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Endel joins Lil Pump, Michael Buble and Red Hot Chili Peppers among others on Warner Music (Image source: Endel)

Endel: The mood music app becomes the first algorithm to be signed by a major record label

Warner Music Group has signed Endel, the stress-reducing sound app, in what is the first algorithm to sign with a major label. Endel promises to release a total of 20 albums by the end of the year and has launched an Amazon Alexa ...

Alex Alderson, 25 Mar 2019 19:16

The connected living room is a billion-dollar marketplace these days. (Source: Amazon)

The "connected living room" is a concept that may make a US$900+ billion market in 5 years

Transparency Market Research's latest report is based on the observation that the demand for a 'smart' or 'connected' living room is growing steadily these days. It may consist of entertainment or media hardware that works seamles...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2019 18:24

Intel has confirmed it has abandoned the Compute Card platform. (Source: Intel)

Intel kills off the Compute Card initiative

Intel has confirmed that it is killing off further development of its Compute Card platform. Similar in size to a credit card, Compute Card was teased at CES 2017 and first unveiled at Computex 2017 and promised modular upgrades f...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 23 Mar 2019 10:44

In plain sight: Hundreds of millions of Facebook user passwords were stored in plain text

Due to a security oversight made by some Facebook employees, certain Facebook apps have been inadvertently logging user passwords as plain text on internal company servers. While still secured against outside intrusion, between 20...

Sam Medley, 21 Mar 2019 22:21

Google's Stadia has access to over 7,500 edge nodes around the world. (Source: Google)

Custom AMD GPUs will help power Google Stadia beyond current-generation consoles

Google has officially announced its Stadia cloud gaming service at the 2019 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Google Stadia will allow users to play games from any computer, smartphone, smart television or tablet that h...

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Mar 2019 07:21

The developer kit version of the Nvidia Jetson Nano costs just US$99. (Source: Nvidia)

Machine learning from US$99: Nvidia unveils tiny Jetson Nano AI computer

Nvidia has launched the Jetson Nano, a small computer that offers machine-learning capabilities at an entry-level price. The developer kit costs US$99 while a production-ready module will cost US$129. The Jetson Nano module offers...

Daniel R Deakin, 19 Mar 2019 05:50

Kingston introduces DC500R and DC500M, two new SATA SSDs aimed at the enterprise market

Kingston has just announced two new lines of enterprise-grade SATA SSDs. The drives offer similar features of other enterprise-level flash storage solutions, including ECC, onboard power loss protection, and more. Compared to othe...

Sam Medley, 18 Mar 2019 21:35

uChip: An ultra-compact Arduino Zero alternative that costs just €20 (~US$22.45/£17.15) (Image source: Itaca Innovations)

uChip: An ultra-compact Arduino Zero compatible board that costs just €20 (~US$22.45/£17.15)

Developer boards now allow end users to realise complex circuits in the smallest of spaces, but Itaca Innovations is taking space-saving to the next level with the uChip, which is just 28.5 x 10.6 mm. The Arduino Zero compatible b...

Alex Alderson, 12 Mar 2019 13:35

Sprint's open letter was printed in the New York Times. (Source: Sprint)

Sprint's 5G fight with AT&T intensifies

The Sunday edition of the New York Times has published a full-page advert by Sprint in the form of an open letter to wireless consumers. In the letter, the telecommunications company berates its rival, AT&T, for the use of the ter...

Daniel R Deakin, 12 Mar 2019 01:33

A leaked render of the forthcoming Huawei Watch GT Active. (Source: WinFuture)

Huawei set to ditch Google's WearOS for its next GT smartwatches

Huawei looks to be the latest wearable maker to give Google’s WearOS a miss in favor of an in-house alternative. According to Winfuture, the next Huawei GT watches will run the company’s LiteOS as it looks to differentiate itself ...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 09 Mar 2019 07:18

Apple Watch Series 4 wearable, Apple the leader of the wearable market in 2018 according to IDC

Apple dominated the wearable market in 2018

According to a fresh report by IDC, Apple shipped more than 46 million wearables in 2018 out of a total of 172.2 million such devices sold worldwide. Smartwatches accounted for almost 30 percent of the entire wearable market and A...

