Battle royale success tied to good graphics and a fast monitor, Nvidia says
Having a G-Sync monitor with fast refresh rates may be just as important for winning battle royale games, like Fortnite, as a good graphics card, Nvidia said. When paired with a good discrete graphics card, like Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080, the hardware combo allows gamers to spot and respond to enemies faster.
Facebook aims to repair reputation with focus on encrypted messaging
The Facebook of tomorrow may forego the news feed that you're familiar with today in favor of disappearing Snapchat-like messages and encryption. In a bid to rebuild its reputation, Faceook detailed its plans to shift to a privacy-focused social network, which could take several years to complete.
Check your ports! Researchers find scary vulnerability in Thunderbolt accessories
Researchers revealed that hackers can target your Mac or PC in a hardware hack by plugging a malicious peripheral into the Thunderbolt port. When the the compromised accessory is attached, hackers can run malicious code to steal your data. As a result, users are advised to stay away from untrusted accessories.
Microsoft and Facebook’s undersea Marea cable breaks data transfer speed record
Researchers have used lasers to show that the transatlantic undersea Marea cable can transfer data at speeds up to 20 percent faster than previously imaged possible. The experiment uses high-speed lasers to achieve data transfer speeds of 26.2 terabits per second across the 4,000 mile-long cable.
Tired of porch pirates? Amazon now lets you schedule your package delivery
Amazon is looking to stay ahead of porch pirates with a new delivery scheduling service called Amazon Day. Amazon Day is only available for the online retailer's Prime members, and it allows users to schedule a date and time for when they want their packages to arrive, minimizing the risk of package theft.
5G isn’t only for phones. Here’s how Qualcomm just paved the road to 5G PCs
The future of the PC is the cloud, and Qualcomm wants to lead the charge by pairing its Snapdragon 8cx Always Connected PC processor with its X55 5G modem, allowing people to access cloud storage and stream apps. Will we all own 5G PCs in a couple of years? Qualcomm seems to think so.
Latest ‘Battlefield V’ update brings better performance to Nvidia RTX PCs
Battlefield V gamers on Nvidia's RTX graphics will benefit from performance improvements when real-time ray-tracing is enabled thanks to a new update that brings DLSS support on February 12. Earlier this year, Nvidia claimed that DLSS will help maintain consistent framerates, even at higher resolutions.
National Enquirer responds to Jeff Bezos’ blackmail claims in nude photo scandal
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claims The National Enquirer had blackmailed him into dropping an investigation. After details of Bezos' affair were published, Bezos wanted to know if the story was politically motivated. The tabloid tried to tie Bezos' hands by threatening to publish his nude photos.
Mozilla exec calls on Congress to restore 2015 net neutrality protections
To restore net neutrality protections, Mozilla COO Denelle Dixon argued that Congress needs to bring back at least the same protections granted by the 2015 order. Dixon argued that net neutrality is needed to help small businesses flourish, and an internet without gatekeepers is the best way to do that.
HP Omen Obelisk review
Equipped with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 graphics in an attractive desktop tower with internal space for future upgrades, HP’s compact Omen Obelisk is a competitively priced mainstream gaming desktop with enough power to appeal to enthusiasts who don’t want to build their own rigs.
Microsoft blames constrained chip supplies for PC market slowdown
Microsoft's earnings report gave us some interesting insight into the state of the PC market. Microsoft attributed the slowdown in the market due to constrained inventory of chips, but the Surface line experienced a huge 39 percent growth rate. Could it be that Surface is cannibalizing sales from OEM partners?
Dell’s 75-inch monitor is a Surface Hub competitor built for the classroom
With a focus on collaboration and a more affordable $5,999 price to start, Dell is hoping that the Dell 75 4K Interactive Touch Monitor will be a good fit for the classroom. Like the Surface Hub, this display supports multi-touch and pen input, but you'll need to bring your own computing power.
Digital Storm Aventum X gaming PC review
The allure of the Aventum X isn’t just about power – you can find similar performance elsewhere at cheaper prices. Instead, the Aventum celebrates gamers by making the technology inside as much a part of the design as the tower itself. In designing the Aventum X, Digital Storm has created the Lamborghini of gaming PCs.
How good are you at spotting phishing scams? Take this quiz to find out
Given the rising incidents of phishing attacks, Google created a quiz to help internet users understand phishing and learn how to avoid these emails to avoid falling victim. The quiz will teach users how to identify a sophisticated phishing email and offer some tips to help users secure their accounts.
Microsoft leans on A.I. to resume safe delivery of Windows 10 Update
Microsoft is starting to push out the October 2018 Update after halting the latest build of Windows 10 after problems were widely reported initially. Now that those issues have been resolved, Microsoft is using artificial intelligence to ensure that the update gets pushed safely to all compatible PCs.
Cortana wants to be friends with Alexa and Google Assistant
Rather than make Cortana a stand-alone digital assistant with its own ecosystem of connected speakers, Microsoft now wants to integrate Cortana into Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. This turns Cortana into a skill that can be integrated into competing digital assistants to help Microsoft push its cloud services.
