Network and Beyond NaB

Last quarter, Samsung invested KRW 12.5 trillion ($10.9 billion USD) in their foundry division. Ben Suh, a representative of the company, told investors that "foundry investments focused on capacity expansions for advanced processes such as 5-nanometer EUV to respond to customer demand." https://www.techspot.com/news/90618-samsung-raising-chip-fabrication-prices-finance-new-foundries.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The HyperX Cloud Alpha are among the best budget headsets you can buy right now for gaming and they perform just as well when listening to other media. They're down to $70 on Amazon from the regular $90-$100. https://www.techspot.com/products/headphones/kingston-hyperx-cloud-alpha.172718/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With Ethereum hovering around $2,300 per token and difficulty back to more than 7.0P, crypto-currency mining isn't as profitable as it was earlier this year. Mineable crypto alternatives are not much better than Ethereum, leading miners to sell some of their cards to recoup costs. https://www.techspot.com/news/90611-palit-tells-customers-avoid-second-hand-graphics-card.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is the most widely used and was retroactively labelled Wi-Fi 5 https://www.techspot.com/trivia/36-wi-fi-80211ac-also-known-wi-fi-5/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Details about Intel's upcoming 12th-gen Core CPUs have been scarce, but we do know that Chipzilla is scrambling to get it out into the wild as soon as possible, especially after the lukewarm Rocket Lake release. Intel even forgot to release graphics drivers for Rocket Lake CPUs, and had to... https://www.techspot.com/news/90590-first-12th-gen-intel-alder-lake-cpus-hit.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With full cross-platform support and a growing library of worlds to choose from, Roblox is one of the most popular free gaming platforms right now. Download it here for Android, Windows and macOS. https://www.techspot.com/downloads/7256-roblox-apk.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The first video to garner more than a billion views was Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” doing so in December 2012. It’d be another two-and-a-half years before another video, Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” joined the club. https://www.techspot.com/news/90597-rick-astley-never-gonna-give-you-up-joins.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Anyone that's visited the Steam Deck recently will notice that the expected availability for the 64GB model has changed from "Q2 2022" to a less certain "After Q2 2022" date. This might be simply pointing to a Q3 2022 availability, but it could also mean anything beyond that. On the... https://www.techspot.com/news/90587-steam-deck-expected-order-availability-starting-get-bit.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Apple is one of several tech companies that have reported positive financial results this week, exceeding Wall Street expectations. The Cupertino company said it made $81.4 billion in the quarter ending in June, which is a 36 percent year-over-year increase and well above the $73.3 billion predicted by analysts. https://www.techspot.com/news/90585-apple-reports-record-814-billion-quarter-despite-chip.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Microsoft is not averse to crossover promotions to market the Xbox, especially if it has anything to do with the food and beverage industry. The Every 60 Seconds promotion involving Mountain Dew and Doritos immediately comes to mind, as does the giveaway with Taco Bell. And how could we forget... https://www.techspot.com/news/90584-krispy-kreme-teams-microsoft-xbox-themed-doughnut-promotion.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Per the new rules, Dell is unable to ship select configurations of its Alienware Aurora R10 and R12 gaming desktops to residents of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont or Washington due to recently adopted power consumption regulations. https://www.techspot.com/news/90575-dell-cant-ship-alienware-pcs-certain-us-states.