Business Articles

The Snapdragon 845-powered LG Style3 makes a stealthy entrance into the Japanese market

With little fanfare, LG has released a new phone, the Style3, in Japan. It has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of fixed storage, but also rocks a 1440p display and Qualcomm's 2018 flagship SoC. This phone is only available through the carrier NTT Docomo in black or white.

Deirdre O Donnell, 10 Apr 2020 17:55

Have we not been here before, Microsoft? (Image source: The Verge)

Coronavirus kills hopes of a 2020 release for the Surface Neo and any Windows 10X devices

Rumour has it that we will not be seeing the Surface Neo or Windows 10X this holiday season after all. Thought to be because of the pandemic, the delay means that there will be no Windows 10X devices this year, either. Are we surprised? Not really.

Alex Alderson, 10 Apr 2020 16:41

Google announced the Pixel Buds 2 last year. (Source: Google)

Potential Pixel Buds 2 dark clouds appear as pre-orders are canceled

Google's upcoming Pixel Buds 2 are billed for a spring release. The true wireless earbuds were put on pre-order at a third-party retail store a while ago, but it would appear that all orders have now been canceled, the implications of which are unknown.

Ricci Rox, 09 Apr 2020 23:32

Gamers are playing more in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Source: KryptoSzene)

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased gaming time by up to 53% among German players

A blog has presented a new infographic showing the effect of the "coronavirus crisis" on gaming habits. It shows that 36% of causal gamers reported spending more time on this pursuit due to this situation, compared to 53% of non-casuals. In addition, it appears that, amidst a general market decline, stocks in gaming companies are up.

Deirdre O Donnell, 09 Apr 2020 21:49

Chinese retailers cut prices on iPhone 11 devices to boost sales

Online Chinese retailers are selling the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max at significant discounts. Retailers hope the cuts will spur Chinese consumers to buy an iPhone. However, many Chinese people are delaying the purchase of their next smartphone due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Sam Medley, 09 Apr 2020 17:36

Lenovo ThinkPad T14, T14s & X13: AMD Ryzen 4000 versions do not feature Thunderbolt after all

When Lenovo announced the new 2020 ThinkPad lineup in late February, the addition of Thunderbolt 3 to the AMD versions of the new ThinkPad T14, ThinkPad T14s and ThinkPad X13 was big news. Two months later and close to the release of the new devices, it turns out that the initial spec-sheet was wrong: Thunderbolt remains Intel-exclusive.

Benjamin Herzig, 09 Apr 2020 16:12

Early concept render of the Nokia 9.2 or Nokia 9.3. (Source: Techno Mobile)

Nokia's next flagship phone appears to have been delayed...again

One year after, we're yet to get a successor to the incredibly promising but ultimately disappointing penta-camera Nokia 9 PureView. The phone in question has apparently been delayed yet again, with Covid-19 touted as the reason this time.

Ricci Rox, 09 Apr 2020 09:26

Fancy spending several thousand US dollars on an RTX 2080 Ti? (Image source: NVIDIA)

NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition GPUs are fetching crazy amounts of money online

Having given 77 of 200 units away to fans, NVIDIA does not plan to sell the RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077. However, several have appeared online and are fetching prices upwards of US$6,152. Act now if you want an over-priced piece of gaming history.

Alex Alderson, 08 Apr 2020 22:53

Razer has already converted existing manufacturing lines to make face masks. (Image source: Razer)

Razer puts face masks into development to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic

Razer is now making face masks. Likely a temporary move during the COVID-19 pandemic, the move follows on from it redesigning its logo to promote social distancing.

Alex Alderson, 08 Apr 2020 20:46

HP's Elite Dragonfly is a very good business convertible

The lightweight Elite Dragonfly from HP is primarily designed for mobile users looking for a light device without sacrificing familiar security features from the EliteBook series. We were very pleased with the compact convertible in our review, but not all configurations make sense.

Andreas Osthoff, 08 Apr 2020 17:28

Fan-made PS5 concept design with DualSense and Xbox Series X-factor. (Image source: Reddit - u/robo3687)

PlayStation 5 news: Latest unnerving retailer placeholder price; new fan-made PS5 concept design influenced by DualSense controller and Xbox Series X

Another retailer has created a placeholder price for the upcoming PlayStation 5, and yet again the figure chosen is high enough to unnerve those fans hoping for something well under US$500. An interesting fan-made PS5 concept design has taken its cues from a combination of the just unveiled DualSense controller and the Xbox Series X.

