About TechSpot
Tech Enthusiasts - Power Users - IT Pros - Gamers
TechSpot has been at the service of computer and technology enthusiasts for over 25 years. Our audience craves for technical depth, and it's our mission to deliver timely tech stories, original features, and analysis that is fair, accurate and honest. TechSpot reaches more than 8 million people each month.
TechSpot launched in 1998, when computer hardware was breaking into the mainstream and a worldwide community of enthusiasts came together to follow the industry's latest developments. Our team of editors write some the most comprehensive reviews, features and technical reads you'll find anywhere.
TechSpot's software section offers a selection of downloadable titles aimed at power users. We also host a massive product database where users can track pricing, compare experts' impressions, and make smarter shopping decisions.
TechSpot is a registered trademark and the website techspot.com is property of TechSpot, Inc.
Editorial Team and Staff
TechSpot writers are computer engineers, professionals with formal IT backgrounds, or technology enthusiasts with vast experience on the subject matter they report on. If you're familiar with our editorial work, then you know we require our authors to possess profound understanding of technical matters and the ability to write about them with accuracy and authority.
TechSpot operates with complete editorial independence, treating our readers with transparency about what we do and how we evaluate and test products. You can learn more about our editorial and ethics guidelines here.
Julio Franco
Executive Editor
Julio Franco is the Executive Editor and founder of TechSpot. Julio started TechSpot in 1998 out of his interest in computer hardware and 3D graphics. An avid reader of all things tech, he's been part of the online tech enthusiast community for over 25 years through his editor role on TechSpot where he drives editorial strategy and oversees the staff behind the scenes. Julio holds a Master's degree in Information Systems. Julio enjoys playing tennis and other racket sports as well as throwing a football with his kids. He's also been involved in various startups in the last decade.
Rob Thubron
Senior Writer and Editor
Rob Thubron is a Senior Editor for TechSpot. Rob has loved computers and technology since receiving a ZX Spectrum 48K as a birthday present in the mid-80s, igniting his lifelong passion for all things video game-related. After attending IT and English courses, he went on to complete a Business Computing degree. Rob enjoys exploring all areas of tech with a primary focus on PC hardware and gaming. When not sitting at the computer, he enjoys working out, watching horror movies, and listening to heavy metal. Rob's debut novel, Aria, is available on Amazon.
Steven Walton
Features Editor and Reviewer
Steven Walton is a Features Editor and Reviewer for TechSpot. Steve is also a YouTube personality, well known in the PC hardware scene for his work on the Hardware Unboxed channel. Steve discovered gaming on computers during his late school years which made it clear his future would lay within the industry. Steve is a hands-on technical person, and his interest for the hardware that makes it all work has gained him a reputation as the most serious benchmarker in the business. When Steve is out and about, he enjoys fishing, driving, and playing sports.
Shawn Knight
Senior Writer and Editor
Shawn Knight is a Senior Editor for TechSpot. Shawn has been covering consumer technology online for nearly two decades. Before joining TechSpot, Shawn operated his own publication and managed a small staff of writers reviewing dozens of tech gadgets over the years. Shawn has been interested in computers and technology since an early age, he soon got into case modding and overclocking in the late 90s. Shawn has a keen interest in writing, photography, and enjoys drag racing, hockey, and MMA.
Erik Orejuela
Software & Downloads Manager
Erik Orejuela oversees the TechSpot Downloads section, running point on the latest software updates and coordinating the team that runs security before we distribute software on the site. As a Business major, Erik doesn't go as deep into computer hardware as his fellow editors, but he does love the thrill of a good multiplayer match and the latest in consumer gadgets. Erik is a certified scuba diver, he also enjoys fishing, boarding and everything a beach activity has to offer.
Ivan Franco
Software and Product Finder Manager
Ivan Franco is a Products Editor for TechSpot. Ivan oversees the Product Finder section and is part of the software distribution security team. Early adoption is a tradition in Ivan's family, so his interest in the latest tech trends and gadgets go back to his infancy, whether it's computers, audio systems, graphic design or car tech. Ivan is always being consulted on what to buy by friends and family, something he developed into a trade. Outside of tech, Ivan is a gearhead and black belt jiu jitsu practitioner.
