Intel Core i9-13900KF is a hell of a lot of CPU for $389 in early Prime Day deal

Darren Allan | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Oct 4, 2024 12:39 PM CDT

Intel's Core i9-13900KF is on sale as part of an early Prime Day deal with 35% off at Amazon.

Intel Core i9-13900KF is a hell of a lot of CPU for $389 in early Prime Day deal

The processor has a list price of $599, and is now at $389, so you're saving a good chunk of cash here, as Wccftech flagged up.

This is, of course, the slightly cheaper version of the Raptor Lake flagship which doesn't have integrated graphics (something those with a discrete GPU will hopefully never need - save for if that graphics card misfires badly).

Continue reading: Intel Core i9-13900KF is a hell of a lot of CPU for $389 in early Prime Day deal (full post)

Google's April Fool comes early in the form of a truly mind-bending mobius strip keyboard

Darren Allan | Peripherals | Oct 4, 2024 11:41 AM CDT

Google just revealed its Gboard double-sided keyboard, which is a peripheral shaped like a mobius strip.

Google's April Fool comes early in the form of a truly mind-bending mobius strip keyboard

The keyboard with a twist - literally - was shown off on YouTube, although you'll quickly see that it's a joke (have a watch of the clip above).

As you may be aware, the Gboard team in Japan are renowned for these kinds of jokes, as Tom's Hardware points out, having previously unveiled innovations such as a bending spoon keyboard, or the Gboad stick version (a long bar of a keyboard where all the keys are simply in one huge row, so you can easily find the key you want).

Continue reading: Google's April Fool comes early in the form of a truly mind-bending mobius strip keyboard (full post)

81-year-old sentenced to prison for breeding and selling enormous sheep clones

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Oct 4, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

It was back in March this year that Arthur "Jack" Schubarth pleaded guilty to the breeding and selling of giant hybrid sheep, which authorities described as an "audacious scheme".

81-year-old sentenced to prison for breeding and selling enormous sheep clones

Initial reports stated Schubarth purchased parts of the Marco Polo argali sheep, which can weigh as much as 300 pounds. These parts were purchased from Kyrgyzstan and imported into the United States. However, Schubarth didn't declare the imported parts, and for good reason, as that particular species of sheep is protected both internationally and domestically by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Schubarth extracted DNA samples from the parts and took them to a lab to create embryos, of which he received 165 in November 2016. Schubarth then created a pure genetic Marco Polo argali that he named "Montana Mountain King," which was milked for its semen to create herds of these hybrid sheep, which authorities said were then sold and hunted for trophies.

Continue reading: 81-year-old sentenced to prison for breeding and selling enormous sheep clones (full post)

AMD RX 7700 XT GPU might've hit its lowest price ever - but we're betting it'll drop further

Darren Allan | Video Cards & GPUs | Oct 4, 2024 10:08 AM CDT

AMD's Radeon RX 7700 XT has just dropped to $350, and that's with a two-game bundle included.

AMD RX 7700 XT GPU might've hit its lowest price ever - but we're betting it'll drop further

This is the lowest price we're aware of the RX 7700 XT dropping to, and it represents a tasty enough bargain, as we reported earlier today - but there are likely to be more appetizing efforts in the future.

To recap, the model in question is PowerColor's Fighter RX 7700 XT and it's currently reduced by $40 at Newegg, and it's also at $350 over at Amazon too.

Continue reading: AMD RX 7700 XT GPU might've hit its lowest price ever - but we're betting it'll drop further (full post)

Windows 11 can now reply to your texts, as AI auto-replies arrive in Microsoft's Phone Link app

Darren Allan | Software & Apps | Oct 4, 2024 8:35 AM CDT

Windows 11's Phone Link app is getting an AI-powered feature that was spotted in testing earlier this year, but is now rolling out to everyone.

Windows 11 can now reply to your texts, as AI auto-replies arrive in Microsoft's Phone Link app

This is 'suggested replies' which provides exactly that - short potential replies to the texts you get, within Phone Link - and this functionality is rolling out now (so not everyone will have it just yet, but it's coming).

The replies are generated via AI (in the cloud, not on-device), and they will only appear for certain messages. Namely texts where the AI can actually get a handle on the conversation enough to be able to generate some possible responses.

Continue reading: Windows 11 can now reply to your texts, as AI auto-replies arrive in Microsoft's Phone Link app (full post)

Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | Oct 4, 2024 8:02 AM CDT

Meta's smart glasses have been converted into a facial recognition device that enables the user to identify random people in real time.

Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces

The conversion of Meta's smart glasses into a facial recognition device came from two Harvard students who called the glasses I-XRAY. Here's how it works. The students took advantage of the smart glasses livestreaming directly to Instagram feature and combined that with an AI program that monitors the video live stream to identify any faces within the video. Images of the faces are then captured and fed into public databases, which result in phone numbers, names, addresses, and more personal information being fed back to the wearer of the glasses through a phone app.

