TechAmok News Archive
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams - Official Trailer - [briefly]
05:43 PM EST - Nov,20 2017 - post a comment Amazon today announced that its new sci-fi anthology series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams will is going to air January 12th on Prime Video. It will be 10 standalone episodes set in different worlds and if it's anywhere close to Man in the High Castle it's going to be awesome. I don't know about anyone else, but I believe this is going to be another home run for Amazon. They keep bringing great original programming to us streamers.
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Incredibles 2 Official Teaser Trailer - [briefly]
03:44 PM EST - Nov,20 2017 - post a comment Disney/Pixar's "Incredibles 2" opens in theatres in 3D June 15th, 2018.
Been waiting on this movie for what seems like forever! Finally coming out. Hope it's great. |
Xbox One X Tear-Down - [briefly]
11:35 AM EST - Nov,19 2017 - post a comment The chaps over at Gamers Nexus have posted a really nice tear-down of the Xbox One X. After watching it you can see how well the Microsoft engineers designed the chassis and stuffed so much into a small space. Hopefully the cooling is robust enough to prevent heat failures.
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Surface Book 2 gets torn down, repairs are tough - [briefly]
04:33 AM EST - Nov,19 2017 - post a comment The Surface Book 2 was available for pre-order last week, but you can now head to a store and make your purchase on the spot, as it made its official retail debut on November 16. While it is a beautifully crafted machine, it seems that just like its predecessor, the Surface Book 2 isn't terribly easy to repair. This information comes from the folks at iFixit, who took the unit apart and gave it a repairability score based on the difficulty of dismantling it. The Surface Book 2 seems to be glued into place at every access point and requires quite a bit of heat and force with prying tools. Once inside, there are tons of screws that keep things together on the tablet portion, along with many ribbon cables and various connectors. While the processor and RAM are soldered to the board, the one shining beacon is that the SSD can be replaced if needed. Again, this will require quite a bit of work, but its good to know that it can be done. For this reason, the Surface Book 2 scored a rather paltry one out of ten, the same score as a number of Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.
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Xbox Game Pass $1 Black Friday Deal - [gaming]
04:45 PM EST - Nov,18 2017 - post a comment Microsoft has already opened the dances with its Black Friday deals open to Xbox Live Gold members, but there is a juicy one for everyone. Those who don't have an Xbox Game Pass subscription can get the first month for $1 (or €1 if you're in Europe).
Unfortunately, the deal is open only to first-time subscribers, but it's still rather sweet. There are no strings attached, so if you don't want to pay the $9,99 (or €9,99) required after the first discounted month, you can simply unsubscribe.
The service gives you unlimited access to over 100 games until they're rotated out of the line-up, including titles like Halo 5: Guardians, Mad Max, Metro: Last Light Redux and more.
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Germany Bans Children's Smartwatches - [briefly]
03:05 PM EST - Nov,17 2017 - post a comment A German regulator has banned the sale of smartwatches aimed at children, describing them as spying devices. It had previously banned an internet-connected doll called, My Friend Cayla, for similar reasons. Telecoms regulator the Federal Network Agency urged parents who had such watches to destroy them. All I've got to say about that is.....dilly, dilly. Company's have got to fix their stuff when it comes to child safety. |
The Tesla Semi Revealed - [briefly]
09:34 AM EST - Nov,17 2017 - post a comment Despite some delays, as promised Elon Musk finally rolled in to reveal Tesla's new all-electric truck, the Tesla Semi. The big rig goes from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds and tows a max load 80,000 lbs with an estimated range of 500 miles on the highway. A range of 400 miles can be had in 30 minutes on a single charge from solar powered "Megachargers" the company plans to build.