Tim Schiesser
Features Editor and Reviewer
Tim Schiesser is a Features Editor and Reviewer for TechSpot. Always fascinated by technology, that led Tim to pursue an Electrical Engineering degree and start reviewing tech products, something he's been doing for almost a decade. He started building and tinkering with PCs, but by the time Android hit the scene he was found reviewing them by the dozen. Most recently you can find Tim testing everything about computer displays and other related technologies, both on TechSpot and Hardware Unboxed.
Cal Jeffrey
Senior Writer and Editor
Cal Jeffrey is a Senior Editor for TechSpot. Cal has a degree in Information Technology and 20 years of experience in the field. He enjoys writing about current technology and ran a blog covering everything from networking to video games for several years. Cal also enjoys writing fiction. In 2013, he wrote a novel based on the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution titled “Adam Jensen’s Journal.” Cal’s hobbies include electronics repair, martial arts, rally racing, and model building. Confession: I hide Easter eggs in many of my articles. ;)
Adonis Figueroa
Software Engineer
Adonis Figueroa is a computer engineer and web developer for TechSpot. Adonis specializes in IT project management, having studied computer science at Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Espol) and later receiving his Master's degree at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. Adonis is the lead designer of TechSpot's backend infrastructure with the collaboration of specialized engineers over the past decade. Most recently Adonis has a newfound passion for craft brewery to which he dedicates part of his time.
Amir Shoam
Staff Writer
Amir Shoam is a Staff Writer for TechSpot. Amir started his media career working with sports organizations, and later moved on to Jewish news outlets where he operated websites, worked on web design and technical support. Amir enjoys almost all genres of video games, and so the PC has become his platform of choice. He reads everything he can about every PC component on the market, just in case he ever needs to buy a component on a short notice. His other interests include movies, sitcoms, history and nature.
Nick Evanson
Contributing Writer
Nick Evanson was a Contributing Writer for TechSpot. He began his journey in the world of computing in 1981, with a Sinclair ZX81 and a book on ZX Basic, and has never looked back. Nick began writing articles on PC technology, especially graphics cards, when Microsoft released Windows XP. He worked at Futuremark (now UL Benchmarks) writing help files for 3DMark and fronting their gaming and hardware section, called YouGamers. A former lecturer in engineering, computing, and mathematics, Nick likes to write about 3D graphics, technology and science.
Per Hansson
IT Consultant
Per Hansson is an IT Consultant and server guru for TechSpot. Per works as a technician for the Swedish company Edströms, performing maintaince & installations of Adige tube laser systems in Europe ("laser beams"). Per has been part of the TechSpot community for over a decade. His interest in computing and security meant the team always relies on him when making changes to TechSpot's server infrastructure and security layer.
Adrian Potoroaca
Staff Writer
Adrian Potoroaca is a Staff Writer for TechSpot. Adrian turns enthusiasm and coffee into code, and he's fascinated by the way things work, and how they can be hacked. Adrian also likes to reflect on how technology, culture, and art intersect and impact society. Games are what got him into technology, and grew up with Doom and Wolfenstein. When Adrian is not working or playing, he loves to hit the gym or going for a swim, as well as taking friends to a new escape room.
Daniel Sims
News Reporter
Daniel Sims is a Contributing Writer for TechSpot. Daniel has a degree in Journalism and years of freelance writing experience, mostly concerning tech with a primary focus on gaming. Daniel has written articles for publications like PC Gamer, TechRadar, Indie Game Website, and Uppercut.
