Author: Liam Porter

HideMyName VPN Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running a 72-hour stress test across my Ballard home lab, HideMyName stands out as the only privacy-focused VPN that consistently delivers a complete IP address mask without the…

The Complete Guide to Best Pc Optimization Software For Windows 11 — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running 72-hour endurance tests on a Windows 11 Pro rig in my Ballard home lab, I recommend iolo System Mechanic…

AOMEI Data Recovery Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer AOMEI Data Recovery Wizard Standard is a solid performer for moderate loss scenarios, particularly when dealing with deleted files on formatted drives or partitions. In my Seattle home…

MindManager Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer MindManager remains the gold standard for visual mind mapping on Windows and macOS, offering a polished interface and robust project management features that competitors struggle to match, though its price…

MiniTool Partition Wizard vs AOMEI Partition Assistant: Which Is Better for Home and Small Office Users? — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running synthetic corruption tests and stress-testing both tools across a 500GB dataset with over 40,000…

Best Vpn For Working From Home On Public Wi-Fi — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer Navigating the treacherous digital landscape of public Wi-Fi in Seattle’s coffee shops or airport lounges requires a VPN that prioritizes encryption overhead without…

Best Mind Mapping Software For Hybrid Teams — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer For hybrid teams juggling Zoom calls and asynchronous documentation, MindManager remains the industry leader, offering the most robust cloud sync and offline editing capabilities I’ve…

How to Resize A Windows Partition Without Data Loss: A Practical Guide — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer Resizing a Windows partition without data loss is a high-stakes operation that demands precision, but it is entirely possible using…

Best Free Data Recovery Tool For Accidental Deletion — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running a destructive overwrite test and a 72-hour observation window in my Ballard home lab, I found that the free version of EaseUS…

Do I Really Need A Vpn At Home In 2026 — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer In my Seattle home lab, the answer depends entirely on your threat model; for the average home user browsing on a standard…

The Complete Guide to Do I Really Need A Vpn At Home In 2026 — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer Living in a modern Seattle smart home in 2026, the short answer is no, you generally do not…

How To Speed Up A Slow Windows PC Without Reinstalling — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer Acronis — Check Acronis → iolo System Mechanic — Check iolo → MiniTool — Check MiniTool → If your Windows machine is…

AOMEI Partition Assistant Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional stands out as a robust partition manager that handles complex tasks like RAID conversion and dynamic disk operations without the bloat of enterprise suites….

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard vs MiniTool Power Data Recovery — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running identical corruption scenarios on my Ballard home lab drives, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard emerged as the superior choice for home and…

The Complete Guide to Best Partition Manager For Windows 11 Beginners — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After installing and stress-testing the top contenders in my Ballard home lab, the best partition manager for Windows 11 beginners is…

Parallels Desktop Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running a grueling 72-hour stress test in my Ballard home lab, Parallels Desktop remains the undisputed king of running Windows apps on a Mac, offering the most stable…

How To Run Windows On A Mac Without Dual Boot — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer Running Windows on a Mac without dual-booting is best achieved through virtualization or boot camp-style partitioning, with Parallels Desktop offering the most…

HideMyName VPN Review — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer In my Seattle lab, HideMyName distinguishes itself not by speed or feature bloat, but by an uncompromising commitment to the “no-logs” promise that matters most to privacy purists. While…

Surfshark VPN vs ExpressVPN: Which Is Better for Home and Small Office Users? — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer After running both services through a rigorous 72-hour stress test in my Ballard home lab, I recommend Surfshark as…

The Complete Guide to Best File Compression Tool For Windows In 2026 — Tested by Liam Porter By Liam Porter — Seattle-based tech editor, former QA engineer, 15 years reviewing consumer software The Short Answer WinZip — Check WinZip → For Windows users needing reliable compression without the bloat of enterprise suites, 7-Zip remains the…