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Both Aukey and Mpow were recently found still selling various earbuds models on Amazon despite having been banned back in May. The Verge notes that it notified the company and that Mpow's listing was removed, but as of two days ago, Aukey still had at least three sets of earphones... https://www.techspot.com/news/90573-aukey-earbuds-found-listed-amazon-despite-ban-fraudulent.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The updates – iOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7.1 and macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 – all involve CVE-2021-30807, which can allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple said it is aware of a report that the exploit has been actively leveraged in public. https://www.techspot.com/news/90571-apple-patches-nasty-vulnerability-impacting-iphones-ipads-macs.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In April, TSMC revealed it would spend no less than $100 billion over the next three years in an effort to expand its manufacturing capacity and build more research and development facilities. The main driver of that initiative is the ongoing shortage of chips that's expected to last well into... https://www.techspot.com/news/90551-tsmc-evaluating-germany-possible-location-european-arm.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Developer Chaoji Li says that he received a letter from Apple telling him that his app, iDOS 2, violates App Store Guideline 2.5.2, which forbids software from installing or launching "executable code" on iOS devices. Li's app has been available on the App Store for nearly seven years, and the... https://www.techspot.com/news/90558-apple-hands-takedown-notice-developer-dos-emulator-ios.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The $40 billion Arm's acquisition is only getting shakier as the European Commission (EC) is still waiting for paperwork to allow the deal's closure. As it seems, Nvidia hasn't sent it yet, and with the EU summer holidays starting today, the EC is only likely to receive it in September. https://www.techspot.com/news/90554-if-nvidia-doesnt-complete-arm-acquisition-latter-might.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro were taken off Geekbench's benchmark list a couple of weeks ago for their dodgy performance, brought to light by AnandTech's review of the OP 9 Pro. They discovered that most mainstream apps weren't able to properly utilize the Snapdragon 888's powerful Cortex-X1 core and... https://www.techspot.com/news/90549-oneplus-users-disable-performance-optimizations-oxygenos-12-update.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Amazon’s Key for Business allows drivers to make deliveries without needed residents or building staff to buzz them in. The system works through the Amazon Flex app—drivers request building access, which is granted after Amazon confirms the employee’s ID, route, location, and the time of the request. https://www.techspot.com/news/90550-report-amazon-could-have-key-apartment-building.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In a new paper published in Nature, Arm researchers explain how they ported a standard 32-bit Arm processor design onto a plastic substrate that they say is bendy. It’s more of a proof-of-concept than a working prototype, but it nevertheless demonstrates some significant firsts. https://www.techspot.com/news/90545-arm-made-bendable-32-bit-processor-out-plastic.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Pentium 133MHz days! https://www.techspot.com/trivia/117-1995-15-inch-800x600-monitors-norm-what-kind/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A report by Sophos has exposed the scale and variety of malware using the Discord's CDN: "Sophos products detected and blocked, just in the past two months, nearly 140 times the number of detections over the same period in 2020," said authors Sean Gallagher and Andrew Brandt, with 17,000 unique... https://www.techspot.com/news/90543-more-more-malware-using-discord-cdn-abuse.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

