Network and Beyond NaB

Apple’s service program explains that the issue affects a small percentage of AirPods Pro units manufactured before October 2020. Owners of a faulty pair of earphones will experience either crackling or static sounds which increase while exercising, talking on the phone, or in loud environments. Other problems may be present... https://www.techspot.com/news/87390-apple-confirms-sound-problems-launches-airpods-pro-service.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

To give the world a better idea of what might be possible with kits like these, Chevy decided to take a 1977 K5 Blazer truck and install one of these "eCrate" motor kits directly into it. Chevy didn't run into any issues during the installation process from what we can... https://www.techspot.com/news/87387-chevy-begin-selling-electric-vehicle-conversion-kits-second.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

If you're not aware, Apple One is effectively a subscription service for subscription services: it charges you one monthly fee and gives you access to Apple's entire library of paid services. It was announced months ago, but it's finally available, just in time for the holiday season. https://www.techspot.com/news/87381-apple-one-launches-today-bundles-apple-arcade-music.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

That's a tremendous leap forward, and there are many potential reasons for the Quest 2's newfound success. For starters, the standalone unit is only $299 -- that's significantly less than the price of a new gaming console, and it's also $100 cheaper than 2019's Oculus Quest. https://www.techspot.com/news/87378-oculus-quest-2-raked-five-times-many-pre.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As was the case with September's Radeon RX 6000 Easter egg, AMD is using Fortnite to tempt some of the 350 million+ players toward Radeon and Ryzen by adding four new maps in Fortnite Creative Island. To access them, start a creative server, approach a FEATURED rift in the creative... https://www.techspot.com/news/87370-amd-launches-radeon-6000ryzen-5000-fortnite-maps-alongside.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Those specs are nothing to sneeze at for such an affordable phone, but we imagine the 5G support will be one of the main selling points here -- especially when other modern 5G devices can run you upwards of $800. https://www.techspot.com/news/87358-lg-k92-smartphone-offers-5g-quad-camera-array.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Spotify on Thursday as part of its third quarter financial release said it now has 320 million total monthly active users (MAUs). That’s up from 299 million in the second quarter and an increase of 29 percent year over year. https://www.techspot.com/news/87351-spotify-hits-320-million-maus-but-misses-earnings.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

#ThrowBackThursday Learn all that you can do in the Windows Command Prompt, from useful commands everyone should know to more advanced tweaks and troubleshooting features. https://www.techspot.com/guides/1724-command-prompt-what-you-can-do/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

After dropping the Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors earlier this month, AMD today revealed the Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs based on the RDNA 2 architecture, which we've all come to know as "Big Navi." This is the same architecture that powers Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Sony's PlayStation 5. https://www.techspot.com/news/87335-amd-radeon-rx-6000-series-graphics-cards-revealed.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

That's an astounding figure, and it's one many communication services never achieve -- or at least achieve over a much longer period. Obviously, we can't attribute the entirety of that number to Microsoft's hard work alone: mandatory work-from-home policies resulting from Covid-19's spread are undoubtedly a major growth factor here.... https://www.techspot.com/news/87331-microsoft-teams-skyrockets-popularity-reaching-115-million-daily.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The perpetrators added a version of the FBI's "this site has been seized" message over the top of the Trump campaign site's About section, in which they claimed to have gained "full access to trump and relatives" by compromising multiple devices. https://www.techspot.com/news/87323-trump-campaign-website-hackers-threated-reveal-origin-coronavirus.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it is rolling out full mouse and trackpad support for its Office line of iPadOS apps. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on the iPad will have functionality more akin to desktops and notebooks. https://www.techspot.com/news/87313-latest-microsoft-office-ipad-update-adds-mouse-trackpad.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As reported by ZDNet, the new feature, called start-up boost, works by launching core Edge processes when Windows 10 is booted. They're kept running in the background at low priority when the browser isn't open, which should keep their memory usage at a minimum. Having the processes constantly ready in... https://www.techspot.com/news/87307-new-edge-feature-launch-browser-much-faster.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The move is in preparation for the November U.S. presidential election, which is set to pose some unique challenges. The company believes that there's tremendous potential for upheaval spurred on by the spread of disinformation during election season. https://www.techspot.com/news/87290-facebook-implement-algorithm-changes-limit-virality-political-posts.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