Daniel R Deakin, 08 Apr 2020 12:20

The iPad Pro 11-inch 2020 on Amazon.in. (Source: MySmartPrice)

The 2020 iPad Pros may launch in India via Amazon soon

Amazon.in has reportedly made pages for the new iPads Pro live, suggesting that these tablets will be available on this platform soon. The site allegedly has listings for the 11- and 12.9-inch variants of this series, which both have Wi-Fi only and SIM-enabled options too. They may be sold with 128GB to 1TB of internal storage.

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Apr 2020 18:31

Xiaomi claims that Google is behind its Mi 10 box branding. (Image source: Weibo)

Google is playing the pettiest of all games against Huawei on Xiaomi Mi 10 series boxes; other Android OEMs likely to follow suit

Xiaomi has included a special message for its major competitor Huawei on the boxes of European versions of the Mi 10 series. In case you needed reminding, the Mi 10 series provides "easy access to the Google apps that you use most often." Xiaomi claims that its hands are tied though, pointing the figure elsewhere.

Alex Alderson, 07 Apr 2020 17:04

HP ProBook 445 G7 and 455 G7 launching this month with 7 nm AMD Ryzen 7 4700U options (Source: HP)

HP ProBook 445 G7 and 455 G7 launching April with 7 nm AMD Ryzen 7 4700U options

Looks like we'll have to wait a little bit longer before we get to see proper Ryzen PRO 4000U processors for business laptops. Until then, HP will be including the regular consumer Ryzen SKUs onto its latest ProBook models set to launch by the end of the month.

Allen Ngo, 07 Apr 2020 15:00

Atari has still not paid the designer behind its latest game console for his work. (Image source: Atari)

Atari VCS: The console's designer is suing Atari for US$260,000 following the console's indefinite delay

While Atari is still struggling to manufacture its latest game console and ship it to Indiegogo backers, the system architect is suing the company for US$260,000, the salary that he claims the company still owes him.

Alex Alderson, 07 Apr 2020 14:50

The Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen. (Image source: XiaomiAdictos)

Redmi follows Xiaomi's lead by pricing the top-specced Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition at 4,499 yuan (US$638)

Redmi has revealed the price for the top-specced variant of the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition, and it has taken many by surprise. The Xiaomi sub-brand is going to sell the smartphone at a price of 4,499 yuan, which at the current exchange rate is about US$638. This model of the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition comes with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB storage.

Daniel R Deakin, 07 Apr 2020 13:10

Asus ExpertBook B9450 with Core i7, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB PCIe SSD now shipping for $1800 USD

The consumer-business hybrid series from Asus will compete directly with the Lenovo ThinkBook lineup designed for smaller businesses and workers on-the-go.

Allen Ngo, 06 Apr 2020 21:10

OnePlus' next pop-up will be online. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus promises an online pop-up for the 8 series

The smartphone OEM OnePlus has taken to arranging pop-up events so that its fans can see and handle its new flagships as soon as possible after launch. However, this would obviously be in extremely bad taste in the case of its early-2020 releases. Therefore, the company will convert these events into a virtual experience.

Deirdre O Donnell, 06 Apr 2020 19:33

Ultra-thin glass is made by firms such as Schott. (Source: YouTube)

Samsung Electronics reportedly plans to bring glass for its next-gen foldables in-house

Samsung's Display division sources the ultra-thin glass found in the Galaxy Z Flip from a company in which it has a major share. However, this has not stopped rumors that the same OEM now plans to manufacture the same material by itself. The apparently paradoxical move could reduce the cost of future foldables.

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Apr 2020 22:27

The average weekly gaming-app download counts shot up in 1Q2020. (Source: AppAnnie)

A new report details the time (and money) spent on apps in 2020 so far

A research group has released its report on app use and purchasing for the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). It has concluded that the average amount of time spent on them per week increased by 20% year-on-year (YoY). In addition, app revenues increased 5% on both the App Store and Play Store.

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Apr 2020 20:30

Samsung's Exynos team apparently feels humiliated by Samsung releasing the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S20 series in South Korea. (Image source: Samsung)

Opinion | Samsung's Exynos 990 snub in South Korea could be the final nail in the coffin for its beleaguered chipset subdivision

The Exynos 990 has come in for a lot of criticism internationally. As we have discussed in our reviews of the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Exynos 990 is a bit of a stinker. Samsung even dropped its in-house chipset from the Galaxy S20 series in South Korea, apparently leading to feelings of humiliation for the company's Exynos team.

Alex Alderson, 05 Apr 2020 00:36

Opinion | Samsung refutes reports of performance disparities between the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865

The Exynos 990 being a significantly worse chipset than the Snapdragon 865—or even last year's Snapdragon 855—may as well be fact at this point. Samsung appears to disagree, though, for what it's worth.