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Bitcoin Passes $8,000 For the First Time in History - [briefly]
09:33 AM EST - Nov,17 2017 - post a comment Just weeks after crossing the $7,000 milestone, bitcoin surged to a new all-time high on November 16, peaking at $8020 on the Bitfinex exchange. This marked the first time the cryptocurrency's value passed the $8,000 mark, though it dropped back down to $7,896 at the time of writing. Is bitcoin going to keep going up? Only time will tell, but it sure looks like it. |
Apple Releases iOS 11.1.2 to Clean Up More Bugs - [briefly]
09:31 AM EST - Nov,17 2017 - post a comment Apple today released iOS 11.1.2 for the iPhone and iPad. This minor release primarily fixes bugs. Specifically, it resolves an issue where the iPhone X screen might temporarily freeze up or become unresponsive to touch input after a rapid decrease in temperature. It also addresses an issue that might result in blurry Live Photos captured with the iPhone X. The small update is free to download and install over the air. |
New York Court Says Police Must Get Warrant to Use Stingrays - [briefly]
09:29 AM EST - Nov,17 2017 - post a comment Moving forward, New York law enforcement agencies will need to go before a judge and obtain an eavesdropping warrant if they wish to use stingrays to track suspects' cellphones. Stingrays spoof cell towers and fool cell phones into connecting with them. Police use them in cars or airplanes scanning entire neighborhoods seeking the phone of a single suspect. The issue is that the stingrays are imprecise and sweep up location, call, and messaging data of every cell phone in the vicinity. "The use of a cell-site simulator intrudes upon an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy, acting as an instrument of eavesdropping, and requires a separate warrant supported by probable cause," wrote the Brooklyn judge overseeing the case. The ruling mirrors one made in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Privacy advocates around the country are pushing back against the use of stingrays. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, the NYPD used stingrays more than 1,000 times between 2008 and 2015, though generally only for the most serious offenses. The Brooklyn ruling will set the tone for cases involving the use of stingrays tried in New York. |
OnePlus 5T - A New View - [briefly]
01:04 PM EST - Nov,16 2017 - post a comment OnePlus today announced the OnePlus 5T, an update to its 2017 flagship handset that adopts the 2:1 aspect ratio for the display. The new OLED screen measures 6 inches from corner to corner and includes 2,160 by 1,080 pixels. In order to accommodate the new display, OnePlus relocated the fingerprint reader to the rear of the phone. The device adds a facial recognition tool for security. OnePlus says it takes only 0.4 seconds to recognize the owner's face and unlock. Other than these changes, the 5T is similar in terms of design and specifications to the OnePlus 5 from earlier this year. The 5T boasts a metal unibody design with a slim and rounded profile. The phone carries over the alert slider, USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and dual-camera array from the OnePlus 5. The camera configuration is changed a bit. The main camera is the same 16-megapixel sensor as the 5, and the secondary relies on a 20-megapixel sensor. Rather than include a telephoto lens, the secondary camera adopts better low-light technology. Both lenses share the same focal length and f/1.7 aperture. The 5T is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor and the handset comes in two memory configurations: 6 GB of RAM with 64 GB of storage, and 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB of storage. Other specs include a 3,300mAh battery with Dash Charge, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, WiFi, and Cat 12 LTE with 3x carrier aggregation and support for 34 worldwide LTE bands. The phone runs Android 7 Nougat with the latest build of OnePlus' OxygenOS UI on top. OnePlus said the 5T will have access to Android 8 Oreo as a beta in December. The phone goes on sale November 21 for $499.
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GeForce 388.31 WHQL Game Ready Drivers - [briefly]
01:48 AM EST - Nov,16 2017 - post a comment NVIDIA today has released the latest version of their GeForce Game Ready Graphics Driver. The new 388.31 drivers are optimized for the latest AAA games, "Star Wars Battlefront II," and "Injustice 2". NVIDIA has also added the corresponding 3D Vision profiles for both titles. In addition, they've included SLI profiles for Star Wars: Battlefront II and EVE Valkyrie - Warzone as well. According to them, the 388.31 drivers improve Destiny 2 performance by up to a staggering 53%. However, the more notable fixes include the micro-stuttering issue when using GPU monitoring tools to monitor GPU power and the driver not picking up GeForce GTX 1080 on the Alienware Amplifier.
Application SLI Profiles
Added or updated the following SLI profiles:
EVE Valkyrie - Warzone
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)
3D Vision Profiles
Added or updated the following 3D Vision profiles:
Injustice 2 - Good
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017) - Fair
Changes and Fixed Issues
Micro-stuttering occurs in games when GPU monitoring
tools are monitoring GPU power ("Power" monitoring enabled). [2016377]
[GeForce GTX 1080][eGPU][notebook]: NVIDIA driver
could not find compatible graphics hardware on the Alienware Amplifier.
