ASUS ROG Swift Pro PG248QP Gaming Monitor Review - Frames, frames, and more frames

ASUS ROG Swift Pro PG248QP Gaming Monitor Review - Frames, frames, and more frames

ASUS has released the ROG Swift Pro PG248QP, a 1920 x 1080, 540Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time gaming monitor designed for competitive Esports gamers.

TT Show Episode 31 - AI-Powered iPhone and PS5 Pro and an AI-Generated Romantic Comedy

Kosta Andreadis | TweakTown | Apr 19, 2024 3:38 AM CDT

This week, on a special AI-powered edition of The TT Show, Jak and Kosta examine the latest happenings in tech, gaming, and science - and AI is everywhere. Apple uses AI to give Siri vision and will integrate AI into many aspects of the upcoming iOS 18 update.

TT Show Episode 31 - AI-Powered iPhone and PS5 Pro and an AI-Generated Romantic Comedy

Also, with the PlayStation 5 Pro specs confirmed by multiple sources, AI could play a significant role in delivering the reported 4K 60 FPS gameplay target and boost to ray-tracing performance. In the world of Generative AI and LLMs, companies have pressure to disclose what data is being used (or is that harvested) for training.

And speaking of generative AI, TCL is creating the world's first AI-generated romantic comedy set to debut this summer on the company's TCLtv+ streaming service. How does it look? Well, be sure to tune into this week's episode of The TT Show to watch Jak's reaction in real-time.

Continue reading: TT Show Episode 31 - AI-Powered iPhone and PS5 Pro and an AI-Generated Romantic Comedy (full post)

Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today!

Sponsored Content | Deals | Apr 17, 2024 3:48 PM CDT

GEEKOM is dishing up a banging deal for TweakTown readers on its Mini IT12 mini PC. Powered by Intel's 12th-Gen Core i7-12650H processor, the GEEKOM Mini IT12 comes equipped with an impressive 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and the fast Bluetooth 5.2 and W-Fi 6E wireless technologies.

Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today!

This GEEKOM Mini IT12 can be yours for just $469, including free shipping in the United States, and it comes with Microsoft Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. When not on sale, this highly capable SFF computer sells for $909, but right now, you can save a huge $440 when buying it from GEEKOM. That's almost 52% off the normal price!

Enter coupon code tweaktownit12off at the checkout and save!

Continue reading: Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today! (full post)

Windows 10 users: Get ready to be bugged about creating a Microsoft Account

Darren Allan | Software & Apps | Apr 19, 2024 8:01 AM CDT

If you're running Windows 10 and are using a local account - as opposed to being signed into a Microsoft Account with your OS installation - then prepare for a fresh round of nagging from Microsoft.

Windows 10 users: Get ready to be bugged about creating a Microsoft Account

As Windows Latest reports, a change which has been in testing is supposedly coming through to arrive for the release version of Windows 10 with the next cumulative update for the OS (in May 2024).

What it means is that when you go into Settings, if you are working with a local Windows 10 install, there'll be a bar at the top of the panel - complete with a warning exclamation mark - telling you to sign in to a Microsoft Account.

Continue reading: Windows 10 users: Get ready to be bugged about creating a Microsoft Account (full post)

NASA is about to make Treasure Planet real with a solar sail mission

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Apr 19, 2024 3:02 AM CDT

NASA is preparing to launch its massive solar sail into space on the back of a rocket to test the power of sunlight and determine whether it will be a viable means of propulsion to traverse the solar system.

NASA is about to make Treasure Planet real with a solar sail mission

The technology seen in the 2002 animated Disney movie Treasure Planet is about to be tested in space by NASA, as the space agency has announced via its blog that its very own solar sail is about to be transported into space on Tuesday, April 23, aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket. NASA explained that the CubeSat for the mission will be deployed 600 miles above Earth, which is about twice the altitude at which the International Space Station (ISS) orbits the planet.

Once in position, the CubeSat, which is approximately the size of a microwave oven, will undergo a two-month-long system check that will then be followed by the deployment of its solar sail. When fully unfurled, the solar sail will be as big as half a tennis court. The test will consist of many up and down maneuvers to hopefully prove the solar sail is able to use sunlight as a viable means of propulsion.

Continue reading: NASA is about to make Treasure Planet real with a solar sail mission (full post)

AI discovers famous painting wasn't entirely painted by the credited artist

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | Apr 19, 2024 2:32 AM CDT

Humans are only so good at detecting details in art, which is why researchers have decided to train an AI algorithm to detect what humans can't and only suspect.

AI discovers famous painting wasn't entirely painted by the credited artist

A team of researchers from the UK and US created a custom algorithm using a pre-trained architecture called ResNet50, which was developed by Microsoft. The team took advantage of a common machine learning technique to improve the algorithm, feeding it with authenticated paintings by the famous artist Raphael. The goal was to teach the AI to identify with a high degree of accuracy brushstrokes in paintings that were created by Raphael's hand and the faces of people within those paintings.

One painting, in particular, from Raphael, has been a point of debate among scholars. The Madonna della Rosa, or Madonna of the Rose, was painted on canvas from 1518 to 1520. Scholars have been debating for many years if the painting was an original work by the famed artist or if its creation involved another hand, specifically with the face of St Joseph. Some scholars have argued that St Joseph's face isn't as meticulously crafted as the Raphael's other pieces of work, leading them to believe it was done by another painter.

Continue reading: AI discovers famous painting wasn't entirely painted by the credited artist (full post)

Dubai government responds to claims cloud seeding caused historic flooding

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Apr 19, 2024 2:16 AM CDT

Dubai has been hit with a historic amount of rainfall this week, which some are blaming are a result of the United Arab Emirates' use of weather modification techniques.

Dubai government responds to claims cloud seeding caused historic flooding

Cloud generation is a real thing, and the United Arab Emirates has been leading the charge on technology for decades. The nation has been conducting experiments with the intention of assisting the generation of clouds in the region that lead to rainfall. The process works by cloud seeding planes releasing crystalline chemicals into already present clouds to increase rainfall, but now that technology has been thrown into question as Dubai has received an unprecedented amount of rainfall, the most in the region in the last 75 years.

Some areas received as much as 10 inches of rainfall within 24 hours, resulting in the unequipped region to suffer under intense flooding. Notably, neighboring country Oman has reported as many as 18 deaths as a result of the rainfall, with some of those deaths being schoolchildren.

Continue reading: Dubai government responds to claims cloud seeding caused historic flooding (full post)

Elgato announces new Neo range that includes plug-and-play Wave, Facecam, Stream Deck, and more

Kosta Andreadis | Peripherals | Apr 19, 2024 1:58 AM CDT

Elgato has announced five new products as part of its new Neo range of peripherals designed for "high-end performance with plug-and-play simplicity." It's making its popular and award-winning gear for content creators and streamers more accessible with new user-friendly software support for various devices, including laptops and iPads.

Elgato announces new Neo range that includes plug-and-play Wave, Facecam, Stream Deck, and more

Elgato notes that the Neo range is all about offering great value (prices range from $89.99 to $119.99 USD) while maintaining the company's high-quality standard. The five new Elgato Neo products sport a fresh, modern, white color scheme. And in an excellent move, each Neo product is made from 60% or more recycled plastic.

The Wave Neo ($89.99) is a new USB microphone compatible with laptops, iPads, and PlayStation consoles. It features a built-in foam pop filter and headphone jack, with hardware optimized for clear vocals that can be fine-tuned with Elgato's Wave Link app.

Continue reading: Elgato announces new Neo range that includes plug-and-play Wave, Facecam, Stream Deck, and more (full post)

Meta's next-gen Llama3 LLM is here and the Intel Arc A770 outperforms the GeForce RTX 4060

Kosta Andreadis | Video Cards & GPUs | Apr 19, 2024 1:32 AM CDT

Generative AI and overall LLM performance are set to become significant elements in measuring CPU and GPU performance in the coming years. Intel's latest deep dive into Arc graphics highlights LLM performance on its current flagship Intel Arc A770 16GB graphics card for desktops.

Meta's next-gen Llama3 LLM is here and the Intel Arc A770 outperforms the GeForce RTX 4060

The GPU is generally available for around $300, and Intel is comparing its AI performance against NVIDIA's mainstream GeForce RTX 4060 8GB graphics card, which is its nearest Team Green price competitor. "We've looked at two discrete GPUs positioned in a similar price segment," Intel writes in its report.

Intel's test includes various models running with IPEX-LLM, an LLM library for PyTorch. This library contains optimizations for Intel hardware and uses the XMX AI acceleration found on Arc graphics cards to boost performance. On the GeForce RTX 4060 side, CUDA Torch is used.

Continue reading: Meta's next-gen Llama3 LLM is here and the Intel Arc A770 outperforms the GeForce RTX 4060 (full post)

Boston Dynamics unveils its next-gen humanoid robot in a very disturbing way

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Apr 19, 2024 1:16 AM CDT

Boston Dynamics, one of the leaders in the robotics industry that has seen successful commercialization of its products, has unveiled its next-generation humanoid robot that replaces the well-known Atlas robot.

Boston Dynamics unveils its next-gen humanoid robot in a very disturbing way

A few days ago, Boston Dynamics announced it was retiring the hydraulic Atlas robot, which has gone viral numerous times throughout its 10 years of development with demonstrations of its impressive mobility capabilities and human-like movement. Boston Dynamics writes in its blog post that all the data gathered throughout the past 10 years has gone into developing a fully electric Atlas robot that will be designed for real-world applications such as working with people.

This new version of Atlas is stronger, more dexterous, more agile, and has been designed to move in the most efficient way possible to complete any given task. This design choice is different from the previous generation of Atlas, which was built around replicating the human range of motion. Next-gen Atlas will have movement capabilities that exceed a human's range of motion, which was demonstrated in an extremely impressive and disturbing way in the above video.

Continue reading: Boston Dynamics unveils its next-gen humanoid robot in a very disturbing way (full post)

Turtle Beach unveils redesigned versions of its Stealth Wireless Gaming Headsets

Kosta Andreadis | Audio, Sound & Speakers | Apr 19, 2024 12:57 AM CDT

Turtle Beach is refreshing its popular wireless gaming headset line-up for 2024, with three newly redesigned models coming launching in May: the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless Gaming Headset, the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 Wireless Gaming Headset, and the high-end Turtle Beach Atlas Air Wireless Open Back PC Gaming Headset.

Turtle Beach unveils redesigned versions of its Stealth Wireless Gaming Headsets

The new Stealth 600 replaces the existing model at the popular $99.99 USD price point and sports a funky, modern look. It has low-latency 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.2 and an impressive 80-hour battery with quick charge capabilities. Sound-wise, it features Turtle Beach's 50mm Nanoclear drivers with a microphone now powered by AI noise reduction technology.

The new Turtle Beach Stealth 500 slots into the more affordable $79.99 USD pricing bracket, and like the Stealth 600, it has low-latency 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.2 to support gaming on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and mobile devices. Audio-wise, it features smaller 40mm drivers but still supports surround sound - however, the battery life is cut in half to up to 40 hours.

Continue reading: Turtle Beach unveils redesigned versions of its Stealth Wireless Gaming Headsets (full post)

NASA's Mars helicopter sends heart-warming final message back to Earth

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Apr 19, 2024 12:17 AM CDT

Ingenuity, NASA's Mars helicopter was forced to end its mission after taking some critical damage in a landing, but the small helicopter will not be going gently into that good Martian night.

NASA's Mars helicopter sends heart-warming final message back to Earth

NASA landed its Mars helicopter in the Jezero Crater with its Mars rover named Perseverance in 2021, with the initial goal of Ingenuity being a flight demonstration. NASA simply wanted to see if flight was possible on another planet.

Ingenuity achieved this goal and became the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled extra-terrestrial flight. Ingenuity was only intended to make five flights, but went on to complete 72 across its three years of service, serving as a reconnaissance vehicle for Perseverance by scouting areas of interest and upcoming terrain which NASA can then use to map the safest path for Perseverance.

Continue reading: NASA's Mars helicopter sends heart-warming final message back to Earth (full post)

Samsung begins emergency mode: all Samsung execs to now work 6 days a week

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Apr 19, 2024 12:01 AM CDT

Samsung is forcing all of the executives from its Samsung Group units to work 6-day weeks from as early as this week, in a shift to "emergency mode" reports the Korea Economic Daily.

Samsung begins emergency mode: all Samsung execs to now work 6 days a week

The emergency mode shift is happening because of the South Korea won and its sharp depreciation, rising oil prices, and high borrowing costs are amplifying uncertainies in business, after some of Samsung's businesses delivered poorer-than-expected results last year.

A Samsung Group company executive said: "Considering that performance of our major units, including Samsung Electronics Co., fell short of expectations in 2023, we are introducing the six-day work week for executives to inject a sense of crisis and make all-out efforts to overcome it".

Continue reading: Samsung begins emergency mode: all Samsung execs to now work 6 days a week (full post)