AnhPhu Nguyen posted the above video detailing the process of creating the glasses, and within the video, you can see them being used to identify classmates and, perhaps more shockingly, strangers in public, which the students pretended to know based on the information the device was able to obtain on the individual. For those concerned about the potential impact of releasing such a product to the market, fear not, as the students behind the project said the glasses were created to raise awareness about potential privacy issues with smart glasses.

Continue reading: Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces (full post)

Razer is improving one of its best wireless gaming mice with the all-new Basilisk V3 Pro 35K

Kosta Andreadis | Peripherals | Oct 4, 2024 3:01 AM CDT

The Razer Basilisk is a classic shape and grip that has been popular with PC gamers for years. This week, the company unveiled and announced two new additions to this series: the wireless Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K and the wired Razer Basilisk V3 35K.

Razer is improving one of its best wireless gaming mice with the all-new Basilisk V3 Pro 35K

The big addition arrives by upgrading the sensor tech to the new Razer Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2, as seen in the impressive Razer Viper V3 Pro we reviewed earlier this year. With the ability to track on any surface, adjust to different materials, and support for DPI increment adjustments as small as 1, it's one of the most impressive sensors currently available.

The wireless Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K includes a longer-lasting battery, lasting up to 140 hours on Razer HyperSpeed Wireless and up to 210 hours on Bluetooth. The only difference between the two is that one is wired and one is wireless; both feature the same hardware and overall design.

Continue reading: Razer is improving one of its best wireless gaming mice with the all-new Basilisk V3 Pro 35K (full post)

Samsung's 3nm chip yields are so low its foundry division's future is in jeopardy

Kosta Andreadis | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Oct 4, 2024 2:31 AM CDT

Samsung is a tech giant that develops and creates products and hardware, including everything from televisions to smartphones and biometric jewelry. The Korean company is also one of the biggest semiconductor manufacturers in the world; however, according to a new report in Business Korea, its foundry business is struggling.

Samsung's 3nm chip yields are so low its foundry division's future is in jeopardy

To the point where it's considering spinning off its foundry business entirely. This information comes from Samsung directly, with Samsung Securities (a subsidiary of the company) publishing a report titled 'Geopolitical Paradigm Shift and Industry' in July. The report also notes that it's struggling to keep up with TSMC, specifically regarding more advanced node technology.

The company's 3nm Exynos 2500 chip has a yield of only 20%, which makes it unlikely to appear in the Galaxy S25 net year. It's a yield so low that it just wouldn't be cost-effective to produce at any sort of scale - the number would need to sit at around 60% for this to be the case.

Continue reading: Samsung's 3nm chip yields are so low its foundry division's future is in jeopardy (full post)

Corsair's new K70 CORE TKL Series keyboards arrive with new switches and sound dampening

Kosta Andreadis | Peripherals | Oct 4, 2024 2:02 AM CDT

Corsair has announced and launched two new keyboards, the Corsair K70 CORE TKL and K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS. Both are part of the company's versatile and accessible CORE series, and the two new additions deliver a smoother and more premium typing experience.

Corsair's new K70 CORE TKL Series keyboards arrive with new switches and sound dampening

The first is CORSAIR MLX Red V2 Switches, rated up to 80 million clicks. As the second generation of the company's excellent first-run of MLX Red switches, they include sturdier stems for less wiggle, pre-lubed for smooth performance, and a "special Fresnel lens" for brighter and more vibrant RGB lighting.

In addition, the next significant change is two layers of premium sound-dampening foam, which has been a game changer for several new keyboard releases over the past year or so. Add the two together (the upgraded switches and sound-dampening), and the Corsair K70 CORE TKL and K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS are worthy upgrades.

Continue reading: Corsair's new K70 CORE TKL Series keyboards arrive with new switches and sound dampening (full post)

Valve is using ChatGPT to help develop its new multiplayer shooter Deadlock

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | Oct 4, 2024 1:37 AM CDT

Valve's Deadlock is currently listed as being in 'early development'; however, it's one of the most popular games on Steam. Deadlock blends hero-shooter elements from games like Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch with the lane-based action of a MOBA like DOTA 2. It's a mix of styles and mechanics that feels familiar and fresh, so it's not out-of-step to say that Deadlock is shaping up to be another hit from a studio that releases very few games.

Valve is using ChatGPT to help develop its new multiplayer shooter Deadlock

Valve is no stranger to multiple games or shooters; Deadlock is a third-person shooter with several decades of running servers and handling matchmaking for some of the most beloved PC games ever made. So you might think this would be one side of Deadlock that it wouldn't need any outside help to sort out. Especially not ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is becoming an invaluable tool for many, and Valve engineer Fletcher Dunn used the generative AI chatbot to help out with Deadlock's matchmaking system.

Continue reading: Valve is using ChatGPT to help develop its new multiplayer shooter Deadlock (full post)

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