Codrut Nistor, 05 Mar 2019 20:29

The Pine H64 Model B starts at US$25 with the 3 GB RAM version currently available for US$48.95. (Image source: Ameridroid)

Pine H64 Model B: The updated Raspberry Pi alternative that starts at US$25

The Pine H64 Model B succeeds the Model A and adds onboard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The Raspberry Pi competitor starts at US$25 and is now based on a Rock64 footprint.

Alex Alderson, 05 Mar 2019 14:49

The new fabs will be located south of Seoul. (Source: SK Hynix/Korea Times)

SK Hynix planning enormous US$107 billion semiconductor fab investment

Reuters has reported that the South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix is planning on investing 120 trillion won (~US$106.6 billion) on chip manufacturing plants. The company will also spend an additional 55 trillion won (US$49 billion) on...

Daniel R Deakin, 21 Feb 2019 08:57

It is now possible to install Windows 10 on the much-loved single-board computer (Image source: Symbolfoto)

Raspberry Pi 3: It is now possible to install Windows 10 on the single-board computer

Until now, the popular single-board computer has been specifically optimised for the Internet of Things version of Windows 10. However, there is now a tool that allows the installation of the full version of the OS on the Raspberr...

Alex Alderson, 20 Feb 2019 18:36

The NanoPi M4 can now be used as a NAS thanks to a new HAT expansion board (Image source: FriendlyElec)

FriendlyElec NanoPi M4: The Raspberry Pi alternative can now be used as a NAS for just US$25 thanks to a new HAT expansion board

Compact single-board computers can deliver excellent performance and fast file transfers. A new expansion board for the NanoPi M4 should allow it to be realised as network-attached storage (NAS).

Alex Alderson, 20 Feb 2019 18:27

GDC 2019 | Google to hold event at GDC next month, possibly related to its Project Stream game streaming service

Google announced today that it would be holding a special event at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) next month on March 19th. The announcement offers few details, but many are guessing that Google will announce something relate...

Sam Medley, 19 Feb 2019 18:49

PullString (ToyTalk) joins Apple to improve Siri (Source: TechCrunch)

Apple acquires AI startup PullString

The latest corporate acquisition in the AI field for Apple is San Francisco-based PullString, a company that was founded in 2011 by former Pixar executives and has been working on "shaping the future of voice applications" ever si...

Codrut Nistor, 19 Feb 2019 16:55

The Raspberry Pi Foundation was formed in 2009. (Source: YouTube/Raspberry Pi)

Raspberry Pi joins the brick-and-mortar brigade

The Raspberry Pi Foundation opened its first shop earlier this month, at the Grand Arcade shopping center in Cambridge, England. The move to a brick-and-mortar presence for the previously online-only Raspberry Pi gives enthusiasts...

Daniel R Deakin, 17 Feb 2019 09:35

The Hardkernel ODROID-N2 integrates four ARM Cortex-A73 cores and two Cortex-A53 cores along with an ARM Mali-G52 GPU. (Image source: Hardkernel)

The Hardkernel ODROID-N2: A Raspberry Pi alternative with a hexa-core SoC, 4 GB RAM and a high-quality DAC

Hardkernel has announced its latest single-board computer, the ODROID-N2. The device is equipped with a hexa-core SoC and up to 4 GB DDR4 RAM, which should deliver considerably more performance than the Raspberry Pi while remainin...

Alex Alderson, 14 Feb 2019 16:28

Raspberry Pi 4: The new single-board computer will cost US$35 and could be based on a 28 nm FinFET process

The next version of the popular single-board computers will be manufactured on a more advanced FinFET process, but it won't be any smaller, according to the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The Pi 4 will still cost US$35 though...