For those who don't know, the FN6 did include noise cancellation, technically, but it was a passive implementation. As LG points out, the FN7's ANC neutralizes external sounds using an array microphones built into both buds. https://www.techspot.com/news/87293-lg-latest-truly-wireless-earbuds-include-active-noise.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Fitbit started its life in 2007, when James Park and Eric Friedman saw the opportunity of using sensors to create small wearable devices that could help you keep track of your activity levels and become more fitness-focused. The company has had a bumpy journey marked by several moments of financial... https://www.techspot.com/news/87283-fitbit-premium-has-over-500000-subscribers.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Chrome OS may finally see the release of a dark mode. Evidence of the new feature was spotted in the Flags menus of Chrome's experimental Canary channel. Reports show it is still unstable, though, and it isn't clear when it will be released in a stable state. https://www.techspot.com/news/87284-chrome-os-dark-mode-spotted-bleeding-edge-canary.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Developers of apps targeting children are guided by an especially stringent set of policies, unlike general audience app creators. Among the stipulations is that the content provided should be appropriate for children. They are also obliged to use Google Play certified ad SDKs for ad displays ads, while refraining from... https://www.techspot.com/news/87278-google-purges-popular-children-apps-play-store-due.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Today we're completing our testing of AMD's Ryzen Mobile 4000 APUs with a look at the Ryzen 7 4700U and Ryzen 5 4500U, two mainstream chips in the series that have become available in a wider range of laptops in the past few weeks. https://www.techspot.com/review/2121-amd-ryzen-4700u-4500u/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

During their yearly iPhone teardown, the repair experts at iFixit discovered that the 12 and 12 Pro share a common internal design. Their preliminary testing has found that the screens appear to be interchangeable, despite being rated for different levels of brightness, and they believe that the batteries and extra... https://www.techspot.com/news/87276-ifixit-teardown-reveals-iphone-12-12-pro-screens.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The information comes from analyst firm SlashData's latest developer survey. JavaScript came in first-place once again, and boasts an ever-increasing 12.4 million active software developers—a gain of some 5 million since mid-2017. Python was found to have 9 million active developers and came in second-place, but the researchers also highlighted... https://www.techspot.com/news/87274-developer-survey-finds-javascript-remains-most-popular-programming.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

After a 20 year hiatus, Intel is returning to the discrete graphics card market. They've divided their GPUs, collectively marketed as Xe, into four categories: low-power (LP), high-performance gaming (HPG), high-performance (HP), and high-performance compute (HPC). https://www.techspot.com/news/87273-intel-xe-dg1-gpu-shipping-release-year.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In an interview with Eurogamer, Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick said there have been some obstacles that they’ve had to overcome in terms of old technology the game uses. Worse yet, their search for the game’s original source code and assets has thus far turned up nothing. https://www.techspot.com/news/87269-blade-runner-enhanced-edition-delayed-indefinitely.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In PassMark’s CPU Mark test measuring single thread performance, the Ryzen 5 5600X scored a chart-topping 3,495 points. The next highest score on the list belongs to the Intel Core i9-10900K (a $550 CPU) at 3,175. Ouch. https://www.techspot.com/news/87265-amd-ryzen-5-5600x-ripper-notches-top-spot.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Hutchinson was writing about Twitch’s recent deletion of thousands of videos and clips from streamers' archives as it clamps down on the use of copyrighted music in videos. https://www.techspot.com/news/87262-stadia-creative-director-streamers-pay-game-devs-google.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As the name suggests, the set is 4K compatible (at up to 60Hz) and has Amazon’s Fire TV smart platform built in. https://www.techspot.com/news/87251-deal-alert-grab-insignia-70-inch-4k-tv.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Sony on Thursday announced the launch day lineup of entertainment streaming apps that’ll be available on the PlayStation 5 out of the box. https://www.techspot.com/news/87246-apple-tv-netflix-spotify-others-among-ps5-launch.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

“Private wireless connectivity has become central to many industries in realizing their long-term digital transformation goals. By delivering private 5G together with Verizon, we’re paving the way to accelerate digitalization for the most demanding industries who crave reliable wireless connectivity,” he said. https://www.techspot.com/news/87238-verizon-nokia-team-up-eu-asia-pacific-5g.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

According to iOS developer Jeff Johnson, even with the "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" setting enabled, not all of YouTube and Google Search data is deleted when you exit the browser. Exiting will clear Google's cookies, but site data remains stored. Johnson says the only workaround... https://www.techspot.com/news/87224-chrome-privacy-bug-clears-website-data-cookies-except.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

GM has electrified the iconic Hummer with nearly the same enormous dimensions, only this time, they're accompanied by crazy performance figures associated with modern EVs. https://www.techspot.com/news/87220-gm-unveils-new-hummer-ev-start-production-next.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Microsoft’s October 2020 Update for Windows 10 focuses more on the UI aspects of the OS rather than major under-the-hood changes or bug fixes (whew, right?). There’s a small list of known issues, according to Microsoft, while a third-party driver-related issue has been fixed in this release. https://www.techspot.com/news/87214-microsoft-begins-rolling-out-windows-10-version-20h2.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As CNBC highlights, there are no shortages of non-dairy alternatives already on the market such as soy and almond milk. Impossible Foods’ product, dubbed a prototype at this stage, will look to replicate some of the things that consumers enjoy about cow’s milk – namely, the taste and how it... https://www.techspot.com/news/87207-impossible-foods-experimenting-dairy-free-alternative-tastes-behaves.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

LG’s rollable 4K OLED product, called the Signature OLED R, drew plenty of attention at CES 2019 (it had a prototype unit on show the previous year). It uses a number of slats on the rear of the television that allow it to roll around an internal cylinder inside the... https://www.techspot.com/news/87198-lg-rollable-oled-tv-finally-sale-stunningly-expensive.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

