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Showing posts from July, 2020

Microsoft's Surface Duo could launch in three weeks

News of the release date comes courtesy of Windows Central, which writes that the Surface Duo will launch during the week of August 24, 2020, and that production of the device has already begun. https://bit.ly/33ckaPF

Check out what Lego hid inside its buildable Nintendo Entertainment System (spoiler)

Spoiler alert: if you’d rather experience the surprise as you build the set, you’d best turn back now. https://bit.ly/2XgZn9T

The Impossible Burger is now available at Walmart

Impossible Foods is taking its talents to Walmart. The California startup on Thursday said its flagship product, the Impossible Burger, is actively rolling out to nearly 2,100 Walmart Supercenter and Neighborhood Market locations across the country. https://bit.ly/3hSJdv5

Sony announces first "Ready for PlayStation 5" TVs: 120Hz and up to 8K

The X900H offers 4K resolution, which is becoming standard on most high-end TVs, alongside a 120Hz refresh rate (via a future Bravia firmware update). Sony says it also has a “very low” input lag of 7.2ms. The company does state, however, that: “The input lag is measured with X900H via... https://bit.ly/33d6X98

AMC reverses course, strikes deal with Universal to show films in its theaters with three weekends of exclusivity

It seems that cooler heads have prevailed in the dispute between AMC Theatres and Universal. https://bit.ly/3gg0YEd

Regulatory listings seem to confirm ARM-based MacBook Air is coming this year

As 9to5Mac notes, current Apple MacBooks have larger batteries. For example, the MacBook Pro has an 8,00mAh powerpack. So, it's safe to assume that the 4,380mah is for something smaller like a MacBook Air. While the current MacBook Air has a 5,100mAh battery, its wattage is listed as 49.9Wh, just... https://bit.ly/2X93WCW

German electric company shows off a highly modular EV concept called the eBussy

Intelligently designed cars with unassuming simplicity often rate high on a car enthusiast's list. The eBussy with its box on wheels profile is just as charming as something like a Suzuki Jimny and carries a friendly fascia that seems heavily inspired by the Honda e. https://bit.ly/39DqX5X

InfinaCore's new 'completely wireless' power bank can charge up to four devices at once

On Tuesday, mobile accessory company InfinaCore launched its latest power bank called Pandora Portable Power, or P³ for short. The battery pack is completely wireless. The foldable prongs at the rear plug into any standard US electrical outlet to charge the 8,000mAh power core, although it does come with adaptors... https://bit.ly/3gb8UXo

CES 2021 will be online-only after all, the CTA confirms

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) on Tuesday announced that the 2021 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be an all-digital experience. https://bit.ly/334y46n

Microsoft expands rollout of Windows 10 May 2020 Update to PCs approaching end of service

Microsoft's May 2020 Update for Windows 10 arrived with plenty of useful features like Cloud Recovery, better memory management, search indexing, and improvements to multi-monitor setups with the Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.7. It also added in support for 10th-gen Intel Comet Lake processors and AMD Ryzen 4000-series chips. https://bit.ly/2X3I7Vo

Qualcomm's Quick Charge 5 can go from 0 to 50% battery in 5 minutes

If you've experienced the convenience of wireless charging before, it's easy to see why it's becoming more popular with each passing year. And while the market for wireless chargers is expected to reach $25.6 billion by 2026, a lot of consumers still prefer wired charging for its faster speed and... https://bit.ly/30YiPJm

Analogue's stylish Pocket handheld is delayed until 2021

In a series of tweets published earlier today on Twitter, Analogue said pre-orders for the stunning portable gaming system will launch on August 3 at 8 a.m. Pacific. There’s a limit of two units per order although the first batch isn’t scheduled to ship until May 2021. https://bit.ly/3hHiFgk

Working from home? Expect longer hours and more meetings

The study comes from Microsoft, which examined the effects of working from home on 350 of its employees. The results, published in Harvard Business Review, are quite an eye opener. https://bit.ly/330oVeP

Explainer: What Are Tensor Cores?

Nvidia has been making graphics chips that feature extra cores, beyond the normal ones used for shaders. Known as tensor cores, these mysterious units can be found in thousands of system, but what exactly are they and what are they used for? Today we'll explain what a tensor is and... https://bit.ly/32WNLfE

You can build a working PC inside Minecraft that plays games, including Doom and Minecraft

The feat is possible thanks to the VM Computers mod that comes from delta2force. It uses the open source VirtualBox to run operating systems, including Windows 95, Linux, and more. https://bit.ly/3f3qAmt

Apple is now building the iPhone 11 in India

Apple has wanted to produce devices in India for several years. According to TechCrunch, they had been unable to find a local manufacturer capable of meeting their stringent quality standards, so they’ve had to wait for new assembly lines to be built. In 2017, Wistron began producing previous years’ flagships... https://bit.ly/3f1I1np

