New Intel CPUs bake in gigabit wireless and Alexa support
Intel's mid-generation refresh CPUs known as the Y-series and U-series chips, introduce some intriguing features for entry and midrange laptops, including support for Cortana and Alexa, and high-speed gigabit Wi-Fi. They could also provide a cheaper alternative to the upcoming ninth-series CPUs.
Get Freesync working on Nvidia graphics cards with any AMD GPU
If you have an AMD GPU or APU and a compatible display, you can get Freesync running even if you're using an Nvidia GPU. The workaround does mean jumping through a few hoops, but the end result offers smooth frame rates devoid of tearing and you don't have the pay the extra costs of a G-Sync display.
Nvidia’s RTX 2000 GPUs look like A.I. hardware dressed up for gamers
Nvidia's new RTX graphics cards are fantastically powerful parallel processors with built in AI cores and specialized chips. They're pretty good at gaming too, but could it be that they were instead designed to accelerate AI developments and that their gaming performance will actually be a little lacklustre?
Firefox Quantum review
Firefox has been playing catch-up ever since Chrome hit it big, but Mozilla’s Firefox Quantum aims to leap a step forward into the future, and it's working. The new iteration of Mozilla's classic browser is fast, modern, and offers some unique privacy tools which could make it a worthy Chrome replacement.
What does that high score cost you? Why one in five gamers falls victim to fraud
Hackers and cheaters might prove problematic for developers and gamers, but financial fraudsters are also giving everyone trouble. A new study suggests that many gamers forgo spending money on their favorite games because of the risk of fraud, and many others still are caught out by the scammers.
Dell’s new fast-refresh Freesync display could be your next great gaming screen
Dell has a pair of new gaming displays for those who want speed and responsiveness above all. The new screens come in 1440p and 1080p flavors, offering up to 155Hz refresh rates and 1ms response times, and are available in both 24- and 27-inch form factors. Both, however, have streamlined, understated chassis.
HTC breaks down VR barriers by bringing Oculus Rift titles to Viveport
Oculus Rift gamers will soon be able to use the Viveport store and subscription to pick up new virtual reality titles, as HTC is opening the doors to evangelists of its staunchest competitor. This move may help it to compete more directly with Steam, which has offered cross-platform support since 2016.
How to use AirDrop
Apple AirDrop is an efficient way to send files between multiple people, but do you know how to use AirDrop? It's not as complicated as it might seem. All you need to do is follow these steps and you'll be sending photos, videos, contacts, locations and more to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac with ease.
Google claims censored search in China is ‘not close’ as employees protest
Google is not close to releasing a censored search product in China, Google's CEO Sundar Pinchai promised company employees at a recent meeting. This follows the protest of more than 1,000 Google employees after the news of a secretive project for a censored Chinese Google search engine came to light.
AMD Threadripper 2990WX hits 6GHz under liquid nitrogen overclock
An overclocker has managed to push AMD's new Threadripper 2990WX 32-core, 64-thread CPU to 6GHz with the help of a lot of liquid nitrogen. Supercooling made it possible to take the chip almost 50 percent higher than its standard boost clock and double its stock base clock, though it was only on one core.
Intel teases new dedicated graphics card slated for 2020 release
Intel doubled down on its plans to release its first dedicated graphics card in 20 years. Teased during a short video at the Siggraph 2018 conference, Intel promised to "set our graphics free" with a brand-new graphics card silhouetted amid talk of all of Intel's advancements in graphics technology over the years.
Google may launch two Pixelbook 2 laptops in October
Google may show off its second-generation Pixelbook laptop in October, with a new rumor suggesting there will be two variations. While both may be built on a Kaby Lake, eighth-generation platform, one may launch with a new keyboard design, currently code-named Whiskers, and both should have thinner bezels.
Just when you thought spam was dead, it’s back and worse than ever
Spam emails are among the oldest methods of spreading malicious software, but it's proving to be the most effective in 2018. As ransomware loses its vogue status and exploit kits become less effective, spam has returned as the go-to method for spreading malware and viruses to unsuspecting email users.
Hacker plays ‘Doom’ on John McAfee’s ‘unhackable’ BitFi Bitcoin wallet
A hacker has managed to get Doom running on John McAfee's allegedly unhackable Bitcoin wallet by rooting the device. Although that didn't qualify him for the $250,000 award for stealing the coins from the wallet's storage, it does suggest that hackers aren't far from completing that supposedly impossible feat.
Georgia under fire for lax voting security after precinct’s 243-percent turnout
A federal lawsuit against the state of Georgia has revealed a number of curious events that took place during the primary election in Mayh 2018. Voters were sent to the wrong precincts, voting machines crashed, and in one case voter turnout was 243 percent of the total residents of that precinct.
