do
JonPaulsBalls: Get your hand off that HR report, this is a guy named Jon-Paul Wheatley who makes soccer balls. That’s footballs, if you live somewhere civilized. Watching Jon-Paul’s design process from start to finish for balls I never would have imagined is hypnotizing, as is his soothing narration. Watch as he combines modern and old-fashioned methods and materials to create the best balls of them all, and give it a try yourself if you want with his personal website.
SaraMicsPottery: Sarah Luepker mixes the usual crafting instruction videos with a bit of personal insight and vlogging. I appreciate that she includes her pottery screw-ups in her videos — it makes me feel better about spending six hours on a PC build that won’t boot. Sara’s shorts are less about full instruction than the satisfying tactile process and a lot of commentary, but there are plenty of of things to learn if you dive deep.
EoinReardon: I’m even more useless at carpentry than I am at most crafts, and that’s amazing, because my first job was at a sawmill. Eoin Reardon gives me a glimpse into the life I might have had, if I hadn’t quit after six weeks and six stomachfuls of sawdust. Though he’s all about traditional techniques and results, his practical and straightforward techniques could be applied to household jobs. I assume they could, anyway. I fix computers.
Tanner.Leathertein: Less about the actual craft of leatherworking and more about educating yourself on leather goods and the designer fashion industry, Tanner’s channel literally dissects handbags, wallets, and other goods to… well, show you the goods. In addition to the cathartic thrill of seeing fashionista items destroyed, he breaks down the value of the components and materials, helping you spot a good deal versus an unconscionable markup (or a plain old fake).
GirlWithTheDogs: As a life-long dog owner, I can appreciate that washing and grooming one is not a task for the faint of heart. Vanessa De Prohetis is positively unflappable as she cleans dogs and cats of all stripes (and spots, and stippling… you get the picture). You might find some great tips for DIY pet grooming, but I’m more impressed by how she handles the toughest cases — no dog is too big, no cat is too crazy.
Animals I don’t own
HaydenKristialandandCo: My grandparents raised racehorses and my parents still raise miniature horses. So I’ve spent decades taking care of them, which is why I really don’t like them. But pro standup comedian Hayden Kristal does, and shares the best and worst of keeping a bunch of horses and donkeys on a Colorado ranch. Her hilarious insights and off-the-cuff takes almost make me want to go back to Texas. Almost.
Cleolonglegs: Good grief these Borzoi dogs are goofy.
DustyMDouglas: Okay, this is one of the most prolific and popular shorts makers out there. I am basic. But come on, you can’t deny that the voiceovers done in the style of America’s Funniest Home Videos (I am also old), cliché and pun-filled as they are, are often freakin’ hilarious.
Other stuff I watch
UFDTech: I’d be doing a real disservice if I didn’t acknowledge the work of Brett Stelmaszek and his team, who put out some fantastic and punchy short-form consumer tech videos. UFD Tech covers PCs, phones, video games… pretty much all the stuff that I’m interested in. And yeah, their pointed, no-frills style is definitely an influence around here. Check out their full channel for more long-form videos on topics that don’t fit into 50 seconds.
PunkeyDoodles8: Audio from popular videos, with cartoon illustrations and a bit of animation. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work. Who am I kidding, it’s a lot more than I can do.
Miniminuteman773: Pro archeologist Milo Rossi has made it his life’s mission to take apart the kind of conspiracy theory bullshit you see thrown around Facebook by amateurs and Ancient Aliens by actual, paid adults. Rossi’s short-form videos are quick and dirty debunks (in both the literal and figurative senses). But if you really want to dig into the ridiculousness of the topic (or alternately, look at some real archeology), check out his full channel.
MakeSomeNoiseDO: Dropout.TV is great. It’s the best five bucks I spend every month. And while the all-improv quasi-game show Make Some Noise is often hilarious, a little bit goes a long way — I often struggle to get through the half-hour episodes. I think the skits tend to work better in short form, which is fortunate, because a lot more people can enjoy them for free.
ProZD: SungWon Cho got his comedy start in ye olden days of Vine, basically doing TikTok before TikTok was a thing. He’s now a full-time voice actor (you can hear his flexible pipes in everything from the latest Batman and Pokémon cartoons to games like Yakuza), his older geeky YouTube skits make great shorts. Check out his full channel for longer compilations.
Jill Bearup: I fell into a deep hole of Jill Bearup’s longer-form content, breaking down movie swordfights from a theatrical perspective using her expertise in stage combat. But her shorts are great too, generally eviscerating fantasy and romance tropes. Her series of back-and-forths between a heroine and the author writer her has been adapted into a full novel, Just Stab Me Now.
Jerry Wayne Live: Fellow Texan Jerry Wayne is a standup comedian who’s kind of like Larry the Cable Guy, if that character was actually a genuine person instead of a city slicker’s idiotic impression. His series of “Truck Astrology” videos demonstrates real and loving knowledge of what pickup trucks and SUVs are supposed to be, and for that, I am grateful. I’d ask Jerry to review my ’03 Ranger Edge if it hadn’t blown its transmission long ago.
OceanX: I was that kid in elementary school who was obsessed with Robert Ballard and the Titanic, before the movie came out. So there’s no small amount of envy in my recommendation for this channel, which chronicles the work of a team of oceanographers on a research vessel complete with submersibles and ROVs. They also have general education videos on a variety of topics.
Oh yeah, follow PCWorld please
Did you know that PCWorld is on TikTok? At least at the time of writing. Including me, Michael, the guy writing this. I record short little summaries of some of the articles that I and my coworkers write, and the video team over in California posts it with neato backgrounds and links. And they do it on YouTube Shorts, too.
The PCWorld YouTube channel also has longer dives into all the latest PC news and hands-on coverage of the newest parts, laptops, handhelds, and anything else that strikes our fancy. Subscribe to TheFullNerd while you’re at it — that’s our sister channel for the weekly podcast (live every Tuesday and for most major PC-related events).
© 2025 PC World 0:45am 
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