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Amazon Basics range now offers a CPU cooler
Amazon is getting into the business of selling its own brand PC components, with a new CPU cooler from the Amazon Basics range appearing on the retailer's site.
The Amazon Basics family is, as the name suggests, a no-frills (and wide-ranging) collection of products that does what it says on the tin for a minimal asking price.
However, as Tom's Hardware, which spotted the new product, points out, the CPU cooler appears to be very similar to a Cooler Master model, namely the Hyper H410R RGB.
Continue reading: Amazon Basics range now offers a CPU cooler (full post)
Apple iPhone 14 may soon be available in a new color - yellow
Apple might have a new color for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus arriving in the spring, with these models set to be offered in yellow if a new rumor is right.
The yellow color was last seen with the iPhone 11 (some four years back), and it could be something Apple revisits with the iPhone 14, given that it's generally expected that the current-gen smartphone gets a new color in the spring to help boost sales somewhat.
There's nothing like a shiny new paint job to nudge you off the fence perhaps and tempt you to finally grab the new handset you've been mulling over, although of course, we can't take it for granted this is happening.
Continue reading: Apple iPhone 14 may soon be available in a new color - yellow (full post)
300TB SSDs could arrive in 2026 - but with a big catch
SSDs are already getting impressively large, but capacities could leap to truly astounding levels in just a few years - with drives as large as 300TB, albeit with a major caveat.
Pure Storage claims that it'll have these mammoth SSDs available by 2026, but the catch is that these aren't traditional solid state drives you can simply whack into your PC.
Rather, the 300TB efforts will be direct flash module (DFM) drives that are sold exclusively with Pure Storage's own storage systems (FlashArray and FlashBlade, which the DFMs are explicitly designed to populate - and a software solution comes bundled on top).
Continue reading: 300TB SSDs could arrive in 2026 - but with a big catch (full post)
Someone slapped a 30,000mAh battery onto a Samsung phone and it actually works
If you've ever looked at your phone's battery percentage and wished that it wouldn't fall quite so quickly, you're probably going to love this.
One owners of the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A32 wanted to see what would happen if they took matters into their own hands and ditched the built-in 5,000mAh battery for something a little meatier. OK, something a lot meatier. What would happen if that 5,000mAh battery was replaced by something that had a 30,000mAh rating?
Turns out, it'll actually work.
Scientists discover nearby 'forbidden planet' that shouldn't exist
A team of astronomers has penned a study currently published on a pre-print server arXiv that details the discovery of a not-so-distant exoplanet that's existence is being put into question.
The group of researchers sifted through data acquired from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and discovered the exoplanet that is now called TOI-5205b. This exoplanet is quite similar to Jupiter, being a gas giant, however, unlike Jupiter, which orbits the Sun every 12 years, TOI-5205b orbits its companion star every three days.
This particular aspect of TOI-5205b has astronomers scratching their heads as current models of gas giants suggest the exoplanet shouldn't even be able to form around a low-mass star such as the one it's currently orbiting. BGR reports the "forbidden planet" is located approximately 285 light-years from our solar system, and since its discovery doesn't fit current planetary models for gas giants, those models will now be updated to accommodate this new-found possibility.
Continue reading: Scientists discover nearby 'forbidden planet' that shouldn't exist (full post)
The Twitter Blue subscription rolls out to more than 20 new countries
Beleaguered social network Twitter has rolled its subscription Twitter Blue service out to more countries. Now, more than 20 more countries have access to the subscription offering than was the case yesterday and they're all across Europe.
The new countries in which people can now subscribe to Twitter Blue include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
Twitter Blue gives subscribers access to a handful of perks for at least $8 per month. How much you pay depends on which platform you subscribe via, with those paying via Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store paying more to make up for the companies' 30% cut.
Continue reading: The Twitter Blue subscription rolls out to more than 20 new countries (full post)
Man caught lugging around 600-year-old mummified 'girlfriend'
Authorities have detained a delivery man that was carrying the mummified remains of what he called his "girlfriend".
Julio Cesar Bermejo, a 26-year-old former food delivery man, has been detained by police in Peru for the possession of mummified human remains that are estimated to be anywhere between 600 and 800 years old. The former food delivery driver explained to authorities that the mummified remains had been in his family for more than 30 years and that he "takes care of her". Bermejo told AFP news agency that the remains were named "Juanita", and she's "like my spiritual girlfriend".
"At home, she's in my room. She sleeps with me. I take care of her," he said in a video that has done the round on social media. The former food delivery driver added that his father brought the remains home almost 30 years ago, and they have been taken care of ever since. Notably, the mummified remains were discovered in the food delivery driver's isothermal bag placed in the fetal position. The same bag is used to deliver people's food to their homes.