Alex Alderson, 14 Feb 2019 15:29

Google also pays companies like Samsung billions of dollars for default search engine status. (Source: Mashable)

Analysts estimate Google paid Apple US$9.5 billion in 2018 for default search engine status

Analysts for the financial services giant Goldman Sachs have estimated that Google paid Apple around US$9.5 billion over the calendar year 2018 to remain the default search engine on iOS-powered devices. Bankers are concerned that...

Daniel R Deakin, 13 Feb 2019 10:36

The Xiaomi M365 electric scooter. (Source: GearBest)

Update | Security researchers claim to have hacked and remotely controlled Xiaomi electric scooters

The Xiaomi M365 electric scooters is popular with ride-sharing companies such as Bird in the US. They can hire out such vehicles online thanks to the ability to remotely lock rental units as and when they need to. The research gro...

Deirdre O Donnell, 12 Feb 2019 19:11

The Pixel Visual Core debuted in the Pixel 2 and was Google's first piece of custom silicon. (Source: Google)

Google chip design team bolstered by new Intel, Qualcomm hires

Google is continuing to ramp up its efforts in the custom silicon space. According to Reuters, the company has just added 16 new staff to its “gChips” team based in Bengaluru India with backgrounds working with chip makers include...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 12 Feb 2019 10:25

Refrigerdating: The search for “the one” based on the contents of their refrigerator

“Refrigerdating”: Samsung's dating platform for fridge fetishists

This new dating trend originates from Samsung and shows just how handy the integrated camera in its Family Hub refrigerators can be. Instead of having to swipe through dating profiles plastered with snapchat filter modified photog...

Daniel Puschina, 10 Feb 2019 20:37

Jensen Huang will speak at this year's GTC. (Source: Wikipedia)

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will give a keynote at the 2019 GPU Technology Conference

Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's chief executive officer (CEO), will deliver the keynote speech at this year's GPU Technology Conference (GTC). This event will take place in several locations in San José, California, from March 17 to 21, 20...

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Feb 2019 17:31

The MXCHIP EMW3060 is an Arduino alternative developer board that costs just US$1.79 for a single unit. Bulk pricing is available too. (Image source: Seeedstudio)

MXCHIP EMW3060: An Arduino alternative developer board with Wi-Fi for less than US$2

The MXCHIP EMW3060 is a small Wi-Fi board that integrates an ARM processor, which can help developers deliver small IoT projects affordably. The EMW3060 may have less flexibility than its Arduino alternatives though.

Alex Alderson, 06 Feb 2019 23:57

The world_record_egg made an appearance to promote Hulu and Mental Health America. (Source: YouTube)

Instagram egg finally reveals its purpose - to raise awareness of mental health issues

The Instagram egg, also known as the world_record_egg, has finally come out of its shell to reveal its purpose to the world. In a clip shown on Super Bowl Sunday and sponsored by the streaming company Hulu, the egg showed it had c...

Daniel R Deakin, 04 Feb 2019 08:12

The Intel Core I9-8950HK hexa-core CPU requires quite a bit of ventilation, meaning that these mini PCs will certainly not be quiet. (Source: EGLOBAL)

EGLOBAL starts shipping the world's smallest mini PC with Intel Core i9-8950HK CPUs

The Intel Core i9-8950HK represents the top of the line, but users with tighter budgets can opt to get one of the variants sporting Core i5-8300H / i7-8750H / Xeon E-2176M CPUs. All models may be equipped with up to 32 GB of DDR4-...

Bogdan Solca, 01 Feb 2019 20:00

Unity develops video game to test AI; offers $100,000 in total prizes to developers that can beat it

Artificial Intelligence is getting better, but can humans stay ahead of the machines? Unity thinks so and is offering $100,000 in prizes to any developers that can code an AI to beat Obstacle Tower, a new game designed to specific...

