Updating your router to WPA3 could protect your home Wi-Fi network
The Wi-Fi Alliance has officially certified WPA3 security, making routers the world over more secure ... in theory. While new routers will definitely get the new password and encryption protection systems, there is some question over whether already-sold devices will be updated to support it.
MacBook DIY keyboard repairs don’t void your chance of a free replacement
Apple has a fix for sticky keys on the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards. Apple will repair or replace the keyboard on affected laptops for up to four years from the date of purchase. It's unclear, however, if the repair addresses the underlying reason of why the keyboards are failing in the first place.
Leaked Snapdragon 1000 details suggest it could go head-to-head with Intel
New details about Qualcomm's rumored Snapdragon 1000 have been revealed, suggesting that the Windows-oriented SoC could offer competition for 2017 Intel Core processors. Better yet, it'll do so in a smaller form factor and potentially at a lower power draw too, making it a very attractive option for laptop owners.
Is your 1440p monitor actually a downscaled 4K panel in disguise?
A new report citing sources close to the monitor manufacturing business has suggested that some companies may be using extra stock of 4K panels to manufacture 1440P displays. While that might seem like a free upgrade, it can actually result in a worse-looking image due to downscaling and mismatched resolutions.
The ‘world’s tiniest computer’ is smaller than a grain of rice. Much smaller.
Not to be outdone by IBM's "world smallest computer" revealed in March, a team at the University of Michigan is calling IBM's bluff with an even smaller computer that's "dwarfed by a grain of rice," measuring just 0.33mm on each side. Still, the Michigan team is now questioning the "computer" term.
First Snapdragon 845 Chromebook could be a 2-in-1 with detachable keyboard
More details about "Cheza," the alleged Snapdragon 845-powered Chromebook, have been unearthed from changes made to Chrome OS, suggesting that the first ever laptop running the powerful SoC may not be too far away. It could well be a 2-in-1 as well, with a detachable keyboard, and LTE data connectivity.
Valve VR knuckle controllers can squish, track fingers, navigate with thumbstick
Valve has released a new demo called Moondust to show off the capabilities of its knuckle VR controllers and give developers a chance to play around with its new capabilities. They can squish, track fingers, and allow navigation via a thumbstick input, all while sporting better ergonomics and battery life.
Microsoft’s new USB-C port could enable even slimmer Surface products
Microsoft could make even thinner Surface Pros, Surface Books, Surface Tablets, and Surface Phones in the future thanks to a new USB-C design patent. By removing the top and bottom plates of a USB-C port enclosure, Microsoft's Surface products could benefit from a stronger port design and thinner form factor.
Nvidia hands out $3,000 Titan V graphics cards for free to A.I. researchers
During the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang randomly selected 20 from more than 500 attendees to receive a signed, limited-edition "CEO Edition" version of its $3,000 Titan X graphics card packing 32GB of memory.
Amazon may have spilled the beans for Prime Day 2018
The cat's out of the bag, and it's all the owner's fault. On Thursday, online retail giant Amazon may have accidentally let slip when its perennially popular Amazon Prime Day would be in 2o18. Mark your calendars, friends, because as per the banner Amazon posted to its U.K. website, Prime Day will be July 16.
Landmark Supreme Court decision lets states force online stores to pay sales tax
The online marketplace now looks a lot more like its offline counterpart -- at least, when it comes to taxes. A contentious case has reached a rather contentious ruling in the Supreme Court today, and the highest court in the U.S. ruled that states can indeed collect sales taxes from ecommerce retailers.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigns over a past interoffice affair
Intel said on Thursday that Brian Krzanich stepped down as the company's CEO and is no longer on the board of directors. The reason for the immediate departure is due to a "consensual" relationship with an employee, violating Intel's policy of keeping your hands to yourself.
Leap Motion’s AR table tennis is a long way from your parents’ Pong
A demonstration of Leap Motion's new Project Northstar table tennis AR experience shows not only that mixed reality offers some great gaming experiences, but that it could be useful for teaching and improving real-world skills at the same time by testing human players against increasingly advanced A.I. opponents.
Microsoft’s ‘Andromeda’ device may be a phone after all
Unnamed sources claim that the latest prototype of Microsoft's unannounced "Andromeda" device includes telephony capabilities. It won't be a re-entry into the smartphone business, but rather a new entry in its "always connected" initiative. Andromeda is expected to appear towards the end of 2018.
Intel’s hyperthreading blocked on OpenBSD amid hints of new Spectre-like bugs
The main developer of OpenBSD has announced that Intel chips will have hyperthreading disabled on the operating system in order to ward off potential Spectre-like exploits that take advantage of the way that simultaneous multithreading technologies work. This barring of the technology will be expanded to other chips.
An all-in-one botnet is on the rise, packing a scary buffet of attacks
A new "complicated" botnet dubbed as MyloBot is on the rise packing the largest arsenal to date, targeting Windows-based PCs to steal data, shut down networks, and more. The underlying malware can evade detection, deliver numerous payloads, and even delete other malware discovered on target PCs.
TP-Link’s new Deco M9 Plus Mesh router is also a smart home hub
TP-Link's newest mesh router not only purports to provide fast internet connections to more than 100 devices throughout your home, but also serves as a smart home hub for all of your connected devices. Meet the Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System, the latest multitasker in your life. A one-pack costs $180.
AMD one-ups Intel with free Threadripper upgrade for 8086 competition winners
AMD is offering anyone who wins one of Intel's Anniversary Edition Core-i7 CPUs a free trade-in for one of its own high-powered offerings, the Threadripper 1950x. With 16 cores and 32 threads, it is more powerful in multi-threaded scenarios and is more expensive if you were to buy it yourself.
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ E3 build used a hefty PC, but can your system keep up?
CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 was shown at behind-closed-doors demonstrations during E3 2018, and the PC the studio used to play the game had some hefty specifications. Here's what the rig included. Can your PC handle the game at these settings, or are you going to need to upgrade?
IBM’s new supercomputer doesn’t just take orders — it can argue back
Robots are finally smart enough to understand humans and talk back. By leveraging artificial intelligence, IBM's Project Debater is a supercomputer that can take on human opponents in a debate -- and win! Although humans have better delivery, Project Debater was able to make better arguments with more facts.
Wait, what? These ridiculous hacks will make you do a double-take
For a lighter look at the hacking world, we found the most ridiculous hacks that have ever occurred. From dinosaur pranks and octopus viruses to cupcake counterterrorism, here are the hacking stories we can barely believe really happened.
Miss Windows 7? Here’s how it would look if Microsoft released it today
A new concept video for an imagined 2018 edition of Windows 7 has fans of the classic operating system wishing it would become a reality. The clean Windows 7 layout with Windows 10 aesthetics makes for a potent blend of simplicity and beauty and offers a great companion to the creator's other videos.
Macs leak sensitive data from encrypted files, even after they’re deleted
Two security experts claim that Apple's Quick Look feature in MacOS leaks sensitive data even if the content is locked behind password-protected encryption. Introduced in MacOS 10.5 Leopard, Apple designed Quick Look to give you a glimpse into a file without manually opening it with an app.
A.I. can now learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, researchers claim
Researchers at the University of California believe they've created an algorithm that can solve the Rubik's Cube on its own. It depends on "autodidactic iteration" which is a "novel reinforcement learning algorithm that is able to teach itself how to solve the Rubik's Cube with no human assistance."
Stand up or sit down? Many don’t take advantage of VR’s room-scale experience
Oculus' VP of Content Jason Rubin claims that a "significant percentage" of Oculus Rift headset owners would rather sit down to enjoy virtual reality rather than take advantage of room-scale motion detection. He made this revelation to Insomniac founder and CEO Ted Price at E3 2018 last week.
Adware posing as a private network client secretly takes screenshots
Adware stuffed into software you can freely download from the internet can secretly take screenshots of your desktop among other sneaky spyware-like capabilities. Dubbed as Zacinlo by Bitdefender, the adware first surfaced in 2012 and mostly targets Windows 10 PCs in North America.
HPE’s 145,000-core supercomputer could help manage U.S. nuclear stock
HPE has developed a brand-new type of supercomputer built around efficiency of physical space and faster access to memory. The new ARM-based system has more than 145,000 cores across thousands of servers and could help accelerate simulations that aid with the management and handling of the United States' nuclear stockpile.
AMD will only release Ryzen APU graphics drivers every three months
An AMD representative has clarified that it only plans to update the graphics drivers for its Raven Ridge APU chips once every three months. This is less often than its discrete graphics cards, which for the past couple of years have received monthly updates and a yearly refresh of entire software suite.
Amazon, Microsoft, Uber donate to oppose the California Consumer Privacy Act
Amazon, Microsoft, and Uber have made large contributions to a group attempting to prevent a privacy act from becoming law in California. As per state disclosure records, the three tech giants join a number of other well-known tech firms all working against the proposed California Consumer Privacy Act.
Google Translate got this man arrested — and redeemed
How accurate is Google Translate? Most foreign language teachers will tell you its shallow at best, and it turns out that the courts agree.
Iowa man gets 20-year prison sentence for trying to steal a domain at gunpoint
Sherman Hopkins Jr of Iowa got a 20-year prison sentence for attempting to steal the dotiforstate.com domain during an armed home invasion robbery in 2017. During the incident, Hopkins shot the victim once in the leg, but the victim wrestled the gun from him. Hopkins was subsequently shot multiple times in the chest.
HoloLens 2 could pack a Qualcomm chip for ‘extended reality’
The next version of Microsoft's HoloLens headset for augmented reality will supposedly feature Qualcomm's new Snapdragon XR1 processor. The rumor arrives by way of an anonymous source who claims the second-generation headset packing the XR1 chip will make an appearance in January 2019.
Intel finally ships an updated Radeon driver for its all-in-one ‘module’ CPUs
A new driver for the graphics portion of Intel's new "Kaby Lake G" modules with Radeon graphics baked into the chip is now available. Listed as version 18.6.1, this is the latest graphics driver release since Intel originally revealed its new modules in November 2017.
Developers can now take Google App Maker out for a test drive
About 18 months ago, Google introduced us to App Maker, a tool that as its name suggests, allows you to build and deploy apps (specifically of the business variety) on the web. On June 14, Google announced that App Maker had been made generally available to all developers who want to test the tool.