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Showing posts from May, 2018

Samsung Galaxy Note 20’s chipset might not be that bad after all

With the Galaxy Note 20 launch just a week away, all eyes will be on what upgrades Samsung brings to the table. While the chipset might remain unchanged, there might be a silver lining. While Samsung flagship like the Note series and the S series are powered by Snapdragon chipsets in the US and European markets, they come with Exynos chipset in Asian markets such as India. It often tends to lose out on the performance front against Qualcomm Snapdragon counterparts. However, a new leak suggests some good news in this regard. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date, price, news and leaks Upcoming smartphones in India: Specs, launch date, price (Image credit: Samsung/WinFuture) According to a tweet by Anthony, a Youtuber, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 will continue to be powered by the Exynos 990 chipset, but with major improvements in terms of the performance and efficiency. These optimizations should bring it closer to the Snapdragon 865 series. He even suggested that it is almost li...

Philips Hue Sync app transforms video into a brilliant light show

The new Philips Hue Sync app for macOS and Windows 10 is available today, and it's ambitiously being touted as a way to create "surround sound for your eyes." It's akin to the Ambilight and AmBX ambient light technology Philips has used on TVs and gaming monitors in the past. Except the idea here to to use existing Hue lights. That makes Philips Hue Sync a lot more affordable (the app is free) if you've already bought into or are buying into the Hue series of smart lights. No need to buy a specialized Ambilight television in 2018. Testing and requirements We were given a brief demo of the Philips Hue Sync app before launch and able to see how it perfectly synchronized to the scattered sounds of D Cappella. The Disney A Cappella Group has beats emitting from speakers all over the place in their music video that features a multitude of shifting colors. A Hue light strip and a pair of Hue Go lights extended these colors to the surrounding wall of the demo room ...

New MacBooks and iPad Pros are said to be coming soon, but not at WWDC 2018

There are new MacBook computers and iPad Pro tablets coming in 2018, according to a new report today. It's just not going to happen at Apple's WWDC 2018 keynote. Instead, a refreshed MacBook Pro 2018 and 12-inch MacBook with new Intel chips, and a low-cost MacBook Air 2018 , will be ready later this year, says Bloomberg . The same applies to the iPad Pro 2018 , which is said to be undergoing an overhaul with Face ID, just like on the iPhone X . It's similarly said to be on track for 'later'. Multiplayer in AR? The keynote will instead focus on incremental iOS 12 software (an effort to stamp out iOS 11 problems ) and what's being called "ARKit 2.0", suggests Bloomberg.  The ARKit upgrade sounds fascinating. It's expected to let users play AR games against each other in the same virtual environment. It's shaping up to be the advent of AR multiplayer on devices (iPhones and iPads) readily accessible by the masses. The report also describ...

GDPR compliance and Blockchain

There are concerns that the now-active General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) and distributed ledger technology are incompatible, most likely stemming from the notion that, by virtue of a blockchain’s inherent public and transparent nature, it is far too accessible to be safe for enterprise use.  This is not actually the case. While transactions can be seen occurring across the network, the data in and of itself is not stored on the blockchain – instead, a cryptographic hash is derived from the data and is then uploaded. What is GDPR? Everything you need to know Blockchain-based platforms enable the storage and provenance of data to be conducted in an anonymous fashion – protocols can be built in such a way that allows for the destruction of certain data sets, in compliance with GDPR requirements. Contrary to popular belief, and given that blockchain solutions will use such a mechanism, GDPR will see increased adoption of blockchain tech. If anything, GDPR has prompted ...

What is blockchain? Everything you need to know

What is blockchain? Like much of the technology world, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin still rely on some form of database that are able to track large volumes of transactions and keep them secure. The solution used by many of the world’s largest digital currencies is the blockchain.  First implemented in 2009, the technology consists of 'blocks' that hold batches of timestamped transactions, with each block linked to the previous one through cryptography, thus forming a chain. As the world becomes ever more smarter and inter-connected, cryptocurrencies have become an increasingly attractive proposition for growing markets that may not have traditional banking infrastructure. Several developing third-world nations have implemented blockchain-based national currencies, and the technology is also used by several major charity projects to help those without bank accounts. However blockchain also offers the possibility of creating a fraud-proof system for transacting exchanges...