Sam Medley, 29 Jan 2019 04:40

AlphaStar clocks up a consistent win rate against its human opponent in StarCraft II. (Source: 9to5Google)

Forget chess and Go - artificial intelligence can now beat humans in StarCraft II

DeepMind Technologies will be celebrating after its AlphaStar AI managed to defeat two human opponents in the popular RTS game StarCraft II. Five versions of AlphaStar were created to compete against each other, with the AI winner...

Daniel R Deakin, 24 Jan 2019 23:21

Intel RealSense Tracking Camera T265 now up for pre-order at US$199 (Source: Intel Newsroom)

Intel intros the RealSense Tracking Camera T265 for autonomous devices

The new Intel RealSense Tracking Camera T265 was designed for applications such as robotics, drones, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR). This US$199 piece of hardware uses proprietary visual inertial odometry simultaneous local...

Codrut Nistor, 24 Jan 2019 12:15

Spotify may release its first hardware later this year. (Image source: Reddit)

Spotify is reportedly working on an in-car music player

Spotify, the popular music and podcast streaming service, is planning on releasing its own hardware. The Financial Times reports that the device will be an in-car music player and could cost US$100.

Alex Alderson, 21 Jan 2019 19:37

Orange Pi 3 H6: An updated version of the Raspberry Pi competitor that starts at a bargain price. (Image source: Ali Express)

Orange Pi 3 H6: An updated version of the Raspberry Pi competitor that starts at US$29.90

The Orange Pi, an alternative to the Raspberry Pi, has received a RAM upgrade this week. There are four new versions of the single-board computer, which start at US$29.90 plus shipping.

Alex Alderson, 21 Jan 2019 16:06

Xiaomi retail store, Xiaomi coming to Africa in 2019

Xiaomi ready to launch a dedicated African department

Although Xiaomi is present in most African markets via third-party distributors, the Chinese brand is now ready to take a more direct approach by launching a dedicated department for this part of the world. Xiaomi's African Region...

Codrut Nistor, 21 Jan 2019 15:59

The DJI Mavic 2 is one of the most popular high-end drones on the market. (Source: DJI)

Drone maker DJI reveals US$150 million fraud carried out internally

Drone maker DJI has discovered an internal racket that has defrauded the company of at least US$150 million. The theft is said to have involved multiple staff and led to their dismissal although the company is still investing the ...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 21 Jan 2019 12:24

Xiaomi has released a 4K version of its popular MIJIA laser projector. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi releases a 4K laser projector that costs CNY 14,999 (~ US$2,200)

Xiaomi has surprisingly announced a new 4K MIJIA laser projector. The device can create up to a 150-inch display and will last for over 25,000 hours. The projector will cost 14,999 Yuan, but Xiaomi is currently running a 5,000 Yua...

Alex Alderson, 15 Jan 2019 11:51

The Google Chromecast Audio supported lossless high-resolution audio. (Source: Google)

Google discontinues Chromecast Audio

Google has officially confirmed the discontinuation of the Chromecast Audio device. A quick glance at Google’s online store lists the music-streaming gadget as out of stock, after recently receiving a heavy price cut from US$35 to...

Daniel R Deakin, 11 Jan 2019 23:54

The Matrix PowerWatch 2: A new GPS smartwatch that uses your body heat to power itself

The currently crowdfunded Matrix PowerWatch 2 is expected to have almost unlimited battery life and comes with both an LCD display and a GPS module. The device is currently comparatively affordable too.

Alex Alderson, 10 Jan 2019 14:40

The Sony LSPX-S2 Glass Sound Speaker (Image source: Sony)

CES 2019 | Sony LSPX-S2: A wireless glass speaker that is also an LED candle

Sony has announced the LSPX-S2, a successor to its glass bulb speaker the LSPX-S1. The LSPX-S2 has been slightly revised compared to its predecessor and is considerably cheaper too.

Alex Alderson, 09 Jan 2019 17:47

Lenovo's Smart Clock can do much more than just tell the time. (Source: Lenovo)

CES 2019 | Lenovo's Smart Clock will make sure you're always on time

Lenovo has introduced a new device to its Smart Home family: The Lenovo Smart Clock. According to the Chinese manufacturer, the Smart Clock can learn the sleeping habits of users and comes with Google Assistant, so it should offer...