Abdulrahman Mahmoud
Contributing Writer
Abdulrahman Mahmoud is a Contributing Writer for TechSpot. Abdulrahman recently completed his PhD in Computer Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing postdoctoral program at Harvard. An avid follower of TechSpot for over a decade, he joined the team to contribute with his academic and technological insight, making hard-to-understand concepts approachable to everyday tech enthusiasts. Abdulrahman loves to share new tools he discovers that make life easy, cool projects/github-repos, productivity tools and shortcuts he's mastered. Every second counts!
Alfonso Maruccia
News Reporter
Alfonso Maruccia is a News Reporter for TechSpot. Alfonso has spent the last 18 years writing about computers, technology, video games, science, and everything in between. Before writing about technology, he spent part of his youth with arcade games and working in different computer shops. He also wrote some short stories, 10 of which were collected in his first self-published book. When he isn't chasing the latest digital unicorn or trying to browse yet another obscure emulation website on the Internet Archive, Alfonso likes to read paper books, think about his first novel, and ride a mountain bike.
Kishalaya Kundu
News Reporter
Kishalaya Kundu is a News Reporter for TechSpot. Kish is a tech geek by passion and has been writing about technology for nearly a decade on different outlets. Kish is a hobbyist DIY PC builder, having developed his interest in PCs at an early age, when he learned to program in GW-BASIC. His favorite areas of tech include computer hardware, smartphones, Windows and Android software, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence.
Erika Morphy
News Reporter
Erika Morphy is a News Reporter for TechSpot. Erika has been a freelance writer for more than 20 years with a great deal of her work focused on emerging tech, enterprise and cloud computing, online privacy, and IT security. Erika has written for ComputerWorld, CMSWire, Newsfactor Network, E-Commerce Times, and other publications such as Foreign Direct Investment, a Financial Times publication. Outside of writing, Erika has a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University.
Sami Haj-Assaad
Contributing Writer + Car Tech
Sami Haj-Assaad is a Contributing Writer for TechSpot. Sami is an award-winning automotive journalist, who is equally enthusiastic about the world of computers, technology, gaming and mobile tech. While Sami has a historied background writing features revolving the automotive industry, he finds the world of car enthusiasts and PC enthusiasts to be very similar. Overclocking a PC isn't far from tuning your own car, just far less expensive... most of the time!
Zo Ahmed
News Reporter
Zo Ahmed is a News Reporter for TechSpot. Zo is seasoned journalist who revels in exploring the cutting-edge trends and innovations shaping the tech landscape. Armed with a degree in Computer Applications, he firmly believes that technology should be our ally, not our master – a philosophy that resonates through his writing. Before joining TechSpot, Zo was an editor at The Indian Express. He is fascinated by artificial intelligence and all kinds of gizmos, and enjoys writing about how they impact our lives and society. After a day's work, he winds down by putting on the latest sci-fi flick.
David Matthews
Contributing Writer
David Matthews is a Writer and Video Contributor for TechSpot. David has been interested in technology ever since his dad taught him basic DOS commands as a kid. After receiving a bachelor's and master's degree in Computer Science, he entered the IT world and specialized in networking. IT professional by day, by night David is an avid PC and console gamer -- particularly of Action/FPS games -- and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter (who is somehow better than him at mouse and keyboard).
Tudor Cibean
News Reporter
Tudor Cibean is a News Reporter for TechSpot. Tudor has been interested in technology ever since he built his first gaming PC in his teens, figuring out what was the best GPU for his needs, later he went on to study computer engineering. Tudor favorite topics within tech and gaming are computer hardware, overclocking, SFF PCs, smartphones, EVs, custom keyboards, esports, and FPS/RPG games. He especially enjoys playing open-world RPGs and writing about the newest peripherals. When he's not at his computer, Tudor likes going on bike rides, working out, and watching movies.
Mike Jennings
Reviewer
Mike Jennings is a Contributing Reviewer for TechSpot. Mike is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience. He started writing professionally about technology in 2007 when he joined PC Pro magazine where he regularly reviewed laptops, tablets, smartphones, components and peripherals. Later on he'd move to the freelance space to write regularly for TechRadar, Custom PC, IT Pro, TechAdvisor and many other outlets.