Faster new PCIe 5.0 standard leapfrogs the best feature of AMD’s Ryzen 3
PCI-SIG, the industry body behind the PCI Express standard, just leapfrogged AMD's recent announcement that Ryzen 3 will be the first processor to support PCIe 4.0 by announcing that it ratified PCIe 5.0 version 0.9. PCIe 5.0 doubles the data throughput rate of PCIe 4.0, which already was twice as fast as PCIe 3.0.
Dell teases new XPS laptop with Intel’s 10th-gen Ice Lake for summer 2019
Dell teased that it will have a new XPS laptop ready with Intel's 10th-generation Ice Lake processor in time for the summer, and a Dell executive suggested that the company may debut the laptop as early as summer 2019. The XPS laptop could be a new addition to Dell's lineup and not just a refresh.
Everything to know about AMD’s CES 2019 reveals: Ryzen 3, Radeon VII, and more
AMD took the wraps off of its 7nm plans at CES 2019 this year. The company focused on gamers during CEO Lisa Su's keynote as AMD debuted the new Ryzen 3 processor, Radeon VII graphics, and Epyc processor for servers. AMD also revealed that Google has chosen its Radeon Pro graphics to power its Project Stream platform.
The 5 best desktops of CES 2019, for everything from gaming to graphics
With mobile chips announced by AMD, Intel, and Nvidia at CES this year, PC users may be tempted by the hype of more powerful laptops. But if you crave power, performance, and upgradeability, nothing beats a desktop. Whether you're a gamer or a workstation user, these are some of the best desktops that we saw at CES.
Here’s how to watch today’s Intel press conference at CES 2019
Intel will talk about its latest technologies and the direct impact they have on the human experience at CES this year. The company has a keynote scheduled on January 7 that will highlight the innovations powering the next era of computing. We'll show you how to watch Intel's keynote live.
Everything Nvidia announced at CES, including mobile RTX, the RTX 2060, and more
As part of its focus on gamers at CES this year, Nvidia showcased a number of technologies that will help improve performance of your games. The company announced the new RTX 2060 graphics card for desktop, an initiative to improve A-Sync displays, and new RTX mobile graphics for laptops.
D-Link’s 5G router promises up to 40 times faster speeds than your broadband
Even though D-Link is ditching the familiar cable or DSL jacks on its new router in favor of 5G, the company promises you wi'll be seeing even faster speeds than your current setup. With speeds up to 3Gbps, the new D-Link 5G gateway promises speeds up to 40 times faster than traditional broadband.
Alienware AW3418DW Curved Gaming Monitor review
Don’t underestimate the understated appeal of Alienware’s 34-inch curved ultrawide gaming monitor. Although this monitor doesn’t pack aggressive gaming aesthetics, it’s refined looks and balanced performance makes it a winner. The curved 34-inch panel, WQHD resolution display, and fast refresh rates will keep gamers happy.
Google transforms your browser into a digital easel with Chrome Canvas
Now, you can take quick notes or doodle straight within your browser thanks to the launch of Chrome Canvas. The Google-made app lets you use your finger or a digital stylus to draw from within the browser. And on a computer without a touchscreen, you can also create sketches with your mouse or touchpad.
Best Buy’s flash sale takes up to $800 off Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pro today
Best Buy's single-day flash sale offers a discount of up to $800 off of Apple's latest 13-inch MacBook Pro. Best Buy has several configurations listed, but to get the most savings, you'll need to upgrade to a model with higher specifications. The sale applies to select 2018 MacBook Pros with Touch Bar.
Richly rendered ‘Asteroids’ demo showcases power of Nvidia’s RTX graphics
In a new Asteroids demo, Nvidia showed how the Turing architecture on the company's RTX graphics cards can be used to perform mesh shading to reveal rich details while reducing congestion on the CPU and GPU. When used in combination with task shaders, developers can leverage RTX cards to render rich scenes.
Prices leak for Intel’s 9th-generation CPUs without integrated graphics
Intel may soon debut new desktop processors as part of its ninth-generation product family that will ship without integrated Intel UHD Graphics enabled. The move could help Intel boost yields as it struggles with its manufacturing process, and high-end users could see improved thermals or even faster clock speeds.
Amazon gifts an extra day for deliveries to arrive in time for Christmas
Amazon is giving last-minute holiday shoppers a break by extending the deadline for non-Prime members to get their orders in for deliveries by Christmas. Non-Prime customers have until December 19 for free Christmas shipping. Prime members have a bit longer to shop with free two-day shipping.
Microsoft’s new Office app for Windows 10 aims to simplify your workflow
Microsoft announced that it will be replacing the pre-installed My Office app on Windows 10 with a new Office app that it is currently testing with Windows Insiders on the Fast ring. The app will be available soon for all Windows 10 users as a single destination to find and launch all your documents.