New laptops may see more storage as SSD prices expected to fall through 2019
The prices of solid-state-drives may continue to fall through the second half of 2018 and well into 2019 as oversupply leads to increased competition. This could also lead to greater density storage offered in consumer devices of all sorts, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
If A.I. doesn’t replace your job, it may make it much more pleasant
Keeping up to date with workplace technologies is something that all long-term workers have to deal with, but when it comes to smart assistants and AIs that can do much of your job for you, what will the workplace of tomorrow actually look like? Will there be jobs for us at all, or will we work with the machines in entirely new ways?
How A.I. can defeat malware that doesn’t even exist yet
Ditching signatures, Cylance Smart Antivirus is now available for consumers and it only offers AI protection. That machine learning algorithm though, is all you need, according to Cylance's senior VP, Christopher Bray. Can an AI really protect us from malware of today and tomorrow with no help at all?
Facebook’s security chief has quit — now who’s watching the watchmen?
Facebook's chief security officer, Alex Stamos, has announced that he's leaving the company in mid-August to move on to a new full-time teaching position. Crucially, Facebook has said he will not be replaced, raising questions about its approach to digital security on the social network in the future.
AMD B450 chipset offers Crossfire, better overclocking to mainstream Ryzen users
Motherboards sporting the AMD B450 chipset are now available to consumers and that means exciting things for Ryzen owners. The new motherboards offer features previously exclusive to the more expensive X470 platform, including StoreMi and advanced overclocking with XFR2 and Precision Boost Overdrive.
Intel i9-9900K storms ahead of competition in potential early benchmark
A benchmark result for a system that may well have been running an engineering sample of Intel's upcoming ninth-generation Core i9-9900K shows huge potential for the new generation CPU. If the test turns out to be accurate, it is more than capable of beating an AMD Ryzen 2700X and the last-generation 8700K.
Magic Leap’s augmented reality interface floats wherever you want it
The user interface for Magic Leap's augmented reality operating system will be heavily customizable and come in two specific guises: 2D and 3D. Each will let you choose how they're displayed, but where one will float, the other will conform to the environment around it, allowing for much more intuitive interaction.
AMD’s 32-core Threadripper 2990X could cost a whopping $1,800
AMD's top-tier Zen+ CPU, the Ryzen Threadripper 2990X could cost consumers far more than its predecessor, the 1950X. Where that chip launched at just under $1,000, the new one has a suggested price tag on one retail website of as much as $1,840, spurring questions about how competitive it will be with new Intel chips.
Intel’s soldered ninth-gen CPUs could give them even greater overclocking room
Intel has reportedly soldered the cores of its eight-core ninth-generation CPUs, likely improving their out-of-the-box cooling by leaps and bounds. If that turns out to be true, it could mean greater overclocking potential for the new chips, leading to the potential for 5GHz on all of their eight cores.
Google could release the most powerful Chromebook ever this year
A next-generation Google Pixelbook is said to be set to ship before the end of the year with thinner bezels. As with other laptops that have launched this year, it could also sport hardware upgrades, the most likely being a boost to its processing performance with a brand-new Intel eighth-generation CPU.
Homeland Security is worried about Gmail’s confidentiality mode
Google's new confidentiality mode on its Gmail email service may actually be making email less secure rather than more so. The Department of Homeland Security has expressed concern that it could lead to a rise in phishing attacks against unsuspecting users, with Gmail setting a dangerous precedent for the future.
Cloud-based call recording is coming to Skype, but will you use it?
The next release of the Skype VOIP client will add call recording for both voice and video chats, bringing users a feature that has been available to businesses for years. Until now, home users who wanted to record calls had to use third-party software, but once August rolls around, that's all going to change.
Netgear router bug let hackers steal classified documents on drones, tanks
Documents from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army were stolen by a hacker who used a simple exploit on a Netgear router after finding that its admin password had not been changed from the default. Those documents were then offered up for sale on the dark web alongside aerial drone footage and training manuals.
MacBook 12-inch vs. MacBook Pro 13
When it comes picking a MacBook from Apple's line up, there's an impressive array of choice. Even when you whittle it down to a few choices though, it's not easy. In this head to head, we pit the MacBook 12-inch vs. MacBook Pro 13 to see which pulls ahead in terms of performance, features, and value for money.
New MacBook Pros are the most powerful laptops Apple has ever made
Apple has debuted a new generation of MacBook Pro laptops. Available in both 13- and 15-inch form factors, the new notebooks sport the most powerful hardware Apple has ever included in a laptop. Eighth-generation CPUs, up to 32GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage are available, with a newly designed keyboard.
Is there a new ‘next-generation’ Windows OS just around the corner?
An announcement by AMD and Synaptics that discusses their new biometric fingerprint sensor technology hinted at more than just new security. During the announcement they mentioned a "next-generation" Windows, which could mean Windows Core OS, Windows Polaris, or some other form of new Windows OS entirely.
The Surface Go tablet unofficially leaks online
Thanks to a new leak online, the name and specs for Microsoft's new Surface tablet have been revealed: The Surface Go. Starting at $400, the new tablet takes the Surface line in new direction, looking to compete more with the iPad than a traditional laptop replacement. That is, according to the leak.