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Samsung releases update to patch fingerprint scanner flaw

Samsung has released a software patch to fix a security flaw in the ultrasonic fingerprint readers used in the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 device families. The patch should come as a notification to users who have registered the...

Sam Medley, 23 Oct 2019 19:22

Sony announces Xperia 1 Professional Edition in Japan

Sony recently announced the Sony Xperia 1 Professional Edition. The new smartphone is largely the same as the standard Xperia 1, save for a better-calibrated display, support for transferring files from Sony-branded cameras, and s...

Sam Medley, 23 Oct 2019 17:33

Rumored Walmart Black Friday deals will delight console buyers. (Image source: Nintenderos)

Screenshot of rumored Walmart Black Friday deal includes a half-price Sony PS4 1 TB Slim console and a Nintendo Switch for under US$200

A screenshot of some of Walmart’s alleged console offers for the upcoming Black Friday event will have gamers giddy with anticipation if it ends up being the real deal. Those holding out on buying a Nintendo Switch could find them...

Daniel R Deakin, 23 Oct 2019 07:06

iOS 13.1.3 update damaging some iPhone 11 handsets

Multiple users are reporting a failure of the Ultra WideBand U1 chip in their iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max after updating to iOS 13.1.3. While restoring an affected iPhone's firmware has solved the problem for so...

Sam Medley, 21 Oct 2019 17:05

The Honor Play brought flagship performance to the mid-range segment. (Source: NDTV)

The Honor Play will not receive Android 10, and that's unfair

The Honor Play was released just over a year ago and has received one major update: Android Pie. That will apparently be the end of the road for the device, which is unfair to owners of the Kirin 970-powered phone. Even worse, tho...

Ricci Rox, 21 Oct 2019 11:45

Best at still photography, lacking at video. (Source: The Verge)

Google explains the rationale behind the Pixel 4's lack of 4K60fps video recording

The Google Pixel 4 phones don't have support for shooting 4K60fps videos even though Android phones have been able to do that for well over a year. Google has now explained the rationale behind the decision but it's woefully uncon...

Ricci Rox, 21 Oct 2019 11:45

The Google Pixel 4 phones just don't offer enough value. (Source: Google)

Opinion | The Google Pixel 4 still feels like an overly elaborate joke

It's been almost a week since Google unveiled the Pixel 4 phones in New York but it's still baffling just how poor the phones are—the smaller Pixel 4, in particular. In fact, some choices by the company were so off the mark that o...

Ricci Rox, 20 Oct 2019 15:29

The Xperia XZ1 Compact will apparently not get Android 10. (Source: Android Pit)

Revealed Android 10 update roadmap hints towards Sony abandoning the Xperia XZ1 phones

A carrier-provided list of Sony Xperia devices billed to get the Android 10 update has surfaced, and will be sure to leave owners of Sony's older flagships infuriated, as apparently, the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact will not get And...

Ricci Rox, 20 Oct 2019 15:25

US$295 for the 128 GB Pixel 3 XL. (Source: Google)

Opinion | Google's Pixel 4 trade-in program is laughable

If you own a Pixel 3 and were about to use the Pixel 4's trade-in program to get Google's latest device for significantly cheaper, think twice. You see, Google seems to be of the opinion that the 128 GB Pixel 3 XL is worth a measl...

Ricci Rox, 17 Oct 2019 19:51

Note the disclaimer at the bottom. Image via Google.

Google's Stadia wireless controller will require physical cable for PCs and mobile devices at launch

At launch, Google's Stadia Controller will not be usable with a PC or compatible mobile device without the use of a USB connection. While the controller will work wirelessly when playing through a Chromecast Ultra, PCs and mobile ...

Sam Medley, 17 Oct 2019 18:17

The Pixel 4 can be unlocked even with your eyes closed. (Image source: @thisisFoxx)

Google warns that the Pixel 4 can be unlocked with your eyes closed; perhaps even by someone who just looks like you too

The Pixel 4 series only uses face unlock for biometric authentication; it is that secure. Or is it? Well, a video of one device unlocking to closed eyes suggests otherwise, as does the possibility of someone who merely looks "a lo...