Ricci Rox, 04 Apr 2020 23:53

Early leaked LG G9 ThinQ renders. (Source: OnLeaks)

Snapdragon 765G-powered LG G9 ThinQ replacement billed for May 15 launch

Going by recent reports, LG has now killed off its flagship G-series, with the LG G9 ThinQ all but officially dead in the water. According to word on the grapevine, the replacement to the G9 ThinQ has now been penned down for a May 15 launch, and is touted to feature a Snapdragon 765G, four cameras in total, and a 4000 mAh battery.

Ricci Rox, 04 Apr 2020 23:52

The Huawei Atlas 900 is a 2020 Red Dot Design Award-winning AI cluster

Huawei's Atlas series is this OEM's take on the AI cluster, which delivers extremely high-volume processing for this area of computing. One of its latest variants, the 900, has just won a Red Dot Design Award for 2020. This group has conferred the prize on the cluster for its innovative form-factor and deployment mechanism.

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Apr 2020 18:43

VPN use was found to increase in March 2020. (Source: Flickr)

Global VPN use spiked during March 2020, study finds

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are popular tools among those who want to safeguard their internet usage and the data involved. The sudden and widespread need to work from home has given them a new dimension of necessity, however. Now, their uptake in the US and Canada has reportedly increased 35% in March 2020.

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Apr 2020 22:14

The Dell Vostro 15 3590 laptops come with a dedicated numeric keypad. (Image source: Dell)

Deal | Budget business for a bargain: Dell Vostro 15 3590 with i7-10510U and AMD Radeon 610 GPU reduced from US$1,212 to US$699

Dell’s Vostro lineup might be overlooked for better known laptop series such as the Inspiron or XPS, but there are some very attractive deals to be had at the moment, especially if you’re looking for a budget device for a small business. For example, the Vostro 15 3590 with an i5-10210U, 8 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD is presently 43% off, cut from US$1,041.43 to US$599.00.

Daniel R Deakin, 02 Apr 2020 14:59

Huawei's P40 series has been praised for its excellent cameras. (Image source: Huawei)

Alleged domestic prices for the Huawei P40 series will frustrate buyers of the global variants

The alleged domestic prices for the Huawei P40 smartphones have been leaked online, and they are considerably lower than the prices customers will have to pay for the flagship smartphones in the European and UK markets. It has been estimated that the prices will end up being around 30% cheaper for the Chinese models compared to the global variants.

Daniel R Deakin, 02 Apr 2020 12:49

The display of the P40 Pro was supplied by BOE and LG. (Source: Huawei)

Who made the display on the Huawei P40 Pro? Not Samsung, apparently

The Huawei P40 Pro sports an impressive quad-curved 90 Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, but which company is responsible for producing that piece of hardware? While last year's Huawei P30's screen was made by Samsung, Huawei appears to have looked elsewhere for the P40 and P40 Pro.

Ricci Rox, 02 Apr 2020 10:27

Huawei has released its earnings report for 2019. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei reports that it made US$123 billion in 2019

Huawei has released its financial performance report for 2019, which outlines its takings worldwide from all its business, consumer electronics included. They show that overall revenues have increased year-on-year (YoY). However, the growth of its profits did not match those of previous years.

Deirdre O Donnell, 01 Apr 2020 16:56

Xiaomi Redmi fans in India will soon have to pay more for their mobile phone of choice. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi and POCO announce mobile phone price increases in India due to raised GST

Both Xiaomi and POCO have revealed plans to raise the prices of their smartphone products in India due to the increase in Goods and Service Tax on mobile phones. The rate has gone from 12% to 18% and Xiaomi and POCO will soon be updating their smartphone prices accordingly. POCO has also blamed the value of the rupee and supply problems for the price hike.

Daniel R Deakin, 01 Apr 2020 13:20

PSA: Update your Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon BIOS or recharging can take almost 6 full hours

PSA: Update your Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon BIOS or be prepared to wait 6 hours for a full charge

The latest BIOS and Thunderbolt firmware update as of March 2 fixes the battery recharge rate of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. If purchasing a unit from a reseller, the system may be outdated and in need of a manual update.

Allen Ngo, 31 Mar 2020 23:29

Today is World Backup Day, so you might want to ensure your essential digital assets are safe (Source: World Backup Day)

Are your files safe? Today is World Backup Day

Since almost 20 percent of computer users have been targeted by a malware attack in the last year and about the same percentage have never backed up their data, today is a great day to finally back up your files or refresh your existing backups. These being said, there's only one thing left to do - backup your files before it's too late.