On Thursday, EA confirmed that it is working on the rumored remake of beloved survival horror classic Dead Space. The short teaser (below) shows a only a glimpse of game engine footage, but it looks great. Motive Studios heads up development and is rebuilding the game "from the ground up"... https://www.techspot.com/news/90528-ea-confirms-dead-space-remake-next-gen-consoles.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

“We haven’t really found something that we could throw at this device that it couldn’t handle, at least yet,” said Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais. https://www.techspot.com/news/90538-valve-steam-deck-targets-800p-30hz-gameplay-internal.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

From now up until August 4, members of Prime Gaming, which is free to Prime subscribers, can grab the PC version of Battlefield 1 for nothing. It's redeemable through Origin via the Origin Store or Origin Client. https://www.techspot.com/news/90534-amazon-prime-giving-away-battlefield-1-battlefield-v.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Framework laptop is designed to be easily upgradeable, from the RAM, the ports, faster Wi-Fi, or even replacing the motherboard without tossing the whole laptop. On paper, it sounds nifty, but in practice there are some concerns. https://www.techspot.com/products/laptops/framework-laptop-135-intel-gen-11.236939/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

From now through August 5, you can score Days Gone for just $39.99 or pick up Hitman 3 at half price – yours for only $29.99. Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition is also half price, down to just $14.99, and if you haven’t yet checked out Rockstar’s horse opera,... https://www.techspot.com/news/90525-epic-summer-sale-offers-discounts-cyberpunk-2077-days.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Update (07/22/21): RubberNinja woke up from his rest and mentioned he was on day three, so the 12+ hour count was not accurate. He appears to be well behind last year's pace of 1,499 eggs per hour. It is unclear what has slowed him down. https://www.techspot.com/news/90523-streamer-vows-eat-nothing-but-egg-dishes-eats.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Efforts to expand beyond the simple tasks of audibly requesting music to play, timers to be set, or providing factual answers to random questions have continued apace. During this year’s Alexa Live event -- Amazon’s developer-focused ambient computing conference -- the company debuted a large range of new capabilities and... https://www.techspot.com/news/90509-ambient-computing-gets-push-forward-amazon-alexa-enhancements.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said it had 201.18 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 1.54 million over the 207.64 million it reported for the first quarter. According to Street Account, analysts were expecting just 1.19 million net subscriber additions. https://www.techspot.com/news/90512-netflix-finished-second-quarter-more-than-209-million.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As a game, PUBG has seen better days, but it's still quite famous worldwide. Since Apex Legends, Fortnite, and CoD: Warzone launched, PUBG has been losing momentum as the more recent games overshadow the first-big battle royale game. However, that doesn't seem to have affected Krafton, the owner of PUBG,... https://www.techspot.com/news/90507-castlevania-producer-working-pubg-animated-project.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

First announced at CES 2021, the CX9 is a 14-inch Chromebook equipped with your choice of 11th gen Intel CPU (up to an Intel Core i7-1165G7) and as much as 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Elsewhere, you’ll find up to 512GB of PCIe gen 3 SSD storage, Intel Iris Xe graphics,... https://www.techspot.com/news/90496-asus-premium-chromebook-cx9-starts-74999.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Valve last week announced the Steam Deck, a handheld gaming device that looks to do for PC gaming what Nintendo did on the console side with its Switch. https://www.techspot.com/news/90495-steam-deck-games-play-great-off-sd-card.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The latest Back 4 Blood trailer shows new PC gameplay footage, showcasing the cast of characters annihilating groups of zombies and monsters with an arsenal of weapons. The trailer also mentions some PC version specific features, including uncapped frame rates, Nvidia DLSS compatibility, ultrawide and multi-monitor support, a vast set... https://www.techspot.com/news/90494-back-4-blood-trailer-reveals-dlss-compatibility-release.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Soft robots currently require electronic hardware to operate. These components increase the costs, size, and power demands of soft-robotic devices. So UCR engineers have developed a pneumatic RAM chip capable of controlling its soft robot well enough to play simple songs on a piano. https://www.techspot.com/news/90479-researcher-develop-pneumatic-computer-memory-chip-plays-piano.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Sumo was founded in 2003 and has put out a steady stream of titles ever since. Notable games developed by Sumo include Forza Horizon 2, LittleBigPlanet 3, Hitman and Hitman 2 and Crackdown 3, just to name a few. https://www.techspot.com/news/90480-tencent-agrees-acquire-british-developer-sumo-digital-127.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Wolfenstein: Youngblood demo showcased by Nvidia focused on real-time ray tracing effects and the benefits of using DLSS. As for 'The Bistro', which is based on Amazon's Lumberyard engine, it's possible to see RTX direct illumination (RTXDI) and Nvidia Optix AI-acceleration denoiser (NRD) in action. Moreover, both demos used... https://www.techspot.com/news/90475-nvidia-enables-rtx-ray-tracing-arm-dlss-coming.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