Oculus Quest successor pictured: lighter and brighter

The Oculus Quest is the company’s trojan horse. It was first marketed as a standalone headset, the first at the $400 price point to dodge the need to be plugged into a PC to function. A little while after the device was released, though, Oculus added the option to plug... https://bit.ly/32VeF7W

EU wants Google to prove it won't use Fitbit data to "further enhance" its dominant position in search and advertising

Google bought Fitbit last year for $2.1 billion as part of its renewed strategy to grow and improve the Wear OS ecosystem with more fitness tracking and wellness features. While this made Fitbit's investors happy, it raised many questions about user privacy, as Google's advertising business is dependent on gathering... https://bit.ly/3jEIVcX

Master Python programming with over 96% off these premium courses and ebooks

When computer science students arrive at college, Python is one of the first programming languages they learn. Why? Because Python is powerful enough to support artificial intelligence and data science, yet it's easy to understand and get started with. It also happens to be very versatile. https://bit.ly/2ZWDqhX

Halo Infinite debut is met with complaints, Microsoft blames poor stream and early build

The Halo Infinite demo certainly stirred feelings of nostalgia for those who remember the first game on the original Xbox. But rose-tinted glasses can't hide the fact that compared to some of the other next-gen titles we've seen, it didn't look that visually impressive. https://bit.ly/2ZVeO9d

Fox will pack MLB broadcasts with fake crowds

Major League Baseball on Wednesday is set to kick off a condensed version of its 2020 season following a four-month delay due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. https://bit.ly/3hBSJCz

The still-great Galaxy S10e is available for $499, today only

Samsung's Galaxy S10e is powered by the fully-capable Snapdragon 855, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It also packs near flagship-level cameras, wireless charging, a headphone jack and IP68 rating. At $499, this is a compelling time-limited deal. https://bit.ly/3hyBsu9

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to end the US Army's controversial Twitch channel

Last week saw Twitch step in to stop a fake competition run by the US Army that promised the chance to win a $200+ Xbox Elite Series 2 controller. The channel’s streams were regularly populated with automated chat prompts containing links for those wishing to take part, but clicking on... https://bit.ly/3hmx2Xg

Samsung unveils 5G version of Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone

Samsung on Wednesday formally introduced the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, further expanding its portfolio of 5G devices. https://bit.ly/3hvgTik

Alt254 is a Zelda-style adventure game that takes minimalist graphics to the extreme

In this unique open-world adventure and action game, you play as a pixel tasked with exploring the minimalist environment around you. As the trailer highlights, you’ll solve puzzles, decipher mysteries and battle enemies along the way. https://bit.ly/3fSkarC

Future versions of Face ID could scan the veins in your head

PatentlyApple uncovered the patent, titled “vein matching for difficult biometric authentication cases.” It highlights the difficulty facial recognition systems have when two faces look very similar—the so-called “evil twin” scenario. We even saw how Face ID could be tricked by masks when the system first debuted on the iPhone X.... https://bit.ly/3jqsSzz

Psyonix is making Rocket League free to play this summer

Rocket League developer Psyonix on Tuesday announced it will soon be making its popular soccer-with-cars game free to play. https://bit.ly/3hmSUBR

New material called 'Proteus' is reportedly the world's first uncuttable material

Researchers at Durham University in England and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute claim that Proteus resists cutting by turning the cutting tools against themselves and dulling them. The material is made up of an aluminum matrix (aluminum foam) embedded with ceramic spheres. It is 15-percent less dense than steel making it ideal... https://bit.ly/2WM53Ix

Newly discovered flaw in fast chargers can cause connected devices to go up in flames

The ability to quickly juice up our power-hungry smartphones through fast charging is certainly a convenience, but one where a delicate balance of demand and supply needs to be met. That's handled through controllers built into fast chargers that intelligently switch to low or high voltage, depending on the receiver's... https://bit.ly/2BmC6LW

KFC partners with 3D-bioprinting firm to make chicken nuggets from plant matter and poultry cells

Fried chicken franchise KFC has partnered with Moscow-based company 3D Bioprinting Solutions to create an artificial chicken nugget in the laboratory. The new bioprinting technology under development will print meat using a mixture of "chicken cells and plant material." https://bit.ly/30vJygh

Windows 10X could be delayed until 2021 and debut without Win32 support

Microsoft originally aimed to debut Windows 10X on dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo, but eventually decided to adapt it so that it may also work on single-screen PCs. Releasing the Surface Neo during the pandemic would have been risky, and the core Windows 10X project may not have been... https://bit.ly/3fPkIOX

Microsoft discontinues 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions

In a statement to TrueAchievements, Microsoft confirmed that going forward, only one-month and three-month Xbox Live Gold options could be purchased. https://bit.ly/3eMaGMU

Can It Run Crysis? An Analysis of Why a 13-Year-Old Game Is Still Talked About

Every once in a while, a video game is made that becomes part of the industry's history. For PC gamers, there's one title that's almost legendary thanks to its incredible, ahead-of-its-time graphics and ability to grind PCs into single digit frame rates. Join us as we take a look back... https://bit.ly/3hds1Qw