Alex Alderson, 17 Oct 2019 14:37

Some Surface Book 2 laptops have been plagued with disconnecting dGPU and CPU throttling issues for months. (Image source: Engadget)

Microsoft finally fixes the NVIDIA dGPU and BD PROCHOT-related CPU throttling issues that have been affecting some Surface Book 2 devices for months

The Surface Book 2 and Surface Book 2 15 may be innovative devices, but they have suffered from two critical problems in recent months. Microsoft now claims to have fixed the NVIDIA dGPU disconnects and BD PROCHOT-related throttli...

Alex Alderson, 16 Oct 2019 16:08

The LG G6 and V20 have still not received stable Android 9.0 Pie builds worldwide, despite promises to the contrary. (Image source: PhoneArena)

The LG G6 and V20 Android 9.0 Pie roll-out is a mess

At the turn of this year, LG promised to deliver Android 9.0 Pie to the G6 and V20 by Q3 2019. Has it delivered? If you are a G6 owner then possibly, but many are still awaiting Pie on their handsets as we head ever deeper into Q4...

Alex Alderson, 16 Oct 2019 15:39

Atari VCS console (Ataribox) lead architect Rob Wyatt resigns from project, claims non-payment for six months

Rob Wyatt, the lead architect behind the Atari VCS console, officially resigned from the project on Friday, October 4th. Citing non-payment from Atari for six months, Wyatt's company Tin Giant, which was contracted to help design ...

Sam Medley, 08 Oct 2019 18:55

DOOM Eternal delayed to March 20, 2020

DOOM Eternal has been delayed until March 20, 2020 in order to bring the game up to id Software's "standards of speed and polish." As an apology, id Software is including the upcoming DOOM 64 re-release as a pre-order bonus for DO...

Sam Medley, 08 Oct 2019 18:12

Fedora to drop support for 32-bit Linux with Fedora 31

Fedora 31, due for release on October 29th, will no longer be available as a 32-bit install. Rather, Fedora 30 is officially the last version of Fedora to support 32-bit hardware. Users on legacy hardware can expect full lifecycle...

Sam Medley, 08 Oct 2019 17:52

The Kaby Lake-G was a good experiment that didn't find many takers. (Source: Intel)

Updated: Intel Kaby Lake-G family goes the way of the dodo

Intel has issued a new Product Change Notification (PCN) document that lists the Kaby Lake-G family as End of Life (EOL) citing market demand for other Intel products. The EOL date is effective from today and OEMs will not be able...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 08 Oct 2019 16:07

Littlezipp's Alienware m15 R2 (Core i9-9980HK) scores over 30 runs in Cinebench R15.

Apparently, the Core i9-9980HK CAN beat the Core i9-9980H... under the right circumstances

In a recent article, we pointed out that we have yet to see a laptop with the Intel Core i9-9980HK outperform the MSI GE75 GS9, which runs the cheaper (and theoretically less powerful) Intel Core i9-9980H. A forum user by the name...

Sam Medley, 07 Oct 2019 17:34

The remains of a very sorry-looking XPS 15 9560. (Image source: u/mdntfox)

Dell XPS 15 explodes, but is not part of the company’s recall program

With Dell recently releasing a BIOS revision to improve the thermal stability of the XPS 15 9570, pictures of a decimated XPS 15 doing the rounds online may be concern those who are either considering the series for their next lap...

Alex Alderson, 07 Oct 2019 12:30

Sony unveils the Xperia 8 but it's just so...disappointing

Sony has unveiled another device, the Xperia 8. The Xperia 8 is a mid-range phone that raises more questions over the logic in Sony's naming scheme while simultaneously managing to offer an overwhelmingly disappointing package at ...