The best cheap laptop deals in May 2018

Summer is finally here, and it's a great time to buy a laptop to take on a long on vacation or on a weekend getaway. We've rounded up our absolute favorite laptop deals of the week, as well as a selection of our picks for best cheap laptops. We know that purchasing a new laptop can be a daunting task, but we're here to help you find the best laptop deals and get the most for your money. From big brands like Dell to steadily growing names like Acer, you won’t want to miss out on these bargains. At the top of the page, you'll find our selection of the very latest and best cheap laptop deals of the week. Beneath those, you'll find our pick of the latest best cheap laptops along with their lowest available prices. The best laptop deal of the week More top cheap laptop deals of the week Where to find the best laptop deals in the US: Amazon laptop deals Newegg laptop deals Walmart laptop deals Staples laptop deals Dell laptop deals Lenovo laptop deals HP lapt...

The best Nintendo Switch bundles and deals in May 2018

Nintendo Switch bundle deals have stepped up a gear now and we've seen huge numbers of them selling in recent months as retailers have put together packages with extra games, controllers or accessories. Stock levels are so much better now compared to last year too. Bundles in the US are in seriously short supply this week. Whereas in the UK you can find plenty with the best Nintendo Switch games like Super Mario Odyssey, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe and more all with a decent discount too. You'll find all the best Nintendo Switch bundles from reliable retailers below. We've also rounded up the best prices for extra Joy-Con controllers, Pro controllers and even some cheap Nintendo Switch memory cards. If you're waiting for more games to arrive first, get your Ninty dose fixed with a cheap 3DS deal . We have a dedicated page of Switch deals for our Australian readers too. The latest Nintendo Switch deals Want to know where to buy a Nintendo Switch...

Roccat reveals Titan Switch Tactile, its own mechanical keyboard switch

If you want to be taken seriously in the PC gaming accessory space these days, you apparently need to develop your own mechanical key switch, as Roccat has with the Titan Switch Tactile. The German maker of PC gaming headsets , keyboards, mice and more revealed the Titan Switch Tactile in a press release ahead of Computex 2018 set to kick off in Taipei, Taiwan next week at the time of writing. Today, Roccat joins the likes of Creative, Logitech, Razer and more in having developed its very own mechanical key switches. Developed in collaboration with mechanical keyboard switch maker TTC, the goal of the Titan Switch Tactile is to create a faster and more responsive switch than what’s available today. To that end, the actuation point of the keys was reduced from Roccat’s norm of 2mm to 1.8mm. The duo has also reduced the time it takes for its switch to bounce back to its ready position by 20% from previous designs. According to Roccat, this was a matter of optimizing the Roccat fir...

Dell doubles up displays with rumored dual-screen Windows 10 on ARM device

Rumor has it that Dell is planning its own dual-screen ARM-driven device, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, similar to the piece of hardware Microsoft allegedly has in development. We’ve been hearing rumors for a while now that Microsoft may resurrect the Courier dual-screen device abandoned many moons ago, and according to a source cited by WinFuture , Dell has been working on a similar dual-screen project codenamed ‘Januss’ (the name of a God with two faces, which makes sense – although it’s normally spelt with only one ‘s’). Dell has been working on this since last summer, apparently, with a prototype created at that time. The Windows 10 device will apparently run with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 chip, which hasn’t yet been officially revealed, but is a step on from the Snapdragon 835 used in current Windows 10 on ARM laptops. And that should provide a nifty performance boost. Shaky ground? Of course, we need to exercise a good deal of caution around this speculation, and W...

The best Pokemon games: ranking from Gold to Go

Like that one person in your office that is always bouncing around energetically, Pokémon has been around for more than 20 years – since 1996 to be exact. [Update: Nintendo has announced some new Pokemon games for Nintendo Switch that might eventually make their way to this list: Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu . These games will be released on November 16 2018 and we can't wait to see how they stack up against the rest of the spin-off titles in this list. ] This evergreen franchise goes across seven generations, each of which stands on its own, but also improves on the last. The best Pokémon games will bring in new Pokémon, stories, villains, heroes and exciting new lands for players to explore and immerse themselves in. Now, 22 years after the series showed up on the Game Boy, there are around 27 mainline titles in the series – and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon, especially after the runaway success of Ultra Sun and Ultr...

GTA 6: all the latest news and rumors for Grand Theft Auto 6

Rockstar Games may be hard at work trying to bring Red Dead Redemption 2 to fans before its October release date, but we can't stop ourselves thinking about GTA 6 and when we might hear some kind of confirmation or release date. Grand Theft Auto 5 has been one of the most successful game releases in the world and even though we're still enjoying GTA Online, it's now been around five years since we were last let loose in a new Rockstar city and we're starting to curious about where we might go next.  There's very little in the way of solid news when it comes to Grand Theft Auto 6, but like the dedicated fans we are, we've trawled through the internet to bring together the best pieces of gossip, rumor and fact for your perusal.  Cut to the chase What is it? The highly anticipated next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series When it is out? That’s the internet’s biggest mystery Will it launch on PC? Both GTA 4 and 5 made their way to PC (eventually), so we’...

Facebook Messenger Kids no longer requires parents to be friends

Messenger Kids , Facebook's chat app for pre-teens, no longer requires parents to be on speaking terms before their offspring can start a conversation.  Children can only use Messenger Kids to chat with a list of contacts approved by their parents. Before now, if two kids want to message one another, their parents could only grant permission if they were friends themselves on Facebook. It was a handy way to make sure your little ones only spoke to people you knew and trusted, but also meant their social circles were limited unless you befriended half the people you saw at the school gate. You might be nodding acquaintances, but do you really want to hear their political views and be inundated with their Farmville invitations? Both parents still need Facebook accounts (Zuckerberg and company won't let you get away that easily), but you can now make and authorize requests without being forced to expand your own social circle. Just search for the other parent's name to send...

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 release date, price, news and features

After a new cheap fitness tracker ?  The new Xiaomi Mi Band 3 may be right up your street and be the perfect tracker to place on your wrist as it has just launched in China. Announced alongside the Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphone range, the new fitness tracker has only been confirmed for the Chinese market so far but we hope to hear more about availability around the world soon. It's the follow-up to the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 , which currently features in our best cheap fitness tracker guide - and despite its super low price comes with fitness tracking, sleep monitoring and a bunch of other features too, so we have high hopes for this tracker. Xiaomi Mi Band 3 release date and price The fitness tracker was confirmed by Xiaomi's CEO in early 2018, and now it's official for the Chinese market since the end of May. When you'll be able to buy it in China is unclear, plus there's no word on worldwide availability yet. The Xiaomi Mi Band 2 came out around the world after a whil...

Best Nintendo Switch games 2018: the must-have games at home and on the go

The Nintendo Switc h is now more than one year old and it's had a stellar first year, garnering critical acclaim for its unique hybrid design and exciting library of games.  If you've got a Switch already or you're thinking about getting one and want to see exactly what it has to offer, we've put together this list of the best games you can play on the console right now.  Nintendo Switch is home to some fantastic exclusives like Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey as well as some seriously surprising third-party titles like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.  [Update: There aren't any new Switch games to add to our must-play list this week. But we got an exciting look at the future of the Switch at a recent Pokemon conference. Nintendo and Game Freak have announced Pokemon Let's Go will be coming to the Switch in November 2018 and we're looking forward to finding out if they'll have a place on this list . ]  While you're g...