SK Hynix expects to receive government approvals for the deal by the end of 2021, at which point it will pay the first payment of $7 billion. The remaining $2 billion is expected to be paid when the last of Intel’s NAND memory and storage business assets are handed over... https://www.techspot.com/news/87196-intel-selling-nand-business-sk-hynix-9-billion.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Aside from its titanic size, the cooling system in the PS5 will have software controlling it that Sony says will improve its performance over time based on data collected from individual games. Yasuhiro Ootori, PlayStation 5's chief architect, told Japanese website 4Gamer that the PS5's fan would be controlled by... https://www.techspot.com/news/87185-ps5-cooling-system-optimize-itself-game-basis.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Indeed, the issue is so significant across the industry that Valve CEO and founder Gabe Newell is reportedly about to enter talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to discuss a plan that might enable developers to relocate to the country. https://www.techspot.com/news/87181-valve-ceo-gabe-newell-reportedly-planning-discuss-relocating.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

For PlayStation fans, Sony's version of Flight Simulator was arguably its thermal management on the PS4, particularly the Pro model with its famous jet engine noise. The PS5, however, is unlikely to replicate that experience, especially with all the heat-optimized hardware that's reportedly near-silent under load even after extended use. https://www.techspot.com/news/87169-sony-tweak-ps5-fan-speeds-firmware-updates.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The S-series is traditionally unveiled in February before going on general release in March. But according to multiple reports, Samsung will be moving the reveal date forward to January with sales starting either the same month or in February. https://www.techspot.com/news/87170-galaxy-s21-series-first-pictures-release-date-leak.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Decades before the Netflix era https://www.techspot.com/trivia/45-how-much-did-cost-rent-movies-first-vhs/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Information concerning the new devices' batteries surfaced in documentation published by ANATEL (Brazil’s equivalent of the FCC) and shared by Tecnoblog. According to the documents, Apple’s iPhone 12 has a 2,815 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the 3,110 mAh internal battery in last year’s iPhone 11. However, Apple... https://www.techspot.com/news/87167-apple-new-iphone-12-has-smaller-battery-than.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Feminist Frequency's annual analysis of E3 game announcements looks at the divide between male, female, and gender-ambiguous or non-binary game protagonists. The data also indicates the percentage of games that allow players to choose the gender of their playable character. https://www.techspot.com/news/87164-e3-2020-analysis-shows-significant-shift-toward-female.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With the announcement of AMD's Ryzen 5000 desktop CPU series, many prospective buyers aren't clear on the differences between AMD B450 and B550 motherboards, if they should upgrade or which one to buy. https://www.techspot.com/article/2114-amd-b450-or-b550-motherboard/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With the launch of the PlayStation 5, PlayStation Plus members will get a new benefit and one that is not so new. https://www.techspot.com/news/87151-two-free-games-console-returning-playstation-plus-members.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology gathered for its annual meeting this week. In true 2020 fashion, this conference was held virtually, containing daily presentations and follow-up, written Q&A sessions. https://www.techspot.com/news/87147-profanity-filter-virtual-paleontology-conference-banned-word-bone.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Sony originally announced the Spatial Reality Display at CES this year, but the company has now revealed additional info about the hardware, including its specs, price, and availability. Similar to existing products in the stereoscopic 3D space like Microsoft's Hololens smartglasses, Sony's SRD isn't meant for consumer use - especially... https://www.techspot.com/news/87141-sony-targets-3d-artists-new-spatial-reality-display.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Interested parties can score Company of Heroes 2 for 95 percent off, bringing the cost down to just $1. You can also nab Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III and the original Company of Heroes for $3.99 each or pick up Bayonetta for only $4.99, a 75 percent discount. https://www.techspot.com/news/87136-sega-marks-60th-anniversary-free-deeply-discounted-games.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

According to the latest research from Adjust, nearly 80 percent of the top 225 apps in the Google Play Store and 49 percent of the top 225 apps in the App Store utilize subscriptions. That’s impressive considering subscription-based apps account for less than one percent of all apps. https://www.techspot.com/news/87132-consumers-us-spend-average-2078-month-app-subscriptions.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Thermite RS3 is a hefty 3,500-pound machine that looks like something from Command & Conquer. The 36-hp diesel engine can push this mini-tank around at eight mph, and it's able to ascend slopes as steep as 70 degrees. https://www.techspot.com/news/87125-united-states-get-first-firefighting-robot.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Videocardz has published the alleged photo of an Alder Lake-S engineering sample. It comes from an unnamed source, so take this with a pinch of salt. https://www.techspot.com/news/87123-purported-first-photo-intel-rectangular-alder-lake-s.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Intel's vPro line of CPUs are business-class chips, typically aimed at IT professionals designed with onboard hardware security firmware. These features defend against attacks below the OS and allow companies to repair and manage their machines remotely. https://www.techspot.com/news/87105-intel-core-i9-10885h-appears-slower-than-i7.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger