TechAmok News Archive
Android February Security Patch Fixes Critical Bluetooth Vulnerability - [security]
04:45 AM EST - Feb,09 2020 - post a comment A security flaw has been found in Android that allows attackers to access a phone via Bluetooth with no user interaction required. Android's most recent monthly security update, released on February 3rd, fixes the flaw. The vulnerability is rated "critical" - the highest rating - for Android versions 8 and 9. In Android 10, the same bug allows a remote attacker to crash the Bluetooth system, but does not present the same security vulnerability. Attackers must be within Bluetooth range (typically around 30 feet) to exploit the flaw. Users can ensure they're not vulnerable by turning off Bluetooth until their phone receives the February update. There are ways to continue using Bluetooth in public while making it difficult to exploit the flaw. Attackers need to know your Bluetooth MAC address (device ID). This can be obtained in two ways: The first is if your phone is in Bluetooth "discoverable" (pairing) mode. Also, on some devices, the Bluetooth MAC address can be deduced from the Wi-Fi MAC address. Therefore users with a non-updated Android phone who are concerned about the issue should avoid pairing new Bluetooth devices while near any public areas, and keep Wi-Fi turned off on their phone. |
Titan's Treasure PUZZLE Lock Solved - [guides]
05:11 PM EST - Feb,08 2020 - post a comment Mr. Puzzle took more than two hours to unlock the lock, the rest did not take him that long. He kept on pressing the broken key in deeper trying to unlock with the prongs. Then he states the orientation of the lock was what helped him unlock it. If you play his video in slow motion when he unlocks it play close attention to how deep the prong is inserted. Especially at 14:00 min into the video he is able to rotate it while having the incorrect orientation. If you go to 3:51min mark in this video here you will here LPL saying that with this lock the key is not stopped on the tip of the key it is stopped on the bow (which have been cut off), the real time waster was the proper depth of the key.
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2020 Moto RAZR Durability Test! - [mobile]
05:09 PM EST - Feb,08 2020 - post a comment The new folding Motorola Razr phone is here. That same iconic folding flip phone that all the cool kids had is BACK. And this time it has a fully flexible 6.2 inch folding screen. But how much abuse can it handle? Will the new razr break in half the first time you snap it shut for a phone call? What happens if you accidentally try to bend the Razr phone back the wrong direction? Is the Motorola Razr Dust proof? All these questions and more will be answered in todays durability test.
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NIGHTWISH - Noise (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - [off-topic]
12:41 PM EST - Feb,08 2020 - post a comment Finnish/British/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have released the official music video for "Noise", the first single from their forthcoming ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." . Due on April 10 via Nuclear Blast, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" will be a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.
Another masterpiece from one of the greatest metal bands of the world...and with a real deep social message as well, |
Back to the Future: Tesla CyberTruck Edition - Video - [technology]
05:11 PM EST - Feb,07 2020 - post a comment So, what is it? Well, I hope the title was something of a giveaway. But Yes! Someone out there has been working amazingly hard to edit out the DeLorean DMC-12 in one of the film's most iconic scenes. What have they replaced it with though I hear you ask? Well, only a Tesla Cybertruck!
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Microsoft Flight Simulator- leaked gameplay - [gaming]
05:11 PM EST - Feb,07 2020 - post a comment Jose Carlos has shared two videos from the tech alpha phase of Microsoft Flight Simulator. These videos showcase 50 minutes of brand new gameplay footage. Microsoft Flight Simulator targets a 2020 release.
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Apple Finally Buying AMD CPUs? - [hardware]
05:10 PM EST - Feb,07 2020 - post a comment Since its switch to the x86 machine architecture from PowerPC in the mid-2000s, Apple has been consistent with Intel as its sole supplier of CPUs for its Macbooks, iMac desktops, and Mac Pro workstations. The company's relationship with rival AMD has been limited to sourcing discrete GPUs. If pieces of code from a MacOS beta is anything to go buy, Apple could bite the AMD bullet very soon. References to several AMD processors were found in MacOS 10.15.4 Beta 1. These include the company's "Picasso," "Renoir," and "Van Gogh" APUs.
It's very likely that with increasing CPU IPC and energy-efficiency, Apple is finally seeing the value in single-chip solutions from AMD that have a good enough combination of CPU and iGPUs. The 7 nm "Renoir" silicon in particular could change the mobile and desktop computing segments, thanks to its 8-core "Zen 2" CPU, and a "Vega" based iGPU that's highly capable in non-gaming and light-gaming tasks. AMD's proprietary SmartShift feature could also be leveraged, which dynamically switches between the iGPU and an AMD discrete GPU.
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Nokia 2.3 Offers 2-Day Battery for $129 - [mobile]
05:44 PM EST - Feb,06 2020 - post a comment The newest entry-level Nokia Android phone from HMD Global is the Nokia 2.3, which contains a 4,000 mAh battery that HMD claims can last through two days of use. It also has a 6.2-inch, 19:9, HD screen with small notch, MediaTek Helio A22 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, memory card slot, and 3.5mm headset jack. It has a 13 megapixel camera on the back plus depth camera for portrait mode, and a 5 megapixel camera on the front. An AI-powered "Recommended Shot" feature automatically captures alternate images before and after the shutter button is pressed and suggests the best one. It also has a multi-frame night mode. The frame is aluminum and the back has a "3D nano-textured" design. The 2.3 comes with Android 9 and two years of OS updates (including Android 10) plus three years of monthly security updates. The US version supports LTE in US bands 2, 4, 5, 12, and 66, which means basic support for AT&T and T-Mobile networks (including Cricket and Metro brands). The Nokia 2.3 will come in Sand and Charcoal in the US. It will be available unlocked from Amazon and Best Buy for $129 starting February 9th.
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The Jesus Rolls - Official VOD Trailer - [briefly]
05:42 PM EST - Feb,06 2020 - post a comment The Jesus rolls on. Hours after being released from prison, Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) pairs up with fellow misfits Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and Marie (Audrey Tautou), and embark on a freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance.
In theaters and on demand March 6th! |
AMD Desktop Processor Market Share Now at 18.3% - [hardware]
05:41 PM EST - Feb,06 2020 - post a comment Market intelligence firm Mercury Research published its findings on the x86 processor market towards the end of 2019, in which AMD has posted growth in all segments (not counting IoT or semi-custom). AMD held 18.3 percent of the desktop x86 processor market, according to the report. a 5-year high. The company's EPYC line of server processors face a more uphill battle against enterprises' entrenched brand loyalties to Intel. The company holds 4.5 percent of the server processor market, but growing 0.2 percent points versus the previous quarter, and 1.4 percentage points vs. the previous year. The last time AMD held such a market share in the server x86 processor market was in Q3-2013.
AMD's mobile processor market share may come as a surprise to some. According to Mercury Research, the company holds 16.2 percent of the mobile x86 processor market, which is almost as much as its desktop market. This is probably propelled by the popularity of AMD APUs and low-power CPUs in the cost-effective notebook market segments. AMD is now eyeing higher market segments with its Ryzen 4000 "Renoir" processors that make landfall this year. AMD is growing faster in the mobile space than desktop, with 1.5 percentage points growth in just Q4, and 4 percentage points year-over-year. AMD's mobile market share was this high back in Q2-2013. Mercury Research pins AMD's overall hold over the x86 market at 15.5%, averaged on all segments, minus semi-custom and IoT. |
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.2.1 driver - [briefly]
01:37 PM EST - Feb,06 2020 - post a comment AMD has released a new driver for its graphics cards that you can download right now. According to the release notes, the AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.2.1 driver offers optimal performance in Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Moreover, this new driver fixes a number of bugs and issues. For instance, it resolves an issues that could cause high memory usage when recording with Radeon ReLive. It also fixes an issue that could cause HDR content to become overly dark or overly bright in some DirectX 12 API games on Radeon RX 5000 GPUs.
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.2.1 Driver Release NotesSupport ForFixed Issues- Some users may experience higher than expected memory usage when recording with Radeon ReLive.
- HDR content may become overly dark or overly bright in some DirectX 12 API games on Radeon RX 5000 series graphics products.
- The camera element may exhibit stutter in recorded clips or during streaming using Radeon ReLive.
- The scroll bar is missing for some users in the Compatibility tab of Radeon Software.
- Radeon Software may fail to detect VR games when SteamVR is running or has been started.
- Radeon Anti-Lag enable and disable beep notifications may be played in error when individually pressing keys assigned to the hotkey.
- The Snap Settings feature may fail to apply settings for Auto Tuning controls if other Auto Tuning settings were already applied.
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Russian Multiplication - Numberphile - [off-topic]
04:41 PM EST - Feb,05 2020 - post a comment This is the first time I've heard of this method :D I'm pretty sure it's a joke based on cold war era propaganda stereotypes about Russians purging everything :-)
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NVIDIA's GeForce Now Service is Launched - [gaming]
04:05 AM EST - Feb,05 2020 - post a comment After years in public beta, the company's GeForce Now cloud gaming service is officially launching today with both free and paid tiers. GeForce Now officially supports around 400 games, which you can find via the service's search bar. That tally includes most of the more popular titles being played today, and Nvidia says it adds four or five new games every week or so. PUBG, Witcher 3, Skyrim, Borderlands 3, Dishonored 2, XCOM 2, and many, many more triple-A games work with GeForce Now, as do indie gems like Battletech, Stardew Valley, and Disco Elysium. The service doesn't come with any games, but will run those you buy (or have bought) on Steam, Epic, Uplay or Battle.net - note that Origin, GoG, Microsoft Store and other launchers are not presently supported.
As of today, any user on the Internet can register and take advantage of the free edition, which allows you to connect to the cloud service for up to an hour per session. If you sign up for the Founder's membership, which costs $4.99 per month, you can play for up to 6 six hours in a row and you'll get priority access to the servers. The first three months of a Founder's plan are free so there's no reason right now to go with the free tier.
System requirements for NVIDIA's GeForce Now are as stands:
- 15 Mbps internet connection (25 Mbps recommended). A 5 GHz network is preferred if using wireless.
- Any Windows PC running Windows 7 (64-bit) or higher, 4 GB of system memory, a 2.0 GHz dual-core X86 CPU or higher and a GPU that supports DirectX 11.
- Any Mac with macOS 10.10 or higher.
- Any Nvidia Shield TV (2015, 2017, 2019; Base and Pro models).
- Any Android phone running Android 5.0 (L) or higher and 2 GB of system memory.
- A Bluetooth gamepad is strongly recommended, including the Shield controller, Razer Raiju and Junglecat Mobile, or Steelseries Stratus Duo.
The minimum hardware requirements for GeForce Now are so low that you can run it on even the cheapest Windows computer. To run on a PC, you need any dual-core or better CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a GPU that can handle DirectX 11, which even low-end, integrated graphics processors support. You can also run the cloud gaming service on Macs that date back as far as 2009 or on Android devices. To play on your TV, you can use one of Nvidia's own Android-powered Shield set-top boxes. The one catch (which applies to all cloud streaming services) is that you need a stable Internet connection that's at least 15 Mbps, which operates over either Wi-Fi 5 (aka 802.11ac) or higher wireless, or Ethernet. The service is unlikely to work well over 4G and you need to have really good Wi-Fi coverage.
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VMWare Updates Licensing Model, Setting 32-Core Limit - [briefly]
03:45 AM EST - Feb,05 2020 - post a comment VMWare has announced changes to its licensing model. From now on, licensees will have to acquire a license per 32 CPU cores, instead of the former "per socket" model. This effectively means that users who had made a migration to AMD's 64-core EPYC CPUs, for instance, and who saved on both price-per core and VMWare licensing fees compared to Intel customers (who would need two sockets to achieve the same core-count, and thus, two licenses) are now being charged for two licenses for a 64-core, AMD-populated socket. This was a selling point for AMD - the company stated that their high-end EPYC processors could act as a dual-socket setup with a single processor, thanks to EPYC's I/O capabilities and core counts. VMWare claims this change is in line with industry standard pricing models.
Of course this decision from VMWare hits AMD the hardest, and it comes at a time where there are already 48 and 64 core CPUs available in the market. Should this licensing change be done, perhaps it should be in line with the current state of the industry, and not following in a quasi-random core-count (it definitely isn't random, though, and I'll leave it at that). From VMware's perspective, AMD's humongous CPU core counts does affect their bottom line. The official release claiming customers license software based on CPU counts may be valid, and they do allow for free licenses for servers past 32 cores until April 30, 2020. Of course, VMWare is also preparing itself for future industry changes - Intel will obviously increase its core counts in response to AMD's EPYC attack on the expected core counts of professional applications |
MS Releases Microcode Updates Adressing Intel CPU Vulnerabilities - [security]
03:42 AM EST - Feb,05 2020 - post a comment Microsoft today has released several microcode updates for Intel CPUs. The updates are meant to be applied in a case-by-case basis under their Windows 10 operating system, and these updates target several releases of that OS (ranging from version 1507 through version 1903/1909). These address several vulnerability exploits related to side-channel and speculative execution attacks on Intel CPUs.
The updates need to be installed specifically for the Windows OS version you're rocking, and on systems with CPUs affected by the vulnerabilities and covered by this microcode update release. These include Intel's Denverton (Atom C3000 series); Sandy Bridge, Sandy Bridge E and EP (2000 and 3000 series), Valleyview (Atom Z3000 series) and Whiskey Lake U CPUs (8000U series, 5000U series, and 4200U series). These updates must be installed manually by users.
Windows 10 version 1903/1909: KB497165
Windows 10 version 1809: KB4494174
Windows 10 version 1803: KB4494451
Windows 10 version 1709: KB4494452
Windows 10 version 1703: KB4494453
Windows 10 Version 1607: KB4494175
Windows 10 Version 1507: KB4494454 |
Facebook Expands Parental Controls for Messenger Kids - [internet]
04:29 PM EST - Feb,04 2020 - post a comment Facebook today launched a major update to Messenger Kids, its messaging app designed for kids 13 and under. While the original app simply gave parents control over who their kids could chat with, the new Parent Dashboard lets parents monitor everything except the text of messages themselves. Parents can now view a log of all photos and videos sent and received, along with delete and report options. Parents can also see "who your child is chatting with, whether they are video chatting or sending messages and how frequently those conversations happened over the past 30 days." Parents can also download a full copy of their child's information, including full message content; the child will be alerted to this action with a notification in the Messenger Kids app. Facebook also added remote device logout and improved information on who a child has blocked and/or reported.
New Parent Dashboard features include:
- Recent Contacts and Chat History: See who your child is chatting with, whether they are video chatting or sending messages and how frequently those conversations happened over the past 30 days.
- Log of Images in Chats: See the most recent photos and videos your child has sent and received in their inbox. If you believe an image or video is not appropriate for your child, you can remove it from your child's message thread and report it.
- Reported and Blocked Contacts History: Access a list of the reporting and blocking actions your child has taken in the app. You'll see a list of the contacts your child has blocked and/or unblocked, if they have reported any messages as well as any contacts they've reported and the reason for their action. Parents will continue to be notified via Messenger if their child blocks or reports someone.
- Remote Device Logout: See all devices where your child is logged in to Messenger Kids and log out of the app on any device through the Parent Dashboard. (Note: This feature is not meant to control when kids have access to the app – try Sleep Mode for that.)
- Download Your Child's Information: Request a copy of your child's Messenger Kids information, similar to how you can download your own information within the Facebook app. The download will include a list of your child's contacts as well as the messages, images and videos they have sent and received. Your child will be notified through the Messenger Kids app when you request this information.
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Jason Momoa Super Bowl Commercial 2020 - [off-topic]
08:50 AM EST - Feb,04 2020 - post a comment Watch Jason Momoa get super comfortable at home in our 2020 Super Bowl commercial. Behind the muscles and hair is just a guy trying to relax at home - the one place he can truly be himself.
With Rocket Mortgage, you'll get award-winning customer service and a home buying experience centered around you, so you can be as comfortable financing your home as you are living in it.
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Resident Evil Netflix Series to Enter Production in June - [briefly]
05:57 AM EST - Feb,04 2020 - post a comment Redanian Intelligence, a fan site that worked to uncover information on " The Witcher" series both before and after release, is reporting to have unearthed a production entry for the "Resident Evil" series which confirms some key details. The show is set to be eight episodes, with each being 60-minutes in length. This isn't a surprise, that formula has quickly become Netflix's standard season structure for its original shows. As well as confirming that shooting will begin in June, the entry also notes on-location prep work will begin in April, with the main hub of production being based in South Africa. If this information is accurate, this would be a new location for the live-action reimagining of 'Resident Evil', with the films being shot primarily in Canada and Mexico prior to this. If re-shoots aren't required, several months of post-production should see it debut at roughly the same time as "The Witcher" did, which was towards the back end of last year. Failing that very tight timescale, a spring 2021 release might be more likely.
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NVIDIA GeForce 442.19 WHQL driver - [gaming]
04:09 PM EST - Feb,03 2020 - post a comment NVIDIA today posted, the latest version of GeForce software. Version 442.19 WHQL ( release notes comes game-ready for "Zombie Army: Dead War 4," "Apex Legends Season 4," and "Metro Exodus: Sam's Story." With these drivers, NVIDIA improved the maximum frame-rate setting with limits between 20 and 1,000 FPS. Find this setting in "NVIDIA Control Panel>3D Settings>Maximum Frame Rate control." NVIDIA also introduced VRSS (VR super-sampling), an image quality enhancement that super sampling selectively on the central region of a frame. Among the bug fixes are a game crash during a cutscene in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine," SETI@Home experiencing driver crash (TDR) on "Maxwell" GPUs, random stoppage of OBS streaming with "Call of Duty Modern Warfare," Battleye with NVIDIA low-latency mode causing a DWM crash and recovery; certain SLI+G-Sync stutter issues being fixed; a "Doom" (2016) game crash with "Kepler" GPUs, and an NVENC memory leak. |
Stadium roof collapse kills worker in Russia - [off-topic]
02:01 PM EST - Feb,01 2020 - post a comment A construction worker was killed after the roof of a sports stadium collapsed during planned demolition work in Saint Petersburg, authorities said Friday. Dramatic footage filmed by local media agency Fotanka showed the moment the entire structure collapsed around him.
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Most Popular TV Series 1986 - 2019 - [briefly]
11:15 AM EST - Feb,01 2020 - post a comment Timeline history of the most viewed TV series from 1986 to 2019. Ranking is based on the following factors: prime-time first 24 hours audience reports, one week of reported statistics for downloaded copies (pirated), one week of streaming services viewership. Numbers are worldwide with significant bias towards US market up until 2002, afterwards it's balanced by p2p distribution across the globe.
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Apple Proposes Standard to Automate One-Time Passcodes Via SMS - [briefly]
03:04 AM EST - Feb,01 2020 - post a comment Apple's WebKit web browser engine team has proposed a new standard for SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) that would allow the process to be automated, requiring no extra user interaction when logging into a web site on a mobile device. Currently, SMS-based 2FA requires that users receive and view a text message containing a one-time passcode (OTP) that is typically a six-digit number, then enter that number on a special login page. In some cases, the process can be automated, but it is not standardized. Mobile OSes have attempted to semi-automate the process by offering one-tap copy-and-paste options for OTPs. Apple's proposed standard would include a special login URL in the text message body. This would allow mobile browsers and/or OSes to complete the login automatically, as well as provide protection against phishing attempts. Google's web browser engine team is also on board with the proposal. |
Buy a new AMD graphics card and get Monster Hunter World - [briefly]
01:09 PM EST - Jan,31 2020 - post a comment According to VideoCardz.com, AMD's 'Raise the Game' bundle is coming back this February with a selection of Capcom, Ubisoft and Blizzard games included for free, depending on which card you buy. From February 4 through to April 25, 2020, buyers picking up either a Radeon RX 5700 XT or RX 5700 will get Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (the base game and the expansion), the upcoming Resident Evil 3 remake, and three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC. Buy an RX 5500 XT and you'll get Resident Evil 3, Warcraft III: Reforged, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and three months of Game Pass. You won't get Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, though. Both the 5700 and 5500 XT deals will last until April 25, 2020 and must be redeemed by May 25. Meanwhile, if you've bought an RX Vega, RX 590, 580, 570 or 560 between July 1, 2019 and April 25, 2020, you've also got three months of Games Pass for PC waiting for you. This must be redeemed by June 30, 2020. Sorry, RX 5660 buyers, that family of cards isn't included in this deal. |
Antivirus Providers Continue Supporting Windows 7 - [security]
12:55 PM EST - Jan,31 2020 - post a comment 
Despite Microsoft ending Windows 7 support on January the 14th and declaring it End-Of-Life (EOL), most of the antivirus providers are still providing their services to Windows 7 users. With a large portion of the users unable to switch to the newer and supported OS versions like Windows 10, antivirus providers see a good opportunity to gain new customers that want to protect their PCs from the possible threats. Thanks to the AV-Test report we have a list of antivirus providers that are going to support Windows 7, and it includes all of the big players with a plan to support their software on Windows 7 until 2022. So some of the Windows 7 users unable to upgrade to the newer OS are going to be at least semi-protected against possible vulnerabilities, with exception of course for those found in OS level. When it comes to the number one source of the threats, the browser, there is some good news there as well. Google plans to support its Chrome browser to at least July 2021, while Mozilla declared no official information about their support plans, however, if they behave as they did with Windows XP and its support ending, your Firefox browser will likely get some more mileage out of it. |
Apple, Broadcom Ordered to Pay $1.1 billion to CalTech - [briefly]
05:42 PM EST - Jan,30 2020 - post a comment There is a lot to say regarding patent applications and their defense, and the devious ways these can be used as a way to both stifle innovation, competition, and to leech other companies' funds with what is usually described as "patent troll" behavior. Being a seat of technological innovation, The California Institute of Technology (CalTech) registers patents as results of their attaches' work - some of these see the light of day as actual products, but more often than not, the patent rights are used as a way for the institute to receive funds from those that would license their intellectual property.
After entering a legal battle with Apple and Broadcom back in 2016, CalTech has now had its accusation of patent infringement against both companies come to a close, with the jury deciding in favor of the university. The accusation was of both companies deploying WiFi chips which were based on Caltech's patent designs - WiFi chips that were then shipped within millions of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. As a result, both Apple and Broadcom were ordered to pay a total of $1.1 billion in compensation, with Apple taking the brunt of the decision ($837.8 million) and Broadcom coming in with a thinner slice at $270.2.
Both Apple and Broadcom have come forward saying they intend to appeal against the decision, with Apple using the tactic of shirking off responsibility. According to the company, they are "an indirect downstream party" to the patent-infringing WiFi modules, which means Apple believes they have no responsibility as to any patent infringements that were included in the design of the chips it ordered from Broadcom. Stock valuation of both Apple and Broadcom declined after the jury's decision was made public. |
Farming Simulator 19 is now free - [gaming]
05:25 PM EST - Jan,30 2020 - post a comment Focus Home Interactive and Epic Games are currently giving away Farming Simulator 19 for free. From today and until February 6th, PC gamers can visit the game's Epic Games Store page and acquire their free copy. The game will also comes with over 300 unique vehicles and equipment from all the leading brands. These includes John Deere alongside Case IH, New Holland, Challenger, Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Valtra, Krone, Deutz-Fahr, and many others.
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Zhaoxin KaiXian x86 Processor Now Commercially Available - [hardware]
05:54 AM EST - Jan,30 2020 - post a comment Zhaoxin is a brand that makes multi-core 64-bit x86 processors primarily for use in Chinese state IT infrastructure. It's part of the Chinese Government's ambitious plan to make its IT hardware completely indigenous. Zhaoxin's x86-64 CPU cores are co-developed by licensee VIA, specifically its CenTaur subsidiary that's making NCORE AI-enabled x86 processors. The company's KaiXian KX-6780A processor is now commercially available in China to the DIY market in the form of motherboards with embedded processors.
The KaiXian KX-6780A features an 8-core/8-thread x86-64 CPU clocked up to 2.70 GHz, 8 MB of last-level cache, a dual-channel DDR4-3200 integrated memory controller, a PCI-Express gen 3.0 root-complex, and an iGPU possibly designed by VIA's S3 Graphics division, which supports basic display and DirectX 11.1 readiness. The CPU features modern ISA, with instruction sets that include AVX, AES-NI, SHA-NI, and VT-x comparable virtualization extensions. The chip has been fabricated on TSMC 16 nm FinFET process. I found some CPU benchmark here. The CPU looks pretty slow :( |
Unicode Reveals New Emoji for 2020 - [briefly]
05:53 AM EST - Jan,30 2020 - post a comment The Unicode Consortium has approved 63 official new emoji characters for 2020, plus 55 new gender or skin tone variations. They are expected to be added to major OSes and apps later this year. The new emoji include Smiling Face with Tear, Disguised Face, Pinched Fingers, Person Feeding Baby, People Hugging, Ninja, Anatomical Heart, Lungs, Black Cat, Mammoth, Beaver, Dodo, Feather, Seal, Beetle, Cockroach, Fly, Worm, Potted Plant, Blueberries, Olive, Flatbread, Tamale, Teapot, Bubble Tea, Rock, Wood, Hut, Pickup Truck, Roller Skate, Magic Wand, Pinata, Nesting Dolls, Sewing Needle, Knot, Thong Sandal, Military Helmet, Accordion, Coin, Boomerang, Carpentry Saw, Screwdriver, Hook, Ladder, Elevator, Mirror, Window, Plunger, Mouse Trap, Bucket, Toothbrush, Headstone, Transgender Symbol, and Transgender Flag. The new emoji are part of Emoji 13.0.
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Narcos: Mexico Season 2 trailer - [off-topic]
05:34 PM EST - Jan,29 2020 - post a comment
The return of Narcos: Mexico is just a couple of weeks away, so it is only appropriate that Netflix dropped the official trailer for season 2 of the series. The series which focuses on the start of the Guadalajara cartel and the origins of the Mexican drug war will return on February 13.
Season 2 picks up after a major event at the end of the premiere season and starts with a new DEA agent in charge of Operation Layenda, which is looking to gather information on the death of DEA agent Kiki Camarena.
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Coca-Cola Energy - The Dots - [off-topic]
05:33 PM EST - Jan,29 2020 - post a comment Super Bowl Sunday is just days away. Super Bowl 54 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is set to take place on Sunday, February 2 and we are beginning to get a first-look at some of the highly-anticipated commercials that will be airing during the big game.
One of the companies to drop a teaser for their Super Bowl ad is Coca-Cola, which dropped a teaser for its Coca-Cola Energy spot which will run 60-seconds.
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Microsoft Q2 2020 earnings: Revenue up 14% - [briefly]
05:24 PM EST - Jan,29 2020 - post a comment Today, Microsoft announced its quarterly earnings, this time for its second quarter of its fiscal year 2020, or the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2019. Once again, the Redmond firm showed strong growth, with a 14% (15% in constant currency) increase in revenue year-over-year (YoY), for a total of $36.9 billion in revenue. That can be broken down to $11.8 billion in Productivity and Business Processes (17% growth or 19% CC), $11.9 billion in Intelligent Cloud (27% growth or 28% CC), and $13.2 billion in More Personal Computing (2% growth or 3% CC).
Productivity and Business Processes growth was driven by Office 365 and LinkedIn. All Office Commercial products and services saw 16% growth (18% CC) in revenue. That's driven by a 27% (30% CC) growth in Office 365 Commercial revenue, and offset by an 11% (10% CC) decline in Office Commercial non-cloud products. Also, Office 365 Commercial seats grew by 21%.
Office Consumer products and services revenue grew by 19% (20% CC), and Microsoft attributes that to recurring subscriptions, the Japanese market, and that last year was low. In total, there are now 37.2 Office 365 Consumer subscribers.
LinkedIn revenue grew by 24% (26% CC), while sessions grew by 25%. Dynamics products and services grew by 12% (15% CC), and Dynamics 365 revenue grew by 42% (45% CC). Of course, Microsoft doesn't tell us how much money is actually being generated by any of these categories; it's just not transparent like that.
On to the Intelligent Cloud, which is this weird bucket of cloud services that don't fit into Productivity and Business Processes, and some non-cloud products, despite the name. Server products and cloud services grew by 30% (32% CC), driven by 62% (64% CC) growth in Azure revenue. Server products is actually up by 10% (12% CC), thanks to the end of Windows Server 2008 support. Enterprise Mobility grew 35% to over 127M seats, and Enterprise Services revenue grew 6% (7% CC).
The final category is More Personal Computing, which is still the biggest money-maker. Windows OEM revenue grew by an impressive 18%, and Microsoft says that this is due to last year's chip supply constraints. That includes 26% growth in Pro revenue and 4% growth in non-Pro revenue, and a lot of this has to do with the end of support for Windows 7.
Windows Commercial products and cloud services grew by 25% (27% CC), thanks to growth in Microsoft 365. Surface revenue increased by 6% (8% CC), and there's no additional context provided by Microsoft on that one.
Gaming revenue declined once again, this time by 21% (20% CC). Xbox content and services also declined, by 11% (9% CC), thanks to a big year last year that can be attributed to Fortnite. Finally, search advertising revenue increased by 6% (7% CC). |
DoJ Takes Action to Shut Down Robocall Companies - [crime-law]
05:16 PM EST - Jan,29 2020 - (1 comments) The US Department of Justice is seeking temporary restraining orders against five US companies responsible for connecting hundreds of millions of scam robocalls originating from India. The US companies provide VoIP services that allow overseas scammers to cheaply place millions of automated calls each hour, with spoofed caller-ID info. One of the companies carried 720 million calls during a sample 23-day period. "The calls facilitated by the defendants falsely threatened victims with a variety of catastrophic government actions, including termination of social security benefits, imminent arrest for alleged tax fraud and deportation for supposed failure to fill out immigration forms correctly." The owners allegedly ignored repeated warnings that they were carrying large volumes of calls that were fraudulent, including government- and business-imposter calls. The five companies are owned by just three people. The DoJ is pursuing legal action against the companies and their owners. |
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.1.4 drivers - [briefly]
05:18 PM EST - Jan,27 2020 - post a comment AMD today released a new version of their Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition drivers. Version 20.1.4 Beta adds support for Warcraft III: Reforged, with increased performance by up to 11% in some scenarios. Support for "Journey to the Savage Planet" has also been added.
Fixed issues include corruption issues on Red Dead Redemption 2 under Vulkan; crashes on Vulkan-based games when performing a task switch while Radeon Image Sharpening is enabled; system hangs or black screens in GTA V at launch, missing audio in Radeon ReLive recordings, and Integer Scaling not being shown in some Windows 7 hardware configurations.
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.1.4 Driver Release NotesSupport For - Warcraft III: Reforged
- With high presets on the Radeon RX 5700 XT, achieve up to 11% better performance playing World of Warcraft III: Reforged with Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 edition 20.1.4 than with Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.1.3.RS-331
- Journey to the Savage Planet
Fixed Issues - Red Dead Redemption 2 may experience square or blocky textures on some terrain during gameplay when using Vulkan API.
- Some Vulkan API games may experience a crash or application hang when performing a task switch while Radeon Image Sharpening is enabled.
- Text overflow is observed in toast messages for some languages.
- Radeon ReLive may fail to switch recording to desktop when Radeon Software is open.
- Grand Theft Auto 5 may experience a system hang or black screen at launch, when opening Radeon Overlay while in game, or after performing a task switch while in game.
- Audio may intermittently be missing from Radeon ReLive recordings near the end of recorded clips.
- Integer Scaling option is not showing up or available on some Windows 7 system configurations.
Footnotes
RS-331, Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of January 23, 2020 using a test system comprising of Intel Core i9-9900K CPU (3.6GHz), 16GB DDR4-3200MHz memory, the Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card and Windows 10 x64 with Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.1.4, and 20.1.3. PC manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. Playing World of Warcraft III: Reforged at high presets on the Radeon RX 5700 XT, with Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.1.4 scored 234.9 FPS while 20.1.3 scored 211.1 FPS, showing an 11% uplift driver over driver.
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iOS 14 is said to support almost all iOS 13 devices, including iPhone - [mobile]
04:26 PM EST - Jan,27 2020 - post a comment According to a report from French website iPhoneSoft, many owners of older generations of iPhone and iPad can collectively breathe a sigh of relief. There's enough indication out there that Apple is going to support pretty much any device that was able to receive the last major upgrade to iOS 13. This means that if you happen to be holding on to your iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, or iPhone SE, you'll be able to enjoy at least one more major iOS upgrade. Considering these are devices released in the 2015-2016 timeframe, it's a blessing that Android users can only dream of even on the high-end side.
The story is a bit different if you own an iPad Mini 4 or iPad Air 2, which use slower A8 and A8x processors, which apparently won't make the cut. In the case of iPod touch, you'll only get the next iOS upgrade as long as you have the latest version that launched last year. |
Intel 400-series Chipset Mobos to Lack PCIe Gen 4.0 - [hardware]
06:19 AM EST - Jan,27 2020 - post a comment Intel's upcoming 400-series desktop chipset will lack support for PCI-Express gen 4.0. The motherboards will stick to gen 3.0 for both the main x16 PEG slots wired to the LGA1200 socket, and general purpose PCIe lanes from the PCH, according to a Tom's Hardware report. It was earlier expected that 400-series chipset motherboards will come with preparation for PCIe gen 4.0, so even if the upcoming 10th gen "Comet Lake" desktop processors lacked gen 4.0 root-complexes, the boards would be fully ready for the new bus standard in 11th gen "Rocket Lake" desktop processors.
10th gen "Comet Lake" desktop processors are built on 14 nm process, and implement Intel's current-gen CPU core design Intel has been implementing since 6th gen "Skylake." It's only with 11th gen "Rocket Lake" that the mainstream desktop platform could see a new CPU core design, with the company reportedly back-porting "Willow Cove" CPU cores to the 14 nm process. "Rocket Lake" is also expected to feature a small Gen12 iGPU with 32 execution units, and a new-gen uncore component that implements PCIe gen 4.0. PCIe gen 4.0 doubles bandwidth over gen 3.0, and while only a handful GPUs support it, the standard is made popular by a new generation of M.2 NVMe SSDs that are able to utilize the added bandwidth to push sequential transfer rates beyond M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 limitations.
In other news,Intel has delayed the launch of 10th gen Core desktop processors and 400-series chipset motherboards to Q2-2020, to as early as April. |
PS5 and Xbox Series X Graphic Features Teased - [gaming]
06:20 PM EST - Jan,26 2020 - post a comment With the PS5 and Xbox Series X around the corner, what can gamers expect in terms of graphics? According to a The Last of Us and Assassin's Creed animator, quite a lot. Highlighting some recent developments in Unreal Engine 4, ray tracing may take a backseat when it comes to the amazing real time hair physics that the graphics engine is boasting.
Earlier this week, animator Jonathan Cooper highlighted some of the amazing new advances being made to graphics engines coming to next gen consoles. While ‘raytracing' has been the hot term for upcoming graphic developments, Cooper instead points to the amazing hair physics. Even better, a quick gif is attached to demonstrate how lifelike these graphics look:
The PS5 and Xbox Series X are set to release around Holiday 2020, we will keep you in the loop of all new developments on the upcoming game and console.
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