Microsoft acknowledges Windows 10 bug that causes internet connectivity problems

The Windows 10 May 2020 update was found on 7 percent of all PCs at the start of the month. While it’s landing on computers at a faster rate than previous updates, it’s not without its problems. As reported by Windows Latest, cumulative updates in June and July have helped,... https://bit.ly/3fKFVt7

Huawei won't get any more TSMC chips after September

TSMC chairman Mark Liu announced at an investor’s conference that TSMC is complying with new US legislation, and did not take any new orders from Huawei after May 15. Their final shipment to Huawei will have been completed by September 14. He didn’t say if TSMC will apply for a... https://bit.ly/2CTF76D

Xbox chief Phil Spencer promises no Xbox Series X exclusives for a 'couple of years'

Spencer begins his post by discussing Xbox's desire to address harassment and hate throughout the community, noting that the Xbox platform has been designed for everyone's enjoyment: players from "all walks of life, everywhere in the world." He hopes that, through the hard work of Xbox's safety team, its nearly... https://bit.ly/397DRcp

Pegatron is planning to open new iPhone manufacturing arm in India

Foxconn and Wistron already have several factories in India that are tasked with building older generation iPhones for the local market and the EU. According to a Bloomberg report, Pegatron -- who is the second-largest Apple contractor for iPhone manufacturing -- is now looking to set up its first plant... https://bit.ly/3ezdsoQ

NASA reschedules James Webb Space Telescope launch for October 2021

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is now scheduled to launch on October 31, 2021, after the agency confirmed last month that the target March 2021 date was no longer a possibility due to setbacks brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic and other technical challenges. https://bit.ly/3fGTkm1

T-Mobile joins the war on robocalls with Scam Shield mobile app

T-Mobile is upping its game in the fight against robocalls. On Thursday, the "Uncarrier" announced a new app called Scam Shield. The software combines Scam ID, Scam Block, and Caller ID into one app. These features have been provided all along, but now it is easier to monitor them with... https://bit.ly/2WwPrZg

Samsung Odyssey G7 32" Monitor Review

This is one of the most heavily requested monitor reviews we've had in quite some time. The Samsung Odyssey G7 sports a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, VA panel, 1000R curvature and even some DisplayHDR 600 functionality. Part of the anticipation comes from this next generation Samsung VA... https://bit.ly/2OCrifr

No Man's Sky update adds haunted wreckage to plunder

Hello Games’ latest update adds some interesting elements to the ever-expanding space exploration game. https://bit.ly/2CbSOhA

Google will soon integrate Chat, Meet, Rooms, and more into Gmail for G Suite users

These changes were announced in a blog post published by Google earlier today. In the post, Google lays out its plan to offer customers a "better home for work" by uniting several of its core productivity services under Gmail's banner. https://bit.ly/2Oy16Tf

ARM could significantly increase licensing fees, sources say

ARM is reportedly looking to milk additional revenue from some of its customers in the form of higher licensing fees. https://bit.ly/2CAPlZB

Apple warns that closing your MacBook with a camera cover could damage the display

Apple is advising MacBook users not to close their computer lids with a camera cover in place as doing so might damage the screen. https://bit.ly/3fBYVdm

Israeli court rules in favor of NSO Group in legal fight with Amnesty International

Back in 2018, human rights group Amnesty International sued NSO in an Israeli court, alleging the latter was exporting spyware tools that end up in the hands of clients that have a penchant for abusing them to target certain individuals, including Amnesty activists. Naturally, NSO denied the accusations as unfounded... https://bit.ly/392AJhY

Grant Imahara of MythBusters and BattleBots fame dies at 49

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Imahara died suddenly on July 13 of a brain aneurysm. Discovery acknowledged his passing on Twitter, as did co-hosts Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Adam Savage. https://bit.ly/3h2eueP

$25,000 'Game Boy' gadgets used to steal cars by imitating key fob signals

Keyless entry and ignition systems may be convenient, but they offer criminals a high-tech way of stealing cars. One popular method is the relay box technique, which involves holding one box to the wall of a house so it can pick up the signal from an owner’s key fob. This... https://bit.ly/38XCa1a

Class-action claim portal for litigants in Apple's 'throttle gate' is now live

In March, we reported that Apple had settled a class-action lawsuit for $500 million over its iPhone throttling debacle. The terms of the agreement allow customers to claim up to $25 compensation per eligible device. Litigators have finally set up a claims portal for people to apply for their portion... https://bit.ly/32l7yFl

Death Stranding arrives to PC tomorrow, here's some initial reviews

Death Stranding on PC debuts tomorrow, but you can prepare by reading the preliminary reviews highlighting the same bizarre formula and the excellent visuals. https://bit.ly/2WfwZEF

Microsoft Flight Simulator launches on PC on August 18

The next installment of Microsoft’s popular Flight Simulator is set to take off on August 18 and will be available in three different editions featuring a varying number of planes and airports. https://bit.ly/3gTO5iZ