Business Articles

The revolutionary DualSense controller has helped spur sales of the PlayStation 5. (Image source: Sony)

PS5 vs Xbox Series X|S vs Switch launch sales estimates depict the PlayStation 5 as the fastest-selling and best-selling console of them all

The PS5 vs. Xbox Series X|S vs. Switch launch sales contest has been definitively won by Sony’s console according to recently published estimates. Global sales for the PlayStation 5 have topped 3.3 million units within its first four weeks of launch. Microsoft’s consoles have also sold well in the US and Europe but flatlined in Japan.

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Dec 2020 01:39

Microsoft branding on Arm-based silicon is going to become more common it seems. (Image: Microsoft)

Microsoft jumps on Arm bandwagon with reports it is designing its own chips for servers, Surface

Microsoft is working on its own in-house design for a server chip as it jumps on the Arm CPU bandwagon. The in-house design effort could also lead to custom Arm-based silicon for its own Surface line of computers, some of which already feature Arm designs co-developed with Qualcomm.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 19 Dec 2020 08:21

Fastweb is the first European ISP to offer FWA. (Source: Fastweb)

Fastweb announces its new 5G-powered home broadband solution will be powered by Qualcomm

The Italian telecomms company Fastweb is one of a number of European firms that are early adopters of 5G mmWave-based fixed wireless access (FWA) as services for customers. It has announced that the consumer premises equipment (CPE) that delivers this new kind of "broadband" will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 18 Dec 2020 23:14

NVIDIA will partner with Samsung for its next generation of GPUs. (Image source: NVIDIA)

Samsung tipped to manufacture NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 SUPER GPUs next year

NVIDIA looked to Samsung rather than TSMC for the production of its RTX 30 series GPUs. The decision to go with Samsung has caused issues though, not least poor yields on its 8 nm process. Nonetheless, NVIDIA will continue to use Samsung for its RTX 30 SUPER GPUs, according to a new report. The RTX 30 SUPER series is due next year.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 20:02

The Snapdragon 888 will arrive in flagship smartphones from as early as this month. (Image source: Qualcomm)

Official Snapdragon 888 benchmark results detail generational performance improvements in AnTuTu, Geekbench and GFX Bench

The first official benchmark results are in for the Snapdragon 888, and they show a healthy uplift from the performance of the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 865+. The results are informative, but there are too many variables at play to compare the Snapdragon 888 against one of its main rivals, the Apple A14 Bionic.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 18:50

The AI-powered chips could help preserve battery life. (Image Source: Intel)

Intel reveals low-power Clover Falls AI companion chip for EVO-certified laptops

The new Intel Visual Sensing Controller codenamed Clover Falls is coming to Evo-certified laptops and should help preserve battery life by performing some low-power semi-passive system monitoring tasks normally executed by the CPU. It is also supposed to enable PC systems to sense and adapt to their surroundings by connecting to webcam sensors.

Bogdan Solca, 18 Dec 2020 16:53

Samsung is really hamming it up after the mess of the Exynos 990. (Image source: Samsung)

Samsung announces the Exynos 2100 as it issues a lengthy apology to fans

Samsung has finally announced the arrival of the Exynos 2100, and it is just two days before the expected launch of the Galaxy S21 series. The Exynos 2100 is believed to feature eight cores built on a 5 nm process, with an ARM Cortex-X1 core the most powerful of the eight. The Exynos 2100 will go head-to-head with the Snapdragon 888 when the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra arrive next month.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 15:11

Dell Latitude 3510 review. Core i3 models have to make do with a 40 Wh battery.

Dell equips its Latitude 3510 with a disappointing display

Dell's 15.6-inch business notebook offers decent battery life, low noise emissions, and a backlit keyboard. Unfortunately, its dim low-contrast FHD IPS display is disappointing.