[2010511]
[3D Vision Notebook]: There is no "Set stereoscopic
3D" link available in the NVIDIA Control Panel. [200341834]
[GeForce GTX 970M][]Notebook][Pattern Design
Software]: Objects drawn in the application are not visible. [1992543]
Windows 10 Issues
[SLI][GeForce GTX 780 Ti]: There is no display
output when connecting the DisplayPort and two DVI monitors. [1835763]
[GeForce TITAN (Kepler-based)]: The OS fails after
installing the graphics card on a Threadripper-enabled motherboard.
[1973303]
[Kepler GPUs][StarWars Battlefront II]: The system
hangs when launching the game in DirectX 12 API mode. [200362843]
[Windows 10 Fall Creators Update]: Color settings
made in the NVIDIA Control Panel are not preserved across a system
reboot or restart. [2009433]
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DOOM VFR for you PS4 Kinda Guys and Gameplay - [gaming]
04:49 PM EST - Nov,15 2017 - post a comment It looks as if PlayStations new VR hardware will be launching with a DOOM VFR Bundle on December 1, 2017. The bundle includes the PlayStation VR headset, PlayStation Camera, the updated PlayStation VR Demo Disc and a copy of DOOM VFR on Blu-ray disc. Product codes shown on the packaging suggests that the version of the PlayStation VR headset included will be the updated hardware version CUH-ZVR2.
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New iOS 11.2 Beta Squashes Bugs, Preps Apple Pay Cash - [briefly]
04:44 PM EST - Nov,15 2017 - post a comment Apple has made iOS 11.2 beta 3 available to both developers and public testers of its mobile device platform. The main feature of iOS 11.2 appears to be the addition of Apple Pay Cash, which allows iPhone owners to pay one another directly via the iOS messaging application. iOS 11.2 beta 3 cleans up the code a bit. For example a bug impacting calculator operation has been swept under the rug, and several animations found in the calculator have been removed entirely. The update adds a warning screen that explains to end users the difference between disabling Bluetooth or WiFi via the Control Center versus doing the same thing from the Settings menu. The former puts the radios to sleep, while the latter turns them off entirely. iOS 11.2 beta 3 shows off new camera emoji and animations for Live Photos, as well as a way to see 'now playing' content in the Control Center when using the iPhone as a remote for the Apple TV. New Live wallpapers on are deck, too. iOS 11.2 beta 3 is free for registered developers and beta testers to download and use. |
Watch a 10-Year-Old's Face Unlock His Mom's iPhone X - [briefly]
06:11 PM EST - Nov,14 2017 - post a comment Attaullah Malik and Sana Sherwani made that discovery earlier this month, when their fifth-grade son, Ammar Malik, walked into the bedroom of their Staten Island home to admire their new pair of iPhone Xs just after they'd set up Face ID. Malik offered to let Ammar look at his phone instead, but the boy picked up his mother's, not knowing which was which. And a split second after he looked at it, the phone unlocked.
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Slaughterbots - [technology]
02:29 PM EST - Nov,13 2017 - post a comment This Dark Short Film Imagines A World Where Drones Are More Dangerous Than Nuclear Bombs
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Bitcoin Rival Doubles in Price in Four Days - [briefly]
02:16 PM EST - Nov,13 2017 - post a comment One bitcoin is now worth less than $5,900, down 25 percent from Wednesday's high above $7,800. Meanwhile, the currency of a rival, spinoff network called Bitcoin Cash, has doubled to more than $1,500 over the same four-day period. Does this mean that Bitcoin is going to start fading away in favor of Bitcoin Cash? I guess only time will tell us what the end game of Bitcoin is going to be. Speak up crypto-currency fans and enlighten me on what's happening. |
Google's AI Guru Predicts Humans and Machines Will Merge within 20 Ye - [briefly]
03:43 AM EST - Nov,13 2017 - post a comment Ray Kurzweil, Google's guru of AI and futurism, believes we'll all be less biological, because humans are always evolving, and the next step of our evolution will be the internal implementation of technology. The human-robot hybrid won't be a monstrosity of metal. It'll just be a chip in your brain instead of an iPhone in your hand.
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Experts can hack most CPUs since 2008 over USB - [security]
08:20 AM EST - Nov,11 2017 - post a comment Positive Technologies, which in September said it has a way to drill into Intel's secretive Management Engine technology buried deep in its chipsets, has dropped more details on how it pulled off the infiltration. The biz has already promised to demonstrate a so-called God-mode hack this December, saying they've found a way for "an attacker of the machine to run unsigned code in the Platform Controller Hub on any motherboard."
For those who don't know, for various processor chipset lines, Intel's Management Engine sits inside the Platform Controller Hub, and acts as a computer within your computer. It runs its own OS, on its own CPU, and allows sysadmins to remotely control, configure and wipe machines over a network. This is useful when you're managing large numbers of computers, especially when an endpoint's main operating system breaks down and the thing won't even boot properly. Getting into and hijacking the Management Engine means you can take full control of a box, underneath and out of sight of whatever OS, hypervisor or antivirus is installed. This powerful God-mode technology is barely documented and supposedly locked down to prevent miscreants from hijacking and exploiting the engine to silently spy on users or steal corporate data. Positive says it's found a way to commandeer the Management Engine, which is bad news for organizations with the technology deployed.
For some details, we'll have to wait, but what's known now is bad enough: Positive has confirmed that recent revisions of Intel's Management Engine (IME) feature Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) debugging ports that can be reached over USB. JTAG grants you pretty low-level access to code running on a chip, and thus we can now delve into the firmware driving the Management Engine.
With knowledge of the firmware internals, security vulnerabilities can be found and potentially remotely exploited at a later date. Alternatively, an attacker can slip into the USB port and meddle the engine as required right there and then.
There have been long-running fears IME is insecure, which is not great as it's built right into the chipset: it's a black box of exploitable bugs, as was confirmed in May when researchers noticed you could administer the Active Management Technology software suite running on the microcontroller with an empty credential string over a network. |
How fast is the updated Tesla Model S 100D from 0-60 MPH - [briefly]
04:33 PM EST - Nov,10 2017 - post a comment Tesla streamed out a new software update to its electric vehicles this week; included is a new acceleration mode called simply "Chill." Not everyone is happy with it, but you can't please all the people all of the time. Check out the video of the car reviewer who found it starting at about the 3:17
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iPhone X Has Been Jailbroken Already - [briefly]
04:32 PM EST - Nov,10 2017 - post a comment Liang Chen of KeenLab has demonstrated a functional jailbreak for Apple's latest flagship device, which is iPhone X. The jailbreak was shown off during the recent POC2017 event in Seoul, South Korea, and was shown executing the jailbreak code on Apple's latest iOS 11.1.1 firmware which was released only yesterday. I bet there are a lot of Apple fans that would love to get their hands on this jailbreak. However, they're going to have to wait a bit because none of the information has been made public. |
You can grab Syberia for free on GOG.com - [briefly]
02:02 PM EST - Nov,10 2017 - post a comment DRM-free storefront GOG is offering Benoit Sokal's 2002 game Syberia for free in the next 24 hours. For those not familiar, Syberia is a graphic adventure game developed by Microids in the vein of titles like The Longest Journey. It follows the life of lawyer Kate Walker as she wraps up the sale of her firm and thus needs to travel through Europe, ending up in Russia's Siberian region - hence the name. Its artstyle borrows heavily from the steampunk aesthetic,+ and has spawned two sequels: Syberia II in 2004, and Syberia III released in April of this year. Furthermore, the freebie on GOG's site coincides with the release of An Automaton with a Plan story DLC for the third title in the series, which came out on November 9. Beyond the free game above, Syberia III's 'The Complete Journey' edition - which includes the base game and the story DLC - is 57% off until November 13, 11PM UTC. The first game can be had at no cost until November 11, 6PM UTC, and if you own Syberia or Syberia II on Steam, you can claim DRM-free copies via GOG Connect. The last offer is valid until November 13, 11PM UTC. |
Apple Overhauls Clips App to Take Advantage of iPhone X TrueDepth Cam - [briefly]
01:12 PM EST - Nov,10 2017 - post a comment Apple today released an updated version of its Clips video application with new and fun tools to improve both the experience of using the app and the end results. The most exciting addition is Selfie Scenes, which takes advantage of the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X to place the user inside a 360-degree, animated scene when recording selfies. The app includes 10 scenes created by Apple, such as landscapes, paintings, and spaceships from "Star Wars." iPhone X owners can put themselves in a scene and then pan around, viewing and recording themselves within the landscape. All users will be able to take advantage of new artistic effects that can turn photos or videos into watercolors, oil paintings, sketches, and other art styles in real-time. Clips gains access to more sticker and poster content from Disney, including "Star Wars" characters and Disney favorites such as Mickey Mouse. More than 20 new soundtracks can be used to accompany Clips recordings. Apple redesigned the user interface for Clips with streamlined controls that make it easier to find and use filters, labels, stickers, and emoji. Buttons have new labels, too, and a full-screen browser lets people see their entire project while editing and creating. Last, Clips gains support for iCloud. iPhone and iPad owners can store, access, and edit their Clips projects from any device, which is automatically saved to iCloud. Clips is free to download from the iTunes App Store. |
Samsung Reveals New Exynos 9 Processor and Camera Sensor - [hardware]
01:10 PM EST - Nov,10 2017 - post a comment Samsung updated its Exynos 9 Series processor and also debuted a fresh camera sensor for smartphones. The Exynos 9 Series 9810 is a flagship-class application processor built on Samsung's second-generation 10nm FinFET process. It uses 10LPP (Low Power Plus) technology in conjunction with 3D transistors to improve speeds by about 10%, or power efficiency by about 15% when compared to Samsung's first-generation 10nm process. The 9810 also includes Samsung's latest LTE modem with support for six carrier aggregation (6CA). The Cat 18 6CA modem includes 4x4 MIMO and higher-order 256 QAM to tap into the high speeds available from technologies such as LTE-LAA. The 9810's modem is 20% faster than the one found in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ and can reach Gigabit LTE speeds. Samsung did not say what devices might be powered by the Exynos 9810. In addition to the processor, Samsung announced the ISOCELL Slim 2X7, a 24-megapixel image sensor with 0.9um pixels. The Slim 2X7 uses Tetracell and remosaic technology to reproduce the results that might come from larger pixels while keeping the sensor compact. Samsung says the sensor can be fitted into a thinner camera module, which may negate the need for a raised camera module on handsets. Samsung did not say what devices might eventually rely on the new imaging sensor. |
GoPro Gets Covered by Lava, Bursts Into Flames, and Survives - [briefly]
03:44 PM EST - Nov,09 2017 - post a comment Here's the amazing story of a tough little GoPro camera that refused to die after getting hit by molten lava, bursting into flames, and surviving to shoot another day. Erik Storm is the owner and lead guide of Kilauea EcoGuides in Hawaii. About 16 months ago, he was on a tour when he placed his GoPro into a crack to film lava flows.
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Real life Iron Man sets new record - Guinness World Records Day - [briefly]
03:42 PM EST - Nov,09 2017 - post a comment An inventor who built a real-life Iron Man suit so that he could fly through the air like Tony Stark has earned himself a world record. On a dramatic day at Lagoona Park, Reading, British entrepreneur Richard Browning achieved a speed of 32.02 mph (51.53 km/h) on his third timed attempt, before mistiming a turn and dropping into the lake.
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NASA Posts Space Launch System Animated Video - [briefly]
12:22 PM EST - Nov,08 2017 - post a comment NASA has posted an animated video depicting its Space Launch System that will eventually take astronauts back to the moon and then onto Mars. We're getting closer and closer to reestablishing an American manned space program and I can't wait to see us begin moving into the solar system. Check it out!