Daniel R Deakin, 08 Jan 2019 20:00

MediaTek is promoting the use of its new WiFi 6 + BT chipset already. (Source: Fudzilla)

CES 2019 | MediaTek reveals its new connectivity chipset with the latest WiFi standard and Bluetooth

MediaTek has unveiled its new silicon for connectivity at CES 2019. This chipset is compatible with next-generation WiFi (Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax) and also delivers Bluetooth access points. It supports 2x2, 4x4 and multi-user MIMO (M...

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Jan 2019 16:01

Intel-Alibaba AI-powered athelete tracking tech coming to the 2020 Olympics (Source: Intel Newsroom)

CES 2019 | Alibaba and Intel get together to develop athlete tracking technology

Intel and Alibaba are now working together on AI-driven athlete tracking solutions for the Olympic Games 2020 and beyond. The technology uses both existing and upcoming Intel hardware and the Alibaba Cloud infrastructure and will ...

Codrut Nistor, 08 Jan 2019 12:01

Intel's Project Athena is now official, first laptops coming in H2 2019 (Source: Intel Newsroom on YouTube)

CES 2019 | Intel intros Project Athena and there are no satellites involved

Previously used for a secret satellite internet project and a BlackBerry phone, Athena returns as the name of an innovation program by Intel "that defines and aims to help bring to market a new class of advanced laptops that are p...

Codrut Nistor, 08 Jan 2019 10:12

Kroger and Microsoft CEOs (Source: Microsoft Stories)

Microsoft teams up with Kroger to pilot two connected experience stores

The partnership between Microsoft and Kroger, the largest grocery retailer in America comes as a joint effort to bring Retail as a Service to other retailers. The first result of this effort is the pair of connected experience sto...

Codrut Nistor, 07 Jan 2019 18:09

Asus is offering a smart decluttering solution with Lyra Voice. (Source: Asus)

CES 2019 | Asus combines a Wi-Fi router and a smart speaker to create Lyra Voice

Taiwanese manufacturer Asus has announced the Lyra Voice device, or 3-in-1 Smart Voice Router. The gadget combines an AC2200 tri-band mesh Wi-Fi router with two 8 W stereo speakers and includes Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant. Th...

Daniel R Deakin, 07 Jan 2019 11:30

Samsung's 2019 range of smart TVs will debut the a new iTunes app from Apple. (Source: Samsung)

Apple and Samsung team up on iTunes for Samsung 2019 TVs

Samsung has announced a new partnership between it and Apple. The frenemies have collaborated to bring a new iTunes app to Samsung’s new 2019 TV range in over 100 markets globally.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 06 Jan 2019 23:49

A Project Soli sensor. (Source: Google ATAP)

Google's Project Soli secures FCC approval

Project Soli is a Google initiative that wants to make in-air, screen-less gestures to control technology a reality. In other words, the user should be able to control their devices through certain hand gestures, which are convert...

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Jan 2019 19:34

Amazon's Alexa-enabled Echo Dot speakers have sold out for the month. (Source: TechWiser)

Amazon executive reveals sales of over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices

In an interview with The Verge, Amazon’s SVP of devices and services, David Limp, has revealed how many devices have been sold that have Alexa built into them. Apparently, over 100 million speakers, smartphones, gadgets and other ...

Daniel R Deakin, 05 Jan 2019 03:42

The Jenax J. Flex battery can be twisted, bent, folded, and screwed up like paper while still providing power. (Source: Jenax).

CES 2019 | Jenax promotes the benefits of their flexible battery to the medical wearable industry

Jenax spoke today at CES 2019 alongside medical companies Philips, Johnson & Johnson, and others, about how their J. Flex flexible battery allows designers to focus on the use-case and comfort of the device, rather than figuring o...

Craig Ward, 02 Jan 2019 14:00