Sascha Mölck, 18 Dec 2020 13:51

Experts remain unsure about the extent of the damage caused by the cyber attack (Image source: Panda Security)

Alleged Russian cyber attack allegedly exposed US deep state secrets through "Orion" data breach

Multiple US government branches, including the Department of Commerce, and an unknown number of private sector players have been hit by a massive cyber attack. Experts still remain uncertain about the volume of sensitive information that's been secreted beyond borders by hackers with alleged ties to the Russian government.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 18 Dec 2020 13:07

The OnePlus Watch might be based on this OPPO product. (Source: OPPO)

The OnePlus Watch is likely to run WearOS after all

Some recent leaks have pointed to a first-gen smartwatch from OnePlus, for which the OEM might develop a proprietary UI. However, a new interview with this company's CEO indicates that it will use Google's WearOS - then again, it may be heavily modified so as to fit in with its device ecosystem.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Dec 2020 23:53

OPPO launches a new version of the budget A53 smartphone with 5G

The OPPO A53 emerged in 2020 as the first phone to have the Snapdragon 460 SoC. Now, the OEM has announced a new version of this device. It is much like the original, except it exchanges its platform for a 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 720. It also starts at the equivalent of US$199 in China.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Dec 2020 22:55

Cities: Skylines is available for free on the Epic Games Store until Dec 18. (Image source: Paradox)

Epic Games Store Holiday Sale is on with 15 days of free games and up to 90% discount - get Cities: Skylines free or GTA V: Premium Edition at half price

The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale has started and there will be 15 days of free games incorporated into the offers available. Cities: Skylines is the first free game that is now available for download until Dec 18. Big titles such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and the Premium Edition of GTA V are available to buy with attractive discounts.

Daniel R Deakin, 17 Dec 2020 22:23

Leaked image of the Huawei Nova 8. (Source: Abhishek Yadav)

Huawei Nova 8 details revealed ahead of December 23 launch

Huawei is set to launch its Nova 8 series in the near future and details of the Nova 8 have surfaced. Notable takeaways include a Kirin 985, a quad-camera setup at the back, and a disappointing battery relative to the competition.

Ricci Rox, 17 Dec 2020 18:09

Cheap MSI GF65 Thin is down to $699 with decent Core i5 CPU, 512 GB NVMe SSD, and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics (Source: Walmart)

Deal | Cheap MSI GF65 Thin is down to $699 USD with decent Core i5 CPU, 512 GB NVMe SSD, and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics

We recommend upgrading to 16 GB of RAM down the line to improve the gaming performance and multi-tasking capabilities of the laptop. The GTX 1660 Ti continues to be a respectable GPU especially in the mobile space.

Allen Ngo, 17 Dec 2020 05:22

Qualcomm announces a new TWS platform. (Source: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm announces its new QCC305x SoCs for future mid-range TWS earbuds with high-end specs

Qualcomm has unveiled the new QCC305x series of chipsets for TWS earbuds. The OEM claims it can be used to make new products in this category that are cost-effective yet have some current or upcoming premium specs. They include audio-sharing between multiple earbud sets, Adaptive ANC and Bluetooth LE Audio

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Dec 2020 23:09

Xiaomi has been holding another flash sale for the Redmi Max 98. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Redmi Smart TV Max stats from Xiaomi reveal the 98-inch set has monthly sales 30 times higher than its rivals and has found a home in 290 Chinese cities

The 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max from Xiaomi has apparently taken China by storm. Xiaomi has revealed some statistics about the giant television, including that its monthly sales are 30 times higher than its rivals in the same-size segment. The Redmi Max 98 has been incredibly popular since launching at a bargain price of 19,999 yuan (US$3,061).

Daniel R Deakin, 16 Dec 2020 20:57

Bitcoin historical maximum value of US$20,735.61 recorded on December 16 2020 (Source: Coin Stats)

Bitcoin breaks the US$20,000 barrier for the first time in history

Today was a very interesting day for Bitcoin, which jumped from an early minimum of US$19,321.08 (reached at 2:30 AM) to the day's — and all-time — highest value of US$20,735.61. With two weeks left until the end of the year, remains to see how high the world's most popular cryptocurrency can go.

Codrut Nistor, 16 Dec 2020 17:57

The iPhone 12 mini has not gone down well with people so far, unlike the rest of the iPhone 12 series. (Image source: Apple)

The Apple iPhone 12 mini may be a one-hit wonder

Only Apple currently sells a compact flagship smartphone, but new research suggests that the iPhone 12 mini has not been a success so far. Based on the initial uptake of the iPhone 12 mini, it seems that spending US$100 more on an iPhone 12 is a more attractive proposition for people in the US.