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Apple Pay Cash is now available - [briefly]
06:04 PM EST - Nov,07 2017 - post a comment Back at WWDC in June when Apple announced iOS 11, it promised a new feature called Apple Pay Cash, which would allow users to send money to friends via iMessages. It wasn't ready for the iOS 11 launch in September - just like Messages in iCloud - and it got pushed back. The feature finally arrived today, for those that are currently running the iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2 betas. It should automatically show up in your Messages app, as long as you have Apple Pay set up and you're messaging someone that's also running the latest beta. You also need to have two-factor authentication set up on your Apple account. Unfortunately, Apple Pay Cash is still limited to the United States, although it's entirely possible that that's only while it's in beta. Presumably, the functionality will eventually roll out to all of the regions where Apple Pay is already supported. You'll need to be running the second beta of whichever OS you're using (iOS 11.2 or watchOS 4.2), and that includes the iOS public beta. |
Elgato Gaming 4K60 Pro Trailer - [briefly]
04:43 PM EST - Nov,05 2017 - post a comment The surprisingly-attractive card is Elgato's first 4K gaming device. At the top end, the 4K60 Pro can handle 4K capture at 60 FPS. That amount of data will chew through 1 GB of disk space per minute at the highest bitrate, though. Even if you're not capping at full 4K, the card has a lot to offer. Footage captured at 1920x1080 can be recorded at up to 240 FPS, and 2560x1440 footage can obtained at up to 144 FPS.
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iPhone X Drop Test! - [mobile]
03:24 AM EST - Nov,05 2017 - post a comment iPhone X Brutal DROP Test. How Durable Is The Expensive iPhone X With Stainless Steel Borders & OLED Display? Super Impressive!
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AMD ReLive Hotfix Drivers 17.1.1 - [gaming]
06:51 PM EDT - Nov,03 2017 - post a comment AMD has released their new Radeon Software Crimson 17.11.1 driver, which comes with game-specific optimisations for Call of Duty: WWII which are said to offer around 5% more performance within the game. This driver also features improvements to AMD's XConnect Technology, which now supports RX Vega 56 graphics cards inside select eGPU (external GPU) enclosures.
Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11.1 Highlights
Support For
Call of Duty: WWII
- Up to 5% faster performance on Radeon RX Vega64 (8GB) graphics than
with Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.10.3 at 2560x1440. (1)
AMD XConnect Technology
- Now supported on Radeon RX Vega56 series graphics products for select
eGPU enclosures.
Fixed Issues
- Radeon Software may intermittently cause an application crash on
limited numbers of DirectX11 or OpenGL applications on their first run.
- Some gaming or productivity applications may experience a random hang
or application crash when performing task switching.
- Radeon WattMan reset and restore factory default options may not
reset graphics or memory clocks.
- Radeon WattMan reset and restore factory default options may not
reset graphics or memory clocks.
- Oculus Dash may experience a random application hang.
- Bezel compensation in mixed mode Eyefinity cannot be applied.
- Radeon Settings may experience overlapping text or corruption in the
Multi GPU profiles page.
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands may experience minor corruption
with Anisotropic Filtering (AF) enabled.
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War may experience ghosting or distortion in
gameplay on Multi GPU enabled system configurations.
- AMD XConnect Technology products may not be detected/enabled on
reconnection if previously disconnected during system sleep
- A limited number of system devices such as printers may be removed
during Radeon Software uninstallation.
Known Issues
- Some desktop productivity apps may experience latency when dragging
or moving windows.
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege may experience an application hang
when breaching walls with grenades or explosives.
- Rise of the Tomb Raider may experience an intermittent application
hang during gameplay.
- A random system hang may be experienced after extended periods of use
on system configurations using 12 GPU's for compute workloads.
- The GPU Workload feature may cause a system hang when switching to
Compute while AMD CrossFire is enabled. A workaround is to disable AMD
CrossFire before switching the toggle to Compute workloads.
- Resizing the Radeon Settings window may cause the user interface to
stutter or exhibit corruption temporarily.
- Unstable Radeon WattMan profiles may not be restored to default after
a system hang.
- OverWatch may experience a random or intermittent hang on some
system configurations. Disabling Radeon ReLive as a temporary
workaround may resolve the issue.