If the recent dearth of noteworthy releases has left you thirsty for something to play, wandering the sun-scorched wastes of this AAA games-drought, this list is here to help updated with freebies to claim this month. Venturing beyond the safety of the new releases sections, we were able to scavenge... https://www.techspot.com/news/90462-top-free-pc-games-claim-july-epic-games.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The anticipated security feature is available in WhatsApp's latest beta version for Android (2.21.15.5). When activated, both chat and media history in your cloud backups can be protected using a password. This comes with a catch though: if you lose your phone and forget your password (or the 64-digit recovery... https://www.techspot.com/news/90466-whatsapp-testing-encrypted-cloud-backups-android.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Combined, the fake AirPods and AirPods Pro devices confiscated this month would have been worth some $1.3 million -- if they were the real deal -- which is what the customers who bought these counterfeit products would have expected after all. After inspecting the suspicious shipments on July 7, the... https://www.techspot.com/news/90465-us-customs-has-seized-over-360000-fake-airpods.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Ryzen 7 5700G is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It used to be OEM only but it's now landing on retail as well, sporting Radeon integrated graphics. So is it any good? https://www.techspot.com/review/2293-amd-ryzen-5700g/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Technically, the Queen didn't do the job herself, instead pressing a green button that prompted a robot arm to cut a ribbon for the bridge's opening. While that might seem a bit odd in a vacuum, given the world-first of the bridge and the robotic wire-and-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM, because... https://www.techspot.com/news/90460-3d-printed-bridge-red-light-district-opened-dutch.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

This is the third print spooler vulnerability to emerge in just five weeks. While a critical flaw was originally identified and patched in June, a similar flaw – dubbed PrintNightmare – came to light shortly after and was subsequently patched (with mixed success). https://www.techspot.com/news/90459-disable-windows-print-spooler-or-you-could-hacked.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

TechSpot is looking to hire staff writers that are driven and enthusiastic about technology in general. If you are a TechSpot reader, you will know this requires profound understanding of technical matters and the ability to write about them with accuracy and authority. https://www.techspot.com/news/88781-techspot-hiring-staff-writers-howto-specialists.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Four sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider that the VP of technology is now working on Project Titan, Apple’s catch-all electric vehicle / autonomous driving program that reportedly has been in different stages of operation since at least 2014. To date, Apple hasn’t publicly announced any sort of... https://www.techspot.com/news/90451-apple-recruits-vp-technology-kevin-lynch-work-car.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The Epomaker NT68 is billed as the world’s first portable 65 percent wireless mechanical keyboard with an invisible stand. Notably, the “invisible” stand can also fold away completely and you can apparently even lay the NT68 over your MacBook’s keyboard and use it as a “true” replacement. https://www.techspot.com/news/90448-epomaker-nt68-alternative-macbook-crummy-keyboard.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The developer, publisher and digital distribution platform has formally introduced the Steam Deck. https://www.techspot.com/news/90442-valve-announces-steam-deck-handheld-gaming-pc-starting.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Goat Simulator felt like the peak of simulation parody when it launched in 2014, but as it turns out, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Subsequent entries in the genre including Job Simulator, PC Building Simulator and PowerWash Simulator piqued the interest of enthusiasts and now we’ve got... https://www.techspot.com/news/90440-lawn-mowing-simulator-take-grass-cutting-seriously.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The official Twitter account for Resident Evil has confirmed that Resident Evil Re:Verse has been moved to 2022 in order to give the development team more time to deliver a “smooth gameplay experience.” Additional details regarding the updated launch will be shard at a later date, we’re told. https://www.techspot.com/news/90439-resident-evil-reverse-gets-pushed-back-2022.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

According to iPhone tipster Mark Gurman, Apple has been testing "an in-display fingerprint scanner" in this year's prototypes. Unfortunately, the feature will not be ready for a fall release, so Apple is looking to implement it in 2022 phones. https://www.techspot.com/news/90429-apple-insiders-leak-iphone-14-bring-back-touch.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a recent Facebook post that they want to build the best platforms for creators to make a living, so they’re setting aside over $1 billion to “reward creators for great content they create on Facebook and Instagram through 2022.” https://www.techspot.com/news/90428-facebook-hopes-1-billion-investment-lure-content-creators.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger