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Latest by J. Martindale

audible free trial

How to cancel your Audible membership

You can cancel your Audible membership at any time and it's not a complicated process either. You will lose any credits you still have outstanding -- so consider downloading a few books first -- and Audible will do its best to keep you, but if you want to learn how to cancel your Audible membership, read on.
Nvidia's RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti sitting on a table.

Nvidia’s flagship RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are failing. Or are they?

Owners of Nvidia's RTX 2080 Ti have been complaining about crashes, blue screens, artifacts, and repeated RMA issues for weeks now, but investigations aren't turning up anything too definitive with what's going on. It does appear, however, that the cards causing the most problems are Founders Editions.
amd vega 20 7nm graphics cards amdradeoninstinct01

AMD’s impressive Vega 7nm graphics cards arrive, but they’re not for gaming

AMD has launched the world's first 7nm graphics cards based on its new Vega 20 architecture, but they aren't for gamers. The new cards come with as much as 32GB of HBM2 memory and will help accelerate servers and enterprise compute tasks, even scaling up to multiple GPUs with AMD's Infinity Fabric.
New Bing on its way

Bing, Windows search evolve into new, cross-platform Microsoft Search

Microsoft is upgrading the search experience on Bing, in Windows, and in its Office platforms, augmenting the results with more contextual suggestions, including commands, web results, and application features, which can all be accessed at the click of a button. The rollout is set to begin immediately.
nvidia reveals geforce rtx 20 series graphics cards 2000 11

Nvidia’s ‘binning’ practice could mean the best RTX 2070s are third-party cards

Nvidia is binning the GPUs found at the core of its RTX 2070 graphics cards, giving the best to third parties for higher clocks and better overclocking potential. To separate out the chips Nvidia is giving the binned ones a unique designation, so anyone with a 2070 can find out which one they have.
samsung lc49hg90dmnxza chg90 series review 49 inch gaming monitor 1

Dell Ultrasharp 49 vs. Samsung CHG90

Picking a 49-inch, curved monitor should be easy, but there's a surprising amount of competition in even that niche-ultrawide space. Taking two of the best options out there to see which would be the better option for you, we pitted the Dell Ultrasharp 49 vs. Samsung CHG90 in the age-old battle of buck for your buck.
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ARMOR 11G OC review

Want a GTX 1080 Ti? Buy one now before the stock runs out

Stock of Nvidia's last-generation flagship graphics card, the GTX 1080 Ti, is reportedly running low following a halt in its production. Interest in the GPU has been high following the launch of the costly and not-much-better RTX Turing GPUs, but buyers may be stuck with second-hand cards soon.
chrome 69 user issues google update

Won’t get fooled again: Chrome 71 to block all ads on abusive sites

If a website displays ads which are designed to trick or manipulate users and Google finds out about it, its Chrome browser will start blocking all of their ads, starting in December. The Chrome 71 release is looking to crack down on abusive web practices, and hoodwinking ads is one of them.
in a data driven tomorrow does privacy need to survive the future what is

Privacy is becoming obsolete, but not everyone thinks you should fear its demise

Privacy often seems to be at odds with government surveillance and smart assistant technologies like Siri and Cortana. But do we need to sacrifice one for the other? We asked experts in a variety of fields to find out what a future without privacy might look like and whether that's really such a bad thing.
oculus

Oculus VR could upgrade the Rift with a new display in 2019

Oculus may release a new version of its Oculus Rift headset in 2019, though it won't be a Rift 2. The new rumor calls the design the Rift S, and suggests it will have a better display and ditch the external constellation tracking cameras in favor of simpler and arguably less accurate, inside-out tracking.
Alienware 17 R5 review

Dell patent hints at a super-thin, OLED-backlit keyboard

Dell's latest patent gives it the exclusive opportunity to produce keyboard keyboards with OLED backlighting. While that might be a more expensive solution than LED backlighting, it could make backlit keyboards thinner and the lighting far more versatile, potentially allowing for inter-key lighting animation.
Asus XG49VQ monitor

