Software

An eagle-eyed Redditor has spotted that Intel just introduced the Core i3-10100F with minimal fanfare. This direct successor to the i3-9100F still has no integrated graphics - although it does have hyper-threading, which is a first for its nascent series. It also has the same recommended price range as its preceding generation.

Razer wowed the tech world when it showed the Tomahawk PC case off at CES 2020. It is made of all-tempered-glass panels and SPCC steel reinforcements, and also boasts inbuilt cable management. The OEM has finally launched the mini-ITX variant of this case, alongside new accessories that include a new gaming chair, audio equipment and Sneki Snek in plushie form.

The inaugural RazerCon event has just wrapped up, leaving a host of new and updated products from its organizer in its wake. The headliner here is probably the refreshed Blade Stealth, although the only real difference from its predecessors here is its CPU. It now has an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU rather than a 10th-gen as before.

MIUI 12 testing for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7S and Redmi Note 8 is almost done, according to reports. Xiaomi expects to release MIUI 12 for at least the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 8 this month, too.

Based on some convincing leaks, the Infinix Note 8 will pose an effective challenge in the budget smartphone space, as it may offer the Helio G80 SoC, 6GB of RAM and a 64MP main rear camera. A new leak suggests that it will also have a dual punch-hole selfie camera and on-trend looks.

CTL has announced the Chromebox CBx2, which as the OEM asserts, is versatile enough to take on the demands of a retail display as it is those of a remote worker. It has a range of up-to-date connectivity options; plus, with 2 variants with CPU choices between 1 Intel Celeron and 1 Core i7 processor, it may indeed be configurable to a range of use-cases.

Casio has announced the ECB20 additions to the Bluetooth-enhanced EDIFICE range. There are 3 new variants of a style that comes with this manufacturer's Smartphone Link to show information streamed to it from a paired smartphone. It also supports up-to-date Casio abilities, including 5-alarm storage, a stopwatch, a timer and a super illuminator dial.

The HERO9 Black is the latest and most advanced action camera launched by GoPro in 2020. The OEM now claims that its success has led to a number of paid subscriptions for the company that has now exceeded 500,000 in number. It also now estimates that this figure may grow to about 700,000 by the end of the year.

The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 has received a new MIUI 12 update for global users. The update, called V12.0.2.0.QEJMIXM, is rolling out now as an OTA.

Xiaomi is gearing to upgrade the global versions of the Redmi 9, Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro to MIUI 12, according to a report. The OS upgrade will reputedly arrive from October 20, bringing the three devices into line with countless other Xiaomi smartphones.

TCL launched its 8-inch 10 TABMID slate during IFA 2020 Special Edition. Now, a variant of this device has launched in the US through the carrier Verizon. It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, but also has 4G connectivity and its OEM's NXTVISION screen technology. It has been priced at just under US$200 and is available from now.

Nokia Mobile has announced plans to upgrade 14 devices to Android 11, including the recently-released Nokia 8.3 5G. The Nokia 9 PureView must wait until Q2 2021 for Google's latest OS though, underlining its insignificance for Nokia Mobile and HMD Global.

Complaints about the continued absence of MIUI 12 on most Pocophone F1 handsets are mounting, almost three months since the global variant last received an update. Only the Russian version of the Pocophone F1 has been upgraded to MIUI 12, leaving all other variants stranded on MIUI 11.

For those who consider that installing Windows 10 is a pain, Microsoft is preparing a new setup approach. Already present in the Insider Build 20231 of the operating system, the reworked initial device setup offers six scenarios to choose from: Creativity, Gaming, Schoolwork, Entertainment, Business, and Family.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi 5s Plus smartphones have recently gained support from LineageOS 18.0, which is firmware based on Android 11. Both the Mi 5 and Mi 5s Plus were released in 2016, and being able to utilize an Android 11-based custom ROM will help keep them relevant for users who don’t want to upgrade their device.

Nokia has added updated models to its range of smart TVs sold through Flipkart in India. They include 2 new 43-inch units as well as the 2 new 32- and 50-inch sizes hinted at in an earlier leak. This new series has speakers tuned by Onkyo, a "Pronto Focal" AI engine and up to 4K/UHD resolutions.

The United States Senate had earlier commissioned an investigation into claims that the "Big Four" tech companies - Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google - exert monopolies on the main sectors in which they operate, and, furthermore, maintain them through systems that act in their favor. This process has resulted in findings that could be interpreted to uphold these complaints.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series may be among the best-known of hinged devices out there. Now, a new patent reportedly filed by the OEM and published by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in October 2020 shows a way to bring even more attention to this feature. It involves the placement of a light-up strip along the middle of the component.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare needed 175 GB of disk space at launch, but after receiving no less than six major updates, this popular title can no longer fit on a 250 GB SSD. While console players are able to uninstall certain modes, PC gamers need to have the whole thing installed.

It appears Xiaomi will be rolling out MIUI 12 to numerous devices over the next few weeks, and based on the model names, it will be users in India that should be getting ready for a smartphone update. An unofficial list claims to reveal the MIUI 12 update dates for the Redmi Note 7, Redmi 9 Prime, Poco M2, and the Redmi 6, 7, and 8 series.

Rumors have started spreading that the Android 10-based MIUI 12 update for the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T could be just days away. However, Xiaomi seems to be teasing Redmi Note 8 owners at the moment by releasing an Android 9-based MIUI 11 global update for the popular smartphone.

Google launched its latest flagship, the Pixel 5, at the end of September 2020. However, unboxings, first impressions or reviews of this new phone are yet to emerge on YouTube. Then again, one UK-based vlogger claims to have the device in hand, having been sent it by a carrier in this country.

Dell is currently launching its latest UltraSharp monitors for home-office and prosumer use. The OEM also now unveils the SB521A, touted as the "world's lightest and slimmest soundbar". This accessory can snap onto a monitor from its own brand with its top-mounted magnets, thus immediately adding 3.6W RMS audio power to the display in question.

Remote-working products reign supreme at present; however, Dell has prepared its new Meeting Space Solutions against the come-back of the real-life boardroom. They are bundles tailored to in-person conference settings of different sizes and conformations, and also adapt to the software preferred by the business client in question: Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

The RTX A6000 and A40 have been introduced as state-of-the-art GPUs for content creation, data-centers or engineering. They are based on the latest Ampere architecture, and have been equipped with next-gen tensor, RT and CUDA cores. These cards are therefore rated to outstrip their Quadro predecessors in terms of throughput and performance.

Earlier today, the developers made the big announcement: Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold and everything is ready for next month's big release. This title is scheduled to arrive on November 19 on Windows PCs, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

A device that may be the upcoming OnePlus 8T flagship refresh had appeared on Geekbench with 8GB of RAM. Now, a second phone with a nearly identical model number has made it onto the same benchmarking site, but with 12GB this time. Meanwhile, the OEM has released a new teaser video with a hint as how it will look with its new flat screen.

It appears Sony has been working on ensuring Astro’s Playroom is fully optimized to run as quick as possible on the PlayStation 5’s SSD, judging by two comparison clips taken from hands-on demonstrations. However, there are some naysayers who believe the PS5 performance improvement is all down to crafty editing.

Nokia started selling its Android-powered TVs in the Indian market earlier in 2020. Now, its website is building hype for two new models for this series, one of which may be more wallet-friendly than its predecessors. They are to launch in October 6, 2020, and may feature a different audio partner for their speakers this time.

OnePlus launched its first pair of TWS earbuds alongside the 8 series of flagship smartphones in July 2020. Now, the OEM has confirmed that their next generation will debut when the 8T launches on October 14, 2020. They are to have the IP55 ingress protection rating, and are rumored to cost less than than their predecessors.

The Redmi 9 smartphone from Xiaomi has already started receiving MIUI 12 for users in China, but it seems that owners of the global variant will soon be enjoying the same software update. The GM of Xiaomi Indonesia has stated that MIUI 12 for the Redmi 9 should arrive in November if not before.

Xiaomi has issued the September update to the Mi A2, bringing a new security patch to the Android One device. The new update, V11.0.14.0.QDIMIXM, also includes some bug fixes.

The Torchlight universe is ready for its third comeback and the game finally has a release date: October 13. Torchlight III will be leaving Early Access and open up to those who are looking to find fame, glory, and new adventures on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 at 16:00 CEST.

OnePlus has announced new stable versions of its version of Android, OxygenOS, for its premium mid-ranger the Nord. In addition, the 7T, 7T Pro, 7 and 7 Pro have also been updated. All of these OTAs contain the September 2020 security patch; meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has one for October already.

Realme is gearing up to debut its 7-series of mobile devices in the European market. Consumers in this region may expect at least 2 variants of this new line with up to 90Hz displays, 5000mAh batteries and 65 watt (W) charging. The OEM will outline these details, along with the phones' pricing structure in their new market, on October 7, 2020.

OWC has launched its first dock specifically aimed at PCs equipped with Thunderbolt 4 ports. It offers a further 3 USB type Cs with the same standard, as well as a 3.2 type A port. It is rated to support dual 4K displays or one 5 to 8K monitor, as well as a range of additional peripherals, storage media or devices to 1 state-of-the-art machine.

A Chinese tech blog has posted what it claims as renders of an upcoming monitor from the OEM Huawei. It shows that this apparent 23.8-inch model is to have an IPS display with a 3-side-near-borderless design. The device may also have a rear panel finished in matte gray, if few ports on this side.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 has received a new update, this time for the European variant of the Android One handset. Android 11 development has apparently begun for the device too, although it will probably be the last OS update for the Mi A3.

A short video clip of the alleged PlayStation 5 boot screen and user interface (UI) has surfaced that appears to involve a devkit rather than a retail model of the PS5. The video shows a black DualSense controller being used to presumably start up the console, and then the boot screen and UI eventually appear on a monitor.

The Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro and Redmi K30 Pro have started receiving upgrades to Android 11. The journey to Android 11 has started on the China branch of MIUI for the four devices, but the Mi 10 Pro has also been upgraded to Android 11-based builds of MIUI 12 globally.

Schenker is pitching the XMG DJ 15 at those who might move around a lot with their laptop, yet need all the I/O they can get - live entertainers included. It packs a host of ports, dual 3.5mm headphone jacks for audio and mics or S/PDIF optical outputs included. It also offers an up to tenth-gen Core i7 processor and 32GB of RAM.

After months of rumors and false starts, Xiaomi has now finally begun the MIUI 12 rollout for the Redmi Note 8, starting with the Chinese version of the device. Meanwhile, a similar update is now also being sent to the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, which means the global Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9S aren't far off anymore.

Paranoid Android Quartz 5 has now been released, and it will be the final stable version of the Android 10-based custom ROM as the devs want to focus on Android 11. Devices such as the Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi Note 5, and Pocophone F1 can take advantage of the latest release and there is new Quartz support for the Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi 6X too.

Today (September 30, 2020), Google has finally made the 5G Pixels official. They are the flagship 5 and the new version of the 4a, which of course come with Android 11 out of the box. These phones have been joined by the Chromecast with Google TV and Nest Audio products, thereby confirming months' worth of leaks.

The V20 Pro is the Snapdragon 765G-powered flagship for Vivo's latest smartphone series that the OEM now pitches at "various regions". The devices run on Android 10; however, they were also linked to a planned upgrade to its successor. They also all have the same 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, but differ otherwise in terms of specs.

The Huawei Mate X series consists of outward-folding premium smartphones. It is rumored to get a new addition in 2020 that may come with a re-done design. A device newly submitted to the Wi-Fi Alliance by the OEM is thought to be this possibly upcoming flagship.

The Amazfit X is a fitness band-like device that purports to improve on this form factor with a curved screen. Its maker Huami has confirmed that it will be available at its final retail price in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, its units from preceding crowdfunding campaigns have reportedly run into difficulty.

Folding@home has developed software that makes the complex process of protein structure analysis crowd-sourced. Accordingly, it benefits from the "spare" GPU power of its contributors' PCs. Furthermore, its software now has CUDA support, which may allow it and the Covid-19 research it feeds into to get much faster.

Mobvoi is an OEM perhaps best known for its TicWatch line of wearables. However, it has branched out into other device classes as of late. The latest example of this diversification is the Home Treadmill, a new piece of remote gym equipment rated for a compact footprint and flat storage. It joins other products such as the Amazfit AirRun in this market.

The Lenovo A-series is a line of often cost-effective smartphones. A leaker asserts that it will get a new addition soon. This is based on a new Geekbench 5 listing for a device with a heretofore-unknown model number with 4GB of RAM, the MediaTek Helio P22 SoC and Android 10.