Footnotes
Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of November 1st, 2017 on
the 8GB Radeon RX Vega64, on a test system comprising of Intel i7 7700X
CPU (4.2 GHz), 16GB DDR4-3000 Mhz system memory, and Windows 10 x64
using the game Call of DutyŽ: WWII on the highest game presets. PC
manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. At
2560x1440, the Radeon RX Vega64 scored 120.6 FPS with Radeon Software
17.10.3 whereas the Radeon RX Vega64 scored 129.6 FPS with Radeon
Software 17.11.1. Performance may vary based on use of latest
drivers.(1)
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Razer Fires Off Gaming-Focused Razer Phone - [mobile]
03:12 PM EDT - Nov,03 2017 - post a comment Razer today announced the Razer Phone, its first smartphone, with a focus on mobile gaming. The company bought NextBit, maker of the Robin phone, earlier this year and the Razer Phone was born from projects started at NextBit before the acquisition. The design is similar to the Robin in that it has a blocky shape and front-firing stereo speakers with independent amplifiers and a THX-certified DAC. The device boasts a number of firsts. To start, the 5.72-inch, wide-color gamut, IGZO LCD contains quad HD resolution and is the first display to refresh at a rate of 120 Hz (ideal for gaming). The Razer is also the first handset to ship with Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0, an enhanced version of the rapid-charging technology. Razer is pushing the phone's pixels and polygons with a Snapdragon 835 processor with a whopping 8 GB of RAM. The phone has 64 GB of storage and supports microSD memory cards up to 2 TB. As for the camera, the phone has twin 12-megapixel cameras with PDAF and a two-tone, dual-LED flash. One camera has a wide-angle lens with an aperture of f/1.75 and the other has a telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.6. An 8-megapixel, fixed-focus camera is located on front. A 4,000mAh battery provides plenty of power to keep games running for as long as possible. The phone runs Android 7 Nougat. Preorders kick off immediately. The Razer Phone will go on sale in the U.S. on November 17.
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Samsung Letting Galaxy S8 Owners Test Drive Android 8 - [briefly]
03:11 PM EDT - Nov,03 2017 - post a comment Samsung today said select customers will soon be able to beta test Samsung Experience 9.0 before its official release. The Samsung Experience, formerly called TouchWiz, is the user interface that Samsung created for its device ecosystem. Starting November 2, Galaxy S8 and S8+ users based in the U.S., U.K., and South Korea will have access to Samsung Experience 9.0, which is based on Android 8 Oreo. Samsung hopes to use the beta period to assess user feedback and fine-tune the platform before its release for "the next flagship Galaxy device." Interested beta testers will need to have an active Samsung account and meet certain (unspecified) requirements. Samsung said the beta may be distributed via the Samsung+ app in the U.S., which is available from the Google Play Store. People can apply to test Samsung Experience 9.0 through the app. |
Windows 10 free upgrade for assistive technologies ends Dec 31 - [briefly]
03:04 PM EDT - Nov,03 2017 - post a comment Remember when Microsoft stopped offering its free upgrade to Windows 10 for older Windows 7 and 8.1 users in July last year? It had left an intentional loophole for users of assistive technologies to still upgrade for free. At the time, it was indefinite offer. Now, it appears the end of that deal is coming on December 31. In a stealthy update to its Windows 10 FAQ page, Microsoft said no-cost upgrade will expire at the end of the year. The new text was apparently added in the last update to the page on October 24. The change is also now reflected on Microsoft's Assistive Technologies page in the first paragraph. The original reason for the original delay was that Microsoft was planning to add more accessibility features to Windows 10 through the July Anniversary update last year. Since then, we have had accessibility addition in December Creators Update and last month's Fall Creators Update. So Microsoft obviously feels accessibility is where it needs to be for users that need it to make a Windows 10 choice. So if you qualify for assistive technologies, you better make your decision whether to upgrade before December 31. |
Bitcoin reached a new record of $7,300 before dipping - [briefly]
05:39 PM EDT - Nov,02 2017 - post a comment The most valuable cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has smashed a new record for itself and any other cryptocurrency. After passing the dizzying height of $6,000 it has now pressed on to reach a whopping $7,341.84 as of 12 PM UTC on Thursday. As of writing the price is just under the $7,000 threshold and has a market cap of $115,577,159,155, or over $115 billion. The latest gain adds credibility to claims made by speculators who believe that the cryptocurrency will reach $10,000 or even $50,000. We have seen how big of a hit Bitcoin takes, however, when countries like China restrict its circulation; a couple months back the price dramatically tumbled after the Chinese government shut down some exchanges and stopped the executives of those companies from leaving the country. |
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