Latest News - Page 2627

Samsung today announces that its new Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic smartwatches will launch in the United States starting Friday, October 2 across retailers like Best Buy, Amazon and Macy's. Users will be able to go hands-on with the Gear S2 at Best Buy and Macy's when it releases, and again on October 16.

The Gear S2 smartwatches sport a 1.2" circular AMOLED face with a pixel density of 302ppi and 360x360 resolution. A 1GHz dual-core processor makes the watches tick, accompanied by 512MB of RAM and 4GB onboard memory. Tizen OS powers the wearable's software. Battery life is a big concern for smartwatches, but Samsung affirms the Gear S2's 250mAh battery can last up to 2-3 days with typical usage.

What makes the Gear S2 unique is its rotating bezel, which matches the functionality of an iWatch crown. Users simply turn the bezel facing left and right to navigate menus and the like, while tapping the touchscreen for activation. What's more is the Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic aren't locked to Samsung devices, and can be synchronized to any Android phone running Android 4.4 or above. This provides a great deal of flexibility for users who still enjoy their Nexus devices.

Microsoft has inadvertently outed its new flagship Windows Phone duo in a new listing on the UK's Microsoft Store, confirming a few leaked specifications in the process.

According to the listings, the Lumia 950 XL will sport a 5.7-inch 2560x1440 WQHD display, a beefy 20MP camera fitted with Zeiss optics, 32GB of onboard memory with support of up to 2TB of expandable microSD memory, and will run Windows 10. The Lumia 950 is almost exactly the same as the 950XL, except the second-tier model sports a smaller 5.2-inch QHD screen and doesn't have the triple-LED flash found in the 950 XL's camera.

Leaked specs suggest that both phones will have USB Type-C for rapid charging, display, and data transfers as well as Qi wireless charging support.

Tesla Motors announce its new Model X electric SUV to much fanfare and applause last night, revealing a huge array of features and specifications that not only wowed consumers and tech geeks, but also medical professionals and doomsday preppers.

Elon Musk touted that the Model X has a bio-defense mode that delivers "hospital level air quality" to protect up to seven passengers from airborne contaminants. The mode is powered by a medical-grade HEPA filter that "strips outside air of pollen, bacteria, viruses and pollution" that should, in theory, withstand a serious biohazard outbreak. Other safety features include an active sonar, radar and camera system which provides drivers with real-time feedback on their surroundings.

The Model X's technical specifications are pretty impressive as well. The SUV's floor-mounted 90 kWh battery ensures up to 250 miles of travel per charge, sports all-wheel drive, and the P90D model can hit 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 155 and 259 front-wheel and 503 rear-wheel horsepower.

We've seen Microsoft merge the worlds of Windows RT and the desktop side of Windows 8 at the time into a singular OS; Windows 10, but Apple has no such plans of merging iOS and OS X.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated the news in a chat with Aaron Levie from Box, where he said that it "subtracts from both", with Cook arguing that you "don't get the best experience with either". Cook said he feels no pressure to catch up to Microsoft in this regard, adding that he doesn't believe in "holding grudges" and that Microsoft and Apple can "partner on more things" than they compete in.

We've seen iOS-friendly versions of Office updates that were unveiled with the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and iOS 9, showing that Microsoft and Apple are very friendly indeed. The enterprise on the other hand, wants to see Apple and Microsoft working together, and not fighting. Considering Apple secured itself a very hefty $25 billion in enterprise revenue in the last 12 months, it should come as no surprise that Apple has pushed into the enterprise-class market with the iPad Pro and its collaboration with Microsoft on iOS-friendly Office apps.

Volkswagen continues to dig a bigger grave for itself, but the company is getting its hands dirty trying to crawl out of it. The company's fresh CEO, Matthias Mueller, has told his employees that the company will be contacting customers in the coming days to fixing their diesel-powered cars.

We don't know how the company will do that, whether it's going to be something mechanical or whether it will be a software-based patch. Regulators are going to be busy with Volkswagen when it happens, to make sure that the solution is absolutely 100%. Volkswagen is ready to spend $7.3 billion cleaning up the massive problem, but things are just continuing to get worse, with the likes of BMW and Mercedes now caught up in it.