Alex Alderson, 16 Dec 2020 14:24

Google has acquired Neverware. (Image: Neverware)

Google acquires Neverware, a company that turns old laptops into Chromebook-like devices

Google has confirmed that it has acquired Neverware, a company that specializes in turning old laptops and desktop computers into Chromebook-like devices. The acquisition follows a previous investment by Google into the company’s operations and offers Google a strategic opportunity in both enterprise and education.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 16 Dec 2020 11:22

"S21 Ultras" with S Pens. (Source: LetsGoDigital)

The latest Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra renders show the phone with the S Pen and in new post-launch colors

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to launch in just 2 colors, as its predecessor did before it. However, the latest leaks suggest that Samsung will add further options throughout the year. Meanwhile, other new tips purport to provide more evidence that it will be compatible with a new S Pen in 2021.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Dec 2020 23:43

Team Group is working on DDR5 products. (Source: Team Group)

Team Group reports the development of its own DDR5 memory

Team Group, the OEM behind the gaming-oriented T-Force memory products, has announced it is working on consumer-grade DDR5 memory. They are to be 16GB in capacity per module and to have a high 4800MHz clock-speed. This project is at a stage at which it is working with companies such as Asus and Gigabyte to see if it can work with their motherboards.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Dec 2020 23:00

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 has been a favorite target for scalpers. (Image source: Nvidia)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series scalping generates over US$22 million in sales via eBay as AMD's Big Navi GPUs and Zen 3 CPUs also fall victim to profiteering

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 series, and the AMD Ryzen 5000 range have all fallen victim to scalping activities, with an analysis report detailing just how much profit scalpers are making from these new GPUs and CPUs. Sales of just the GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 have raked in over US$8 million profit for scalpers and eBay.

Daniel R Deakin, 15 Dec 2020 02:41

PS5 console buyers using scalpers have paid way over the MSRP for the console. (Image source: Sony/Michael Driscoll - edited)

PlayStation 5 scalpers made more than US$19 million profit on the console via eBay with the PS5 Digital Edition reaching over 350% MSRP

PlayStation 5 scalpers have made over US$34 million in sales via eBay resulting in profits of over US$19 million according to research carried out by a data engineer. The Digital Edition of the PS5 has been particularly exploited in regard to scalping, with the console being sold at over 350% of its MSRP at various points during the research period.

Daniel R Deakin, 14 Dec 2020 23:56

The price tag for the upcoming RX 6900 XT variant from Gigabyte will also likely be an eye-opener. (Image source: Gigabyte/VideoCardz)

Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 series prices are a big oof for gamers compared to AMD's MSRPs: US$250 more for an RX 6800 XT-based AORUS Master variant

Gigabyte has just held a launch event for its AORUS brand of products where the prices for its AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series-based boards were revealed. Unfortunately for gamers, there seems to be a high premium between Gigabyte’s prices and the MSRPs offered up by AMD, with the AORUS Radeon RX 6800 XT Master board costing a hefty US$899.

Daniel R Deakin, 14 Dec 2020 22:35

Best Buy claims it will re-stock on PS5s and Xbox Series X/S consoles on December 15, 2020

2020's consoles have been linked to chronically low stock since their launch. This might cause some concern among buyers wishing to have one ordered prior to the winter holidays. However, Best Buy has announced that it should have stock of the PlayStation 5 and new Xboxes available to buy online from December 15.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 22:25

Vivo will launch the X60s soon. (Source: Weibo)

Vivo officially sets a date for the X60 series' launch; announces new Zeiss collaboration for its cameras

Vivo has announced that the X60 and X60 Pro smartphones will be unveiled later in December 2020. These devices will be powered by SoCs provided by Samsung, and have cameras augmented by Zeiss technology. The OEM will also hold a conference that outlines the latter prior to its new hardware launch.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 17:57

Apple is now slated to get back on track with 2021's iPhone launch

Apple left the debut of the iPhone 12 series unusually late in the year in 2020, for arguably understandable reasons. However, the leading industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now predicts that this situation is not to become a regular thing going forward. Therefore, the next-gen flagships may appear by September 2020 as usual.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 17:17

Cyberpunk 2077 has received a lot of negative reviews from last-gen console players. (Image Source: Cyberpunk)

CD Projekt Red apologizes and offers to refund Cyberpunk 2077 players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; last-gen consoles will still have limitations despite new incoming patches