Codrut Nistor, 31 Mar 2020 14:17

AMD introduced Zen 2 processors in 2019. (Image source: AMD)

AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 sold almost three times as many units than all of Intel's chips put together in latest Mindfactory CPU sales data

The latest CPU retail sales revealed from Mindfactory will make for hard reading for Intel. AMD is often dominant in terms of processor sales with the large German retailer, but the latest figures are really worth taking a closer look at. The individual sales numbers for both the Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 7 3700X top the total sales for all Intel CPUs.

Daniel R Deakin, 31 Mar 2020 11:47

CTL launches its new VX11 Chromebook

CTL has unveiled the latest addition to its series of affordable Chrome OS devices. The VX11 is powered by the Intel Celeron N4020 chipset, thus boosting the Wi-Fi speeds and performance of this 11.6-inch convertible. It also has an anti-glare screen, a water-resistant keyboard and 2 USB type C ports.

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Mar 2020 23:00

The new Jabra Evolve2 series. (Source: Jabra)

Jabra launches the Evolve2 enterprise-grade headsets

Jabra has announced new editions to its collaboration- and co-working-focused Evolve series of headsets. They are compatible with the Unified Communications (UC) platforms typically used in offices, and may block a greater degree of distractions with new Digital Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) features.

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Mar 2020 21:07

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook coming to the US early April 2020

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook coming to the US next Monday

This Intel Core i5-10210U-driven high-end Chromebook that was unveiled three months ago is finally coming to the US via Best Buy and Samsung's online store. Priced at US$999, the Galaxy Chromebook has a flip-and-fold design and its most attractive feature is the 4K Super AMOLED touchscreen with S Pen support.

Codrut Nistor, 30 Mar 2020 15:58

Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10 with One UI 2.0 as of late March 2020

Quad-rear camera Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10

Samsung's first phone to sport four rear cameras has just received its second major update. The Android 10/One UI 2.0 update arrives one year after the Galaxy A9 (2018) got the Android 9.0 Pie update. The changelog is not official yet, but all the One UI 2.0 and Android 10 goodies should be present.

Codrut Nistor, 30 Mar 2020 13:09

Several Sony businesses are to be restructed. (Source: Sony)

Sony will consolidate 3 areas of its business into a new corporation

Sony has announced a plan to take its existing Electronics Products & Solutions (EP&S) divisions, which includes its Mobile Communications business, and combine them into 1 intermediate holding entity. This new corporation is intended to streamline and optimize these areas for the Japanese giant.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 23:32

The Huawei FusionServer Pro 1288H V5. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei introduces servers with Intel Cascade Lake Refresh compatibility

Intel recently refreshed its Cascade Lake server-grade processors. Huawei has announced that its latest servers can support these Xeon chipsets. They are members of this OEM's FusionServer Pro series, and include the 2298 V5, 1288H V5, and 2288H V5 rack variants.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 22:38

Early renders of the supposed LG G9 ThinQ. (Source: OnLeaks)

The LG G9 ThinQ may now be dead with LG touted to kill off the series in favor of a new sub-premium phone; 4000 mAh, 6.7" display, sub-$800 price tag, and a Snapdragon 765G?

Last week, there were reports claiming that LG would move the LG G9 ThinQ downmarket by pairing it with a Snapdragon 765G. Apparently, though, those reports may have been misguided. New information claims the Snapdragon 765G-powered phone won't be called the G9 ThinQ at all, with LG opting to kill off its original LG G-series entirely.

Ricci Rox, 29 Mar 2020 15:54

The Mi 10 Pro costs an overwhelming €999 in Europe. (Source: Xiaomi)

Opinion | The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro mark the end of the era of affordable Xiaomi flagships

Yesterday, Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro globally. While the phones are solid offerings, some would consider them to be priced inappropriately, with the Mi 10 Pro carrying a hefty €999 MSRP. But are the phones overpriced? Well, the numbers seem to say so.

Ricci Rox, 28 Mar 2020 21:12

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599 (Image source: Best Buy)

Deal | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599

It's 2020 and high-end Windows PCs are still shipping with 4 GB of RAM for some reason. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one if you intend to do more than just web browsing with a few open tabs.

Allen Ngo, 28 Mar 2020 21:05

The Mi 10 Lite 5G will start at €349 (~US$389). (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite: 5G connectivity but the cameras from the Redmi Note 9S?

The surprise announcement of yesterday's Xiaomi Mi 10 series event proved not a new flagship, but a new mid-ranger. Succeeding the Mi 9 Lite, the Mi 10 Lite not only packs a 6.57-inch display and a 4,160 mAh battery, but also 5G connectivity. Starting at €349 (~US$389), the Mi 10 Lite will come in a choice of three colours.

Alex Alderson, 28 Mar 2020 18:01