Earlier this month we reported that AMD had split its GPU division off into Radeon Technolgoies Group, while the larger chunk of the company was hoping to sell a 20% stake in itself to investment firm Silver Lake.

Well, that deal has fallen through according to Bloomberg, which reports: "Advanced Micro Devices Inc., a struggling competitor to Intel Corp., was in talks to sell about a 25 percent stake to private-equity firm Silver Lake Management before the negotiations stalled, people with knowledge of the matter said".

Bloomberg added: "The two sides, which met over the summer, have put the discussions on hold after failing to agree on a price and strategy, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. AMD is also considering other strategic options, another person said".

Following the two short teases for the eagerly anticipated 'X-Files' miniseries revival during TV broadcasts of 'Gotham' and 'Minority Report', the Fox Network have officially released an extended trailer for the small-screen return of FBI agents Mulder and Scully.. and also a cameo from the ruthless Cigarette Smoking Man.

The six part limited series starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, will premiere on the Fox network on January 24th 2016 with a "special two-night event" spilling over to the next night. Like the original series, the revival will feature a mix of alien mythology and 'monster of the week' episodes from some of the show's best writers including Glen Morgan and James Wong, and overseen by series creator Chris Carter who also serves as director for three of the episodes.

Kayne West has a lot to say, and while the rapper and husband of Kim Kardashian will be running for US president in 2020, Kanye has come out slamming 3D printers.

In the latest episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kanye said: "This is what I'm afraid of right here, 3D printing. Because the Internet destroyed the music industry and now this is what we're afraid of right now with the textile industry. There will come a time where people are making the shoes at home".

Kayne visited the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Armenia in the latest episode, which is where the quote came from, as well as Kanye adding that he "likes robots", but he doesn't like all robots. If Kayne is elected president, you can be sure 3D printers will most likely be banned under a new Executive Order.

In order to keep up with the rest, MSI has announced the launch of its upgraded GT72 Dominator Pro, GE62/GE72 Apache Pro, GS60 Ghost Pro and GS70 Stealth Pro and prestige laptops, all complete with Intel 6th Generation Skylake processors and more.

For those looking for ultimate power, the GT72 Dominator will house an Intel Core i7-6820K processor, a 17.3" IPS screen, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and a Killer network plus more. All other models listed above will include Intel Core i7-6700HQ and other options ranging up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and USB 3.1 Type-C.

Priced from $1499.99 for the GE62 models up to $2599.99 for the GT72 Dominator, it's obvious that MSI means business. If the internals aren't enough to entice you, MSI is further working with SteelSeries on selected models, providing backlit keyboards for those who like something a little flashy.

Keen on a laptop that is better than your desktop? Well, CYBERPOWERPC might just interest you with its new FANGBOOK 4 Xtreme, hosting within a plethora of amazing technology from Intel, NVIDIA, Samsung and more.

Sitting alongside an Intel Core-i7 6700K is a 250GB Samsung 850 EVO M.2 SSD, 16GB of DDR4 memory, an NVIDIA GTX 980m and more. Topped off with a cool programmable full color backlit keyboard, this XTREME G-SYNC 100 edition is the better of the two, further offering Bluetooth 4.1 and packaged with Windows Home 10 (64-bit) installed. Interested in all this power? Prepare to spend a minimum of $2155.

The lower model still features an Intel Core i5-6600k, an NVIDIA GTX 970M and a 250GB M.2 SSD so it's certainly nothing to scoff at. Expect to spend at least $1749 for this beast, with it also featuring an LED keyboard and Windows 10.

To compliment its new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphone duo, Google unveiled a new and improved Chromecast that tops the previous streaming stick while maintaining the $35 price tag.

Notable enhancements packed into the new disc-shaped Chromecast 2.0 include dramatically upgraded Wi-Fi functionality, with support for 802.11ac 5Ghz connections. What's more is that the new Chromecast has three built-in antennas that automatically find and attune to the best connection, pretty much ending the days of clumsy, slow Netflix streams. It's still locked at 1080p and won't support 4K video streaming.

To accompany the new streaming disc, Google has rolled out a completely overhauled Chromecast App that's fully optimized with a number of different intuitive features. Fast Play is a kind of digital soothsayer that can predict what you want to watch and actually caches and pre-loads an app, meaning it can pre-buffer a Hulu stream before you hit play. Google also touts that "thousands of apps" can now be casted with the device including Sling TV and Netflix.