Asus’ new monitor is 49 inches of high-speed gaming goodness

Asus' new gaming display might be perfect for game streamers, offering an enormous 49-inches of screen real estate and a triple picture in picture mode. Such a display would allow streaming gamers to play the game and view a chat interface on the same screen without sacrificing size or detail levels.
windows 10 october update

Windows 10 October 2018 Update won’t launch in October after all

Microsoft's long-planned and long-expected October 2018 update for Windows 10 is looking less likely to release in that month at all. With just hours to go until we tip into November, it seems more apt to rename it the November 2018 update following multiple delays, bug fixes, and insider test releases.
Acer Chromebook 15 Spin Review

Drink up. Intel’s Whiskey Lake 8th-gen CPUs are coming to Chromebooks

Intel's 8th-generation Whiskey Lake CPUs look set to make their way into a new Chromebook design code-named Sarien. The new Chromebook has made its first appearance in the Chromium repository so is likely months away from being revealed, but its potential with the new Intel CPUs is exciting nonetheless.
macbook pro 15 radeon vega 20 vega20

Apple’s MacBook Pro 15 gets an upgrade with AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics

AMD and Apple have continued their graphics partnership with the MacBook Pro with the upcoming introduction of a new graphical option. Buyers who want more power will be able to opt for a Radeon Pro Vega 20 or 16 graphics chip come late November, giving them greater gaming and 3D-rendering capabilities.
apple mac mini 8th gen 64gb macmini 01

New Apple Mac Mini packs four- and six-core CPUs with up to 64GB memory for $800

Apple has made its new generation of Mac Mini hardware much more powerful than its predecessor. Upgrading to 8th-generation Intel processors, potential buyers have a choice of Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs and up to 64GB of memory, as well as up to 2TB of storage space, all in a compact, space-gray chassis.
amd 2970wx 2920x threadripper2packagine01

AMD’s new Threadripper 2 CPUs offer improved performance at a discounted price

AMD's Threadripper 2000-series CPUs are now available in all of their guises following the release of the 2970WX and 2920X. These chips offers more affordable versions of the flagship 2990WX and 2950X chips, with slightly weaker core counts, but the same clocks and same features for high-speed multitasking.
twisted photons could give wi fi fast as fiber optics verizon 300mbps optic feature large

Startup to apply quantum mechanics to protect data in fiber-optic cables

A new trial of a quantum network which would protect its data through quantum entangled encryption keys is set to begin in the near future. The network will connect New Jersey and New York, giving participating businesses the chance to send data in a manner that will destroy the data if snooping occurs.
Nvidia's RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti sitting on a table.

Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are dying in alarming numbers

Hundreds of disgruntled early adopters of Nvidia's RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are reporting failures, crashes, BSOD issues, and overheating GPUs, leading to returns and replacements, sometimes multiple times. This raises concerns over the failure rate and quality control of Nvidia's new Turing GPUs.
Alienware Area-51 R5 Review |

Alienware to offer Threadripper 2 CPUs in new Area-51 builds

Dell is expanding its Alienware Area-51 configuration options with a new Threadripper Edition. It adds support for the first-generation 1900X, as well as the newer 2920X and 2950X CPUs. They can be paired with up to 64GB of memory, 4TB of storage, and a choice of graphics cards all the way up to the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 vs. Pixel Slate

Microsoft might lead the 2-in-1 pack with its Surface range of products, but there are many pretenders to the crown. Samsung and Google both have their own offerings with unique features and hardware, so we pitted the Galaxy Book 2 vs. Pixel Slate in a classic head to head to see which is the best value for money.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT review

‘Final Fantasy XV’ dev claims Nvidia’s new card greatly improves performance

Nvidia's RTX-graphics-powered DLSS technology could make a dramatic improvement on not only the visuals but the frame rate in the PC version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XV. The technical director claimed in an interview that the developer may implement ray tracing in the game in the future too.
Yoga Book C930

