Welcome! I'm Matthew S. Smith, a prolific technology journalist and author from Portland, Oregon. For 17 years I've covered cutting-edge technology from a variety of perspectives.
I was among the first to try Microsoft HoloLens, I've reported extensively on the technical and legal issues surrounding AI, I've interviewed CTOs and technology leads at innovators like Perplexity and Anaconda, and I've reviewed thousands (literally thousands) of PC laptops, desktops, monitors, and other consumer gadgets. My work is currently featured in IEEE Spectrum Magazine, Business Insider, and PC World, among several other publications.
I also write on computer and video game history with a focus on hardware and games from the late 1990s. My research into early online games led to my first book, EverQuest, which is published by Boss Fight Books.
The publications I've worked with include IEEE Spectrum, PC World, Reviewed, PC Mag, MIT Tech Review, The Verge, Ars Technica, Wired, Business Insider, Lifewire, IGN, MakeUseOf, Kotaku, and Consumers Digest, among others.
I was an editor at leading independent consumer technology publication Digital Trends for nearly six years, starting in the role of Computing Editor and rising to the role of Reviews Editor. I led a group of editors to cover products in literally every major category of consumer tech. Together, the team tested over 1,000 products every year.
I frequently appeared on Digital Trends' YouTube channel during my time with that publication. This included video reviews and exclusive features, such as a deep-dive on Intel's Hades Canyon NUC which, at the time, was the most powerful gaming PC of its size.
I also co-hosted a PC hardware podcast with Greg Nibler and Brad Bourque in 2016 and 2017. Close to the Metal issued over 50 thirty-minute episodes during its run.