CDPR has apologized for Cyberpunk 2077's lackluster performance on last-gen consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and said that new patches are forthcoming to fix a majority of reported issues. The company is also offering to refund these players via PSN and the Xbox Store.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2020 09:46

Intel's Gregory Bryant says only the paranoid survive, welcomes competition from AMD, Apple, and others

Gregory Bryant, Intel EVP and GM of the Client Computing Group, felt that Intel's growth in laptops and desktops will continue. In a talk, he said that Intel is paranoid about the competition from AMD, Qualcomm, Apple, and MediaTek and takes all of them very seriously.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2020 06:42

The 16:10 ThinkPad X1 Nano's European pricing is revealed

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a recently-released Lenovo laptop with a 16:10 aspect-ratio display and a weight of under 1 kilogram (kg). It has just been spotted on a German e-tail website in various configurations. They start at prices approximately translating to US$2300 on their new platform.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 13 Dec 2020 20:25

The Nokia Purebook X14 will launch via Flipkart soon

Flipkart has officially revealed that the new Nokia ultrabook to debut soon is called the Purebook X14. It has an FHD IPS screen with Dolby Vision and a 10th-gen Core i5 processor. It has a single 8 GB RAM/512 GB SSD SKU, set to sell at a premium price on its eventual launch.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 13 Dec 2020 19:34

The Mi 11 will likely look similar to this. (Source: Abhishek Yadav)

Xiaomi Mi 11 series tipped for December 29 launch: What we know so far

The Mi 11 was initially rumored to be launched in January but it appears the next-gen Xiaomi flagship series could arrive even sooner. According to reports surfacing today on Chinese media, the Mi 11 series is scheduled to be unveiled on December 29.

Ricci Rox, 13 Dec 2020 17:44

It did not take long for NVIDIA to reverse its decision against Hardware Unboxed. (Image source: NVIDIA)

NVIDIA u-turns on its decision to block Hardware Unboxed from receiving GPU review units

Much was made of NVIDIA's apparent decision to block Hardware Unboxed from having access to GPU review samples. The company has already done an about-turn on the matter though, possibly because of the outcry from reviewers and fans.

Alex Alderson, 13 Dec 2020 01:35

The new "Redmi 9 Power" render. (Source: 91Mobiles)

The Redmi 9 Power is now slated to launch with quad rear cameras on December 17, 2020

The Redmi 9 Power is a device believed to be a re-brand of the new Chinese Note 9 4G for the Indian market. However, according to a new leak from Ishan Agarwal, the story may not be quite that simple. A render for this device shows 1 more rear camera than is present in the recently-launched budget phone.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 13 Dec 2020 00:05

The S21 Ultra might have these functions in 2021. (Source: Samsung)

Rumor | Samsung will sell 'Galaxy Note conversion kits' for the S21 Ultra

Several leaks have indicated that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will support the S Pen so as to subsume the Galaxy Note line in 2021. That may have led to some confusion over how the accessory will be deployed. A tipster claims to have solved this mystery ahead of the flagship's launch.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 12 Dec 2020 23:12

An example of a Samsung OLED TV. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung secures a new OLED-selling trademark for the European market

The phrase "OLED Provided by Samsung" has been submitted as a trademark by the OEM in question with the European Union's Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It has led to speculation that this move is part of the company's run-up to CES 2021. It may also simply serve to underpin its position in the relevant market.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 12 Dec 2020 16:55

MicroLED panels could become the new standard for high-end TVs. (Image source: Samsung)

Samsung launches the first 110-inch MicroLED TV with self-proclaimed astonishing vibrancy and brightness

Samsung has started selling the first 110-inch MicroLED TV, which it promises will deliver 'astonishing colour vibrancy and brightness' thanks to its emissive LED display technology. The 110-inch TV effectively succeeds 'The Wall', although it is only available to purchase in South Korea, for the time being.