AMD has added six new discrete, embedded Radeon GPUs to its lineup. The company says these are being released to meet increased demand for "rich, vibrant graphics in embedded systems", and that the additions will "help designers build mesmerizing user experiences with 4K multi-screen installations and 3-D and interactive displays" as well as "address the toughest parallel compute challenges."

The E8950MXM module is intended for power users, where the E8870 series (MXM and PCIe) is for those a little less so, and then there's the balanced, power-conscious option in the E6465 series (MCM, MXM and PCIe). The full breakdown of each from AMD is below.those a little less so, and then there's the balanced, power-conscious option in the E6465 series (MCM, MXM and PCIe). The full breakdown of each from AMD is below.

E8950MXM

AMD released its Catalyst 15.9 beta drivers earlier today. While beta drivers are usually smooth sailing, this was not the case with this release, which contained a memory leak bug. According to the aptly named Reddit user "MemoryLeakBug", it triggers when resizing any window, at which point RAM usage skyrockets to about 1GB per few seconds of resizing.

"AMDJoe" confirmed the issue and says a fix is in the works. In the meantime, roll back to an earlier set of drivers while you wait on a new release. That or just don't resize any windows...

Today Google has formally unveiled the Nexus 6P, confirming speculations and leaks with the new Android 6.0 handset. The Nexus 6P has a number of new improvements with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but one of the most alluring announcements was the 6P can run on Google's celebrated Project Fi network.

Nexus 6P has a 5.7-inch QHD display with the screen itself taking up 74% of the actual front of the phone, making it scale much like a 5.5-inch smartphone. It sports a 64-bit processor with a full-body aluminum frame, and a built-in fingerprint sensor that instantly wakes up the phone with a single press. With Google Imprint, the software suite that runs the fingerprint sensor, users can easily pay and purchase items with the press of a button.

The Nexus 6P sports USB Type C support for rapid battery charging, and Google boasts that phone can be fully charged in half the time of an iPhone 6 Plus. To combat Apple's always-on Siri, the Nexus 6P will have always-on OK Google support for hands-free searching and interaction. Supposedly the 6P will have less bloatware, and the new doze mode puts phone in a deep sleep state to reserve power and cut out background tasks.

Volkswagen is at the heart of the biggest car fraud story ever, but the likes of Mercedes and BMW will soon be involved. According to the latest on-the-road results from Transport & Environment (T&E), some Mercedes A, C, and E class cars as well as BMW's latest 5 series and Peugeot 308 cars are using up to 50% more fuel than their lab test results.

The problems that this is creating, is that the official numbers given by Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW are different to the real-world performance numbers and this gap is becoming so wide that "it cannot be explained through known factors including test manipulations", reports Ademloos.be. Things have gotten worse in the last 15 years or so, where the official test results for CO2 emissions/fuel economy and real-world performance have increased from 8% in 2001 to a huge 40% on average for 2014.

The numbers are coming from T&E's 2015 Mind the Gap report, which takes a look at on-the-road fuel consumption by motorists and highlights what Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW have been doing for years. These carmakers have been abusing the system, with EU regulators not closing the various loopholes that allow this to happen. T&E has added that without action, the gap will grow from 40% from 2014, to over 50% on average by 2020.

It should come as no surprise, but Riot Games is working on a new game. It probably isn't something new to know, but until now it had not been confirmed if the League of Legends developer was going to follow up from one of the biggest eSports games ever.

Riot Games' R&D boss Ryan Scott took some questions from fans about what's coming next for the developer, and when asked about what he's working on, Scott said: "No deets for a while, but trying to get the 's' in the Riot Games name". Another fan questioned Scott's Twitter profile, which said that he's a "turn-based strategy and FPS fan", eluding to which genre Riot Games is working on. Scott added: "Genre-wise [it's] pretty broad. The important thing for us is to make something meaningful, not a 'me too' game".

I'm not sure if I'd have confidence in Riot only working on a single game right now, but I'd say there are multiple games in the pipeline and the one that is closest to being revealed, is being eluded to here. It would be silly for Riot to not want to release another game that will surely make the company hundreds of millions of dollars like League of Legends has and continues to.

Privacy has been a big concern for a lot of Windows 10 users since the operating system's launch two months ago. If you believed the rumors, you might think we really were headed for a Skynet situation.

Today, Microsoft's Terry Myerson assures users there's nothing to be alarmed about, that their only goal with the information they collect is to make Windows perform better and be more personal. From the Windows Blog: "We collect a limited amount of information to help us provide a secure and reliable experience. This includes data like an anonymous device ID, device type, and application crash data which Microsoft and our developer partners use to continuously improve application reliability. This doesn't include any of your content or files, and we take several steps to avoid collecting any information that directly identifies you, such as your name, email address or account ID".

He continued: "A great example of how this data was used effectively was just last month, when aggregate data showed us that a particular version of a graphics driver was crashing on some Windows 10 PCs, which then caused a reboot. This driver was not widely used, but still the issue was impacting customers. We immediately contacted the partner who builds the driver and worked with them to turn around a fix to Windows Insiders within 24 hours. We used the data on Insiders' devices to confirm that the problem was resolved, and then rolled out the fix to the broad public via an update the next day - all-in-all, this data helped us find, fix and resolve a significant problem within 48 hours".

Apple managed to move more than 13 million iPhone 6S handsets over the launch weekend, smashing previous sales records in the process. Coupled with the projected profit of about $500 for every 64GB iPhone 6S that's sold, it's no wonder how Apple retains its status as a leading tech giant.

According from data gleaned from Teardown.com, Apple only spends an estimated $245 to make the A1688 64 GB iPhone 6s model. When we compare the $749 Apple charges for a new iPhone 6S to how much it spends, a bit of simple math shows the company makes roughly $504 in per-sale profits.

The new iPhone costs just $17 more to make than the previous iPhone 6 model, largely due to extra additions like the capacitive 3D Touch sensor and touch controller IC which accounts for about 17% or $42.50 of the total costs. The iPhone 6S' upgrade to 2GB LPDDR4 also bumped memory costs up to $16, which is a jump from the iPhone 6's 1GB LPDDR3 that costs just $4.50. The new 12MP iSight camera and accompanying front-facing 5MP camera clock in at $16.

While Konami continues to find itself between a rock and a hard place concerning its reputation in the gaming sphere, the overseas publisher has asserted that it's not giving up on AAA games. The Metal Gear brand will continue without Hideo Kojima, and console games won't be jeopardized in favor of freemium mobile schemes.

"We've said in the past that the Metal Gear brand will continue," said Konami's UK community manager Graham Day in an interview with GameOn Daily. When asked if Metal Gear can maintain its luster without Hideo Kojima at the helm, Graham responded in the affirmative: "Of course, Metal Gear can definitely continue without Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear is about the story, it's about the characters. We look at things like Metal Gear Rising and that was an example of the title being taken in a new direction by separate teams."

The Day also iterates that Konami wants to keep bringing games to the console realm, and a new mobile focus doesn't mean all other platforms will be shut out. "Yeah, we're still committed to console gaming. That's never changed. I think some things are being taken out of context. Just because [Konami] is embracing mobile gaming it doesn't mean everything else has to quit. Konami has a history of making the best games around, and that is something we'll continue and that won't change anything going forward."

BlackBerry has just announced the Priv, its first Android phone that features a slide-out keyboard and a curved display, and company CEO John Chen shows that Android might still be a strange new world for BlackBerry.

Chen seemed to have been caught totally off-guard during an hands-on demonstration of the Priv handheld, saying things like "obviously it runs Google" and fumbling with the OS as if it were completely alien technology. After firing up Google Chrome, Chen faltered after realizing he wasn't signed in, and after a few failed attempts he finally closed the app. Aftwards the BlackBerry CEO was content just focusing on the hardware--the 5.5-inch screen and the signature slideable BlackBerry keyboard.

The whole ordeal is kind of painful to watch and shows that Chen wasn't really prepared for the demonstration. During one segment, Chen actually verbally explains how the keyboard features capacitive touch so it can be used as a mouse for web surfing or checking text messages rather than walking through the functions on the phone. That's not to say that spontaneous demos can't be pressure-inducing affairs, but the CEO should still be able to confidently maneuver the OS and have a working knowledge of the device he's marketing.