Yoga Book C930 vs. Surface Go

Finding a laptop that's also a good tablet isn't easy, especially if you want to do so without paying through the teeth for it. Lenovo and Microsoft have some entry-level options which could fit that bill, though. To find out which is best, we pitted the Yoga Book C930 vs. Surface Go in a classic head to head.
pokemon sun moon competitive battle guide and

When it comes to value in gaming, Pokémon catches all the awards

What games have the best value? If you're on a limited budget or just want to buy games that give you plenty of playtime for your money, this new report might reveal what you need to know to make the best choice. As it turns out, Pokémon reigns supreme.
Amazon's AWS data center

Apple CEO demands Bloomberg retract its Chinese surveillance story

Following Bloomberg's report that Apple may have purchased compromised servers from Super Micro that were manufactured in China with embedded surveillance chips, Tim Cook is now calling for the publication to retract its story. Cook said that an internal investigation revealed no truth to the report.
Intel Core i9- 9900K

Intel Core i9 vs. AMD Threadripper

Intel's Core i9 CPUs have been some of the most powerful in the world for years, but AMD's Threadripper offers new competition with tonnes of cores and comparable clock speeds. What's the difference between these two chip technologies? And when you pit Core i9 vs. Threadripper, which CPUs come out on top?
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 review

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 packs Snapdragon 850 into Always Connected Windows 2-in-1

Samsung has announced a new version of its Galaxy Book 2-in-1. The second-gen design ditches the Intel Core processor and replaces it with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850. It also comes with a higher resolution display, improved battery life, and Gigabit LTE data connectivity to keep you connected on the go.
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G & Ryzen 3 2200G Review fingers motherboard.

Ryzen shine! AMD’s next CPUs could beat Intel at gaming in 2019

AMD's next-gen Ryzen CPUs could offer a much bigger boost to performance than its Zen+ chips did. The latest rumor suggests that the Zen 2 design delivers as much as 13-percent increase in instructions per clock, which could make AMD CPUs better than Intel's best at gaming and single-threaded tasks.
Samsung Odyssey review

Microsoft patent highlights a potential VR text input system

Microsoft has been awarded a patent for a new typing method in virtual reality and with console gamepads that leverages a radial wheel. The system has trappings of the Microsoft Surface Dial and could prove a more intuitive way to type out long messages while using virtual reality motion controllers.
windows 10 october update

Problems with Microsoft’s Windows October 2018 Update aren’t over yet

Microsoft still isn't quite ready to relaunch its October 2018 Update for Windows 10, despite two weeks of additional bug testing and fixing after its debut. The update continues to prove problematic with new concerns over audio issues and misreported CPU usage in Task Manager, as well as crashes.
winamp 2019 update streaming winamp02

Winamp eyes big comeback in 2019 with podcast, streaming support

Classic audio player Winamp is set for a big revamp next year, in what the developers hope will bring together all audio streaming solutions in a single application that's cross-platform. The newly updated app will support podcasts, local and cloud audio, radio stations, and other audio sources.
Intel Core i9- 9900K

Memory is still expensive, but Intel’s 9th-gen CPU lets you have 128GB of it

Intel's new 9-series CPUs, like the 9900K, 9700K, and 9600K, will have support for as much as 128GB of RAM using new double-height modules. Pricing remains unclear for such a system, but the new kits will no doubt be inordinately expensive, making these sorts of high-capacity PCs unlikely to be commonplace.
windows 10 october update

Did your Windows 10 audio stop working after the update? Microsoft has a fix

Microsoft's latest update for Windows 10 fixes an audio issue that materialized after the rollout of its October 2018 Update. Affected users received no sound from their speakers or headsets at all, with only some driver uninstalls fixing the issue temporarily. This official fix should put a stop to it.
perdix drone swarm the pentagon united states department of defense

Personal info of 30,000-plus Pentagon employees compromised in contractor breach

More than 30,000 Pentagon employees may have had their personal information, including credit card details, revealed during a recent hack. A government contractor was said to be responsible for the breach and the Department of Defense is continuing an investigation into how and when it occurred.