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

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.

I tested this secure router and the bundled year of VPN service feels mostly like a marketing exercise

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 our top picks 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.

I reviewed the TeamGroup PD20 external SSD and I can't believe how late it arrived to the Gen 2x2 party

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

I reviewed the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ and this docking station has all the Thunderbolt 5 ports you'll ever need

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 tries to embrace both business and home customers with its new 7690 router

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 has created a backup NAS that’s a fraction of the cost of the drives needed to fill it

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.

The Chuwi CoreBook X is cheap for several important reasons

By Mark Pickavance published 17 February 25

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

Carrying the Unihertz Tank Pad 8849 provided me with a full workout

By Mark Pickavance published 16 February 25

A unique tablet with an inbuilt DLP projector, the Unihertz Tank Pad 8849 is a premium solution for working outdoors.

Other than screen reflection, I’m still looking for the downside to the Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra Thermal tablet

By Mark Pickavance published 15 February 25

The Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra is a serviceable, rugged tablet with thermal aspirations.

Best scanner of 2025: top scanners for home and office

By Collin Probst last updated 14 February 25

Updated We review the best scanner for the home and office - and these are our top picks.

Corsair delivers a USB4 SSD that I believe delivers on that technological promise

By Mark Pickavance published 9 February 25

Recommended

The Corsair EX400U uses USB 4.0 to deliver an external SSD with blistering speed

The Doogee Fire 6 is another rugged retro SoC phone that fails to justify its cost or your interest

By Mark Pickavance published 8 February 25

Poor thermal imagining and entry-level hardware combine in a less-than-perfect fusion.

Best rugged phones of 2025

By Collin Probst last updated 7 February 25

Buying Guide Find the best rugged phones - our expert reviewers have tested, reviewed and rated hundreds of phones and these are the top picks for extreme durability and battery life in every condition.

StarTech USB4 Dock review

By Mark Pickavance published 4 February 25

A cheaply made but potentially useful USB dock from StarTech limited by its lack of downlink TB or USB 4.0 ports.

PNY PRO Elite Prime 1.5TB microSD review

By Mark Pickavance published 2 February 25

The PNY PRO Elite Prime 1.5TB MicroSD is a V30 A2 specification MicroSD with 1.5TB of space.

My NAS budget won't stretch far enough for this four-bay monster

By Mark Pickavance published 2 February 25

Confronting recent Ugreen launches, the new Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 offers unprecedented performance for a four-bay NAS

AGM H Max rugged phone review

By Mark Pickavance published 1 February 25

The AGM H Max is an inexpensive, rugged phone design that uses older SoC technology.

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Mark Pickavance

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