Ricci Rox, 07 Oct 2019 11:26

Facebook Libra is shaking - PayPal bails out

Is Facebook Libra doomed to fail? PayPal withdraws from the project

Libra Association, the 28-member nonprofit organization that was formed back in June 2019 to oversee the creation of Facebook's cryptocurrency and its consumer rollout, has just lost one of its supporters. Sadly, the brand that ha...

Codrut Nistor, 07 Oct 2019 10:55

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. (Source: Apple)

Some iPhone 6s or 6s Plus units may fail to power on, but Apple is fixing it

Apple has initiated a recall for certain iPhones of the 6S series, saying that it has found that the relevant units may become unable to start under certain circumstances. The Cupertino-based OEM will not disclose which aspects of...

Deirdre O Donnell, 06 Oct 2019 19:25

The Google Pixel 4 XL. (Source: The Verge)

New leak details the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL but there's a slight issue

The Google Pixel 4 phones are just about a week away from their official launch event. A new leak has revealed some previously unknown details about the phones and a particular specification of the smaller Pixel 4 may just leave f...

Ricci Rox, 06 Oct 2019 14:02

Pokemon GO reportedly mistakes some MIUI users for cheaters. (Source: Niantic)

Pokemon GO reportedly bans Android players for running a certain version of MIUI

There have been multiple reports of Pokemon GO handing out strikes preventing play to those who own certain Redmi devices. This pattern has been linked to MIUI 10.3.2.0, a recent firmware update for the phones affected. Niantic, t...

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Oct 2019 18:30

The Mix 4 will not be able to make it to dinner. (Source: GSMInfo)

Xiaomi confirms that there will be no Mi Mix 4 after all

The Mi Mix 4 has been a rollercoaster so far. The flagship was hyped up to high heavens but it turned out that most of those rumors were for the Mi Mix Alpha concept phone instead. A recent leak may have led Xiaomi fans to keep fa...

Ricci Rox, 30 Sep 2019 15:37

Lenovo admits ThinkPad CPU throttling problem when running Linux, fix in development

Recent Lenovo ThinkPad laptops have a throttling problem when users are running Linux-based operating systems on their devices. Lenovo has now admitted to the problem – and announced that it will be fixed. Newer ThinkPads like the...

Benjamin Herzig, 26 Sep 2019 18:00

Five weird gaming laptop features that we're probably never going to see again

Remember AMD Dual Graphics, Acer FrostCore, or the Lenovo UltraBay? We look back at some of the failed features that major OEMs have tried pushing onto their gaming laptops.

Allen Ngo, 26 Sep 2019 07:56

Update | Asus Fail: Official ZenBook 15 product page has a bunch of careless errors

(Update: All fixed!) Asus could definitely be a little more careful next time around. According to the ZenBook 15 UX534 product page, the "ZenBook 16" will have a MicroSD reader and a Thunderbolt 3 port that could potentially fool...

Allen Ngo, 25 Sep 2019 07:26

Opinion | One whole year after launch, a host of LG V40 users are still on Android Oreo

LG launched the V40 about a year ago as a Galaxy Note 9 competitor. That sounds good on paper and the hardware does compete, but all of that falls apart when one realizes that a host of V40 users are still on Android Oreo, the sam...

Ricci Rox, 22 Sep 2019 15:10

Anyone for Radeon Image Sharpening on Vega GPUs? (Image source: AMD)

AMD leaves the RX Vega 56, RX Vega 64 and Radeon VII out in the cold; claims it is listening

AMD has already brought its Radeon Image Sharpening (RIS) algorithm to its Polaris GPUs, but Vega architecture GPUs may miss the cut. Enough demand for RIS from owners of an RX Vega 56, RX Vega 64 or Radeon VII may sway the compan...

Alex Alderson, 16 Sep 2019 18:08

Mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is 20 to 25 percent slower than desktop version: A closer look at mobile RTX and desktop RTX