Continue reading: Man caught lugging around 600-year-old mummified 'girlfriend' (full post)
Good Samaritan's iPhone 11 spends a week underwater and lives to tell the tale
The owner of an iPhone 11 was reunited with their device after it spent a week in the water, according to a new report. To make the story even better, the phone belonged to a Good Samaritan.
The story goes that a student named Breno Rafael was in his kayak when he heard a woman drowning. He jumped into the water with his iPhone in a pocket but when he helped the woman to shore he realized that his phone had taken a spill, never to be seen again. Or at least, that's what he thought.
Fast-forward a week and diving instructor Edinho Roch found the iPhone seven meters down in the same location - lake Paranoá in Brasilia. The iPhone seemed to be working but was locked and couldn't be used. That's when the power of social media came into play.
Scientists unlock 3D printing inside the human body
In a move to reduce the risk of infection, a team of engineers has designed a new method of 3D printing biomaterial.
The researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, have posted their findings on the UNSW Newsroom website where they explain that they've developed a new prototype device capable of directly 3D printing living cells into internal organs. The engineers behind the device believe that it could potentially be used as an all-in-one endoscopic surgical tool.
The new tool is called F3DB and is a small, relatively soft robotic arm that can directly print biomaterial onto the surface of internal organs inside a living human body via skin incisions or natural orifices. Why is bioprinting important? The practice is typically performed by researchers that are developing new drugs and testing how they react to certain cells.
Continue reading: Scientists unlock 3D printing inside the human body (full post)
Elon Musk fails to mention the FDA rejected his push for brain chip human trials
Despite Elon Musk's constant re-announcing of when human trials will begin for Neuralink, the billionaire has failed to mention how the FDA has rejected his company's application.
Neuralink was founded by Musk back in 2016, and since 2019 the Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX CEO has claimed that human trials are just around the corner. However, reports indicate that despite Musk's announcement of human trials starting soon, Neuralink didn't seek regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until early 2022, according to a report from Reuters that cited seven current and former employees at Neuralink.
Additionally, the employees told the publication that the FDA rejected Neuralink's application to begin human trials, citing dozens of major problems with the brain chip design, such as the requirement of lithium-ion battery batteries being inserted into the skull, the potential of the device's wires beginning to migrate to other areas of the brain, how it can be removed without damaging any brain tissue and more.
NASA presses China by releasing images of its rumored 'dead' Mars rover
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has used its bird-eye vantage spot to take photos of the area where China landed its Mars rover named Zhurong on May 15, 2021.
China selected the region called Utopia Planitia as the destination for Zhurong, with the overall objective of searching for ice water suspected of being located underneath volcanic rock. Above is a selfie taken in its landing location on May 15, 2021; take note of the solar panels. NASA imagery shows the rover moved between March and September 2022, which was backed up by the state-owned publication South China Morning Post writing Zhurong entered hibernation mode in May 2022.
Chinese officials decided to put Zhurong in hibernation mode to wait out dropping temperatures and dangerous sandstorms. Putting rovers in hibernation is a strategy that is commonly used as it enables the rover to save energy when there is no sunlight available for solar panels to absorb. This is particularly a problem for rovers that only have solar power as a means of generating battery charge, as their panels can be coated in Martian dust, which prevents the panels from charging. The tragedy of death by dust has fallen upon several NASA missions, such as the InSight lander mission and the Opportunity rover in 2018.
NASA astronaut snaps 'absolutely unreal' photo of auroras surrounding Earth
NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, currently stationed on the ISS, has snapped a jaw-dropping image of auroras surrounding Earth.
The NASA astronaut took to their personal Twitter account on March 1 to share the image with the public, showcasing a beautiful shot of the planet and auroras from a vantage point of approximately 250 miles above the surface of Earth. The presence of the auroras can be traced back to solar events that occurred in the days before February 26 and 27, which was when Earth's magnetic field was hit by a stream of charged particles from the Sun.
Solar events such as coronal magnetic ejections (CME), which is a large wave of charged particles ejected from the Sun, or streams of solar wind that spew from our star's corona, can collide with Earth when the planet happens to be caught a solar event's 'danger zone'. The impact charges particles in the upper atmosphere, creating the phenomena of auroras that typically appear closer to Earth's poles. However, during a solar storm, auroras can appear closer to the equator, with the most recent one being spotted in California and photographed above Death Valley National Park.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT GPU prices have dropped to $799, which is $100 below MSRP
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, which has only been out for a few months (it launched in December 2022 alongside the 7900 XTX), is now being sold for USD 799 - a full USD 100 cheaper than the USD 899 launch price. This is pretty crazy, as we've all become used to high-end GPUs being sold for a premium, usually much higher than the MSRP.
For AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series, the Radeon RX 7900 XT was always seen as a lesser of two - with its price only being USD 100 cheaper than the USD 999 Radeon RX 7900 XTX in the first place. As seen in benchmark results, the performance gap between the two GPUs was much higher than the pricing difference, so enthusiasm for the card was low.
This discount on the ASRock Phantom Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB to USD 799.99 on Newegg doubles as a statement that sales for the card are not performing as expected.
Steam Hardware Survey for February 2023 now has the entire GeForce RTX 40 Series
With the full GeForce RTX 40 Series in the Steam Hardware Survey results, the GeForce RTX 4080 (0.20%) and the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (0.18%) are in February 2023's numbers; there's still no sign of AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series-or Intel's Arc range, for that matter.
Last month we reported on the latest GPU movements in the Steam Hardware Survey, where we saw NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 4090 show up with a 0.23% market share - which has now grown to 0.31%. That might not seem like a lot, but Steam covers tens of millions of PC gamers, and it often takes several months for a new GPU - let alone a flagship model - to show up.
The most popular GPU remains the four-year-old NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (6.12%), which is followed by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (5.28%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU (4.78%).
The EK-Loot Mousepad is a perfect companion piece for the company's water blocks
The new EK-Loot Mousepad - Quantum is not the usual release from EK, a company known for creating custom water block solutions for various builds and setups. As a large 900 x 400 mm mousepad and desk mat, it's still related to custom water cooling as it features numerous visual touches to make the loop-building process easier.
There are guides for tube bending and an explanation of the EK-Matrix7 system, which is behind what makes EK's CPU and GPU water blocks look as sleek and stylish as they do. There are even little diagrams and imagery for all the fittings, extenders, and screw types used in DIY water block construction.
The exact pressure amounts needed for loop testing are also readily available. If you're planning on putting together some custom water cooling or are already well-versed in the world of tubes, pipes, and liquid cooling, this is the mousepad for you.
Sabrent has a great new deal, buy two memory cards get a free card reader
You've undoubtedly come across a memory card or two over the years, with cameras, phones, tablets, and more all using MicroSD storage in 2023.
On the gaming front, something like the Rocket V30 A2 MicroSDXC Memory Card with 1TB capacity from Sabrent would be perfect for a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch for fast and reliable expanded storage. It comes with a three-year warranty and is SDXC compliant; it's ideal for things like 4K video or massive game installs in the tens of GBs.
This is just one of the memory cards on offer from Sabrent, a brand we've come to trust at TweakTown for all our storage needs. Our recent review of the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2230 1TB SSD is a friendly little reminder that when it comes to something like the Steam Deck, you can swap out the internal SSD with a higher capacity option.
Cooler Master's Mobius 120 OC flagship case fan is all about quiet performance
Cooler Master launched its new top-of-the-line case fan, the Mobius 120 OC. The company claims "near silent operation" alongside high performance and complete control over its settings. The ring blade design on the fan features interconnected blades to improve airflow and structural integrity.
And to reduce vibration, the Cooler Master corner mount design includes rubber feet for stability and keeping the fan quiet when in use - with RPM speeds of up to an impressive 3200.
On top of that, the Mobius 120 OC is a case fan that will go the distance with a dual ball bearing design, and a metal motor hub, meaning it'll last you multiple upgrades and GPU and CPU generations - it comes with a lifetime warranty.
10-year ABK deal should include Steam to make full impact
UPDATE: The following article is based on a hypothetical scenario that MLex had reported on, however a separate 10-year deal was apparently never offered.
The following also includes my thoughts and opinions on what should happen if Microsoft made such an offer.
Original Article:
Continue reading: 10-year ABK deal should include Steam to make full impact (full post)
TSMC's 3nm iPhone 15 Pro chip tipped to enable untold 'significant' upgrades
Apple is expected to announce four new iPhones next month, but only two of them are set to get flashy new chips. A new report claims that those devices will benefit from significant specification upgrades as a result.
Apple is set to announce the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max this September. But it's only those last two that will get an A17 chip, based on a refreshed TSMC 3nm manufacturing process. And it's that which is expected to make all the difference.
A DigiTimes report cites industry insiders when it says that the new 3nm chip will allow for significant upgrades, although it doesn't go so far as to say what they might be. However, the move to a 3nm manufacturing process doesn't necessarily mean that the chips will be faster - just that they will likely generate less heat and use less power. Both of those two things do often allow companies to clock their chips higher, though.
Phone wireless charging is cool but Tesla wants to wirelessly charge your car
We're all very familiar with the idea of wirelessly charging our phones, watches, and earbuds but have you ever considered wirelessly charging your car?
That obviously only applies to people who have electric vehicles, but wireless charging would fix one of the bigger problems with owning an EV - having to plug it in all the time. Now it appears that Tesla is working on fixing that with some sort of wireless charging technology.
While Tesla hasn't confirmed that it's working on anything of the sort, the company might have teased something during this week's Investor Day.






