Alex Alderson, 12 Dec 2020 01:25

Carl Pei in his OnePlus days. (Source: YouTube)

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei makes progress with his new start-up

Carl Pei announced a decision to leave OnePlus, a smartphone OEM he helped set up, earlier in 2020. Now, he has reportedly attracted US$7 million in capital for his new business from various private investors. It is also apparently now hiring for positions in two cities.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 11 Dec 2020 22:50

Apple announces the development of its own cellular modem

Apple currently uses components from Qualcomm in order to keep iPhones capable of using mobile data. However, its senior vice president of hardware technologies has just announced that it intends to replace these modems with one of its own. This may be the next significant move in its in-house ambitions since the conception of the M1 chipset.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 11 Dec 2020 22:06

CD Projekt Red has suffered a massive stock drop over the past week. (Image via CD Projekt Red w/ edits)

CD Projekt Red loses 29% in stock value during Cyberpunk 2077 launch

Despite an overall strong launch of the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has lost almost a third of its stock price over the past week. While Cyberpunk 2077 has largely been a financial and critical success, concerns about the game's bugs and glitches have contributed to a 29% erosion of the company's market value.

Sam Medley, 11 Dec 2020 20:35

Cyberpunk 2077 was announced in 2012. (Image source: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 rakes in over US$500 million just with preorders with insane Collector's Edition containing V statue, art book, and Night City map priced at US$249.99

Eight years of hard work developing Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have paid off for the Polish video-game company CD Projekt. Apparently the action RPG clocked up more than eight million preorders, amounting to over US$500 million in revenue. The incredible Cyberpunk 2077: Collector’s Edition features a statue of V in action and a map of Night City.

Daniel R Deakin, 10 Dec 2020 21:04

Razer Book 13 and Intel NUC M15 are the fastest laptops thus far with the 11th gen Core i7-1165G7 CPU

We organize all our tested 11th gen Core i7-1165G7 laptops by raw performance to better help users decide which models to consider for the Holidays. The Razer Book 13 is looking like the best bet thus far.

Allen Ngo, 10 Dec 2020 20:14

Newer devices on OxygenOS should get regular updates. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus reaffirms its commitment to regular software updates for its newer phones following a fan's worrying discovery

OnePlus has just added some of its newer devices to the Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program. However, this has created confusion as the OEM originally left its new webpage on the subject on "quarterly security patches" for all of the models in question. This has now been corrected, in conjunction with a statement from a company representative.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 09 Dec 2020 21:57

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales no longer sacrifices ray tracing for 60 fps on the PS5. (Image source: Insomniac Games)

Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5 hits a home run with 60 fps ray-tracing performance mode update and joint sales dominance with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War have proved themselves to be the must-have titles for the PlayStation 5 by topping PlayStation Store download charts. Additionally, Insomniac Games has pushed out an update for Miles Morales that brings a 60 fps ray-tracing performance mode to the PS5 game.

Daniel R Deakin, 09 Dec 2020 21:37

The Moto G Stylus (2021) will be available in at least Aurora Black. (Image source: Amazon via /LEAKS)

Leaked Motorola Moto G Stylus (2021) listing confirms specifications and design of upcoming mid-range handset

The successor to the Moto G Stylus has leaked online, and Motorola has unimaginatively called it the Moto G Stylus (2021). The device has appeared in Aurora Black and will have four rear-facing cameras, along with a punch-hole display, what looks like a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and 5G connectivity. The Moto G Stylus (2021) will retail for US$339.95 and will ship with Android 10.

Alex Alderson, 09 Dec 2020 21:09

The Redmi Note 9 4G is the cheapest of the bunch at 999 yuan (US$153). (Image source: Xiaomi)

Redmi Note 9 4G, Redmi Note 9 5G, and Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G clock up over one million sales in less than a fortnight thanks to aggressive pricing and attractive specs

Xiaomi has been celebrating the phenomenal sales of the new Redmi Note 9 series in China. Apparently, the Redmi Note 9 4G, Redmi Note 9 5G, and Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G have racked up over one million units sold across the range in fewer than 14 days. The Redmi Note 9 sales success is down to low prices and decent specifications.

Daniel R Deakin, 09 Dec 2020 19:54

Uplus switches its mmWave service on. (Source: LG)

LG Uplus and Qualcomm bring mmWave 5G to South Korea

South Korea was one of the first markets in which commercial 5G had become available, although the networks in question use the sub-6GHz form of the connectivity. Now, however, LG's division Uplus and Qualcomm have implemented the first mmWave alternative, intended to serve an academic campus in this country.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 09 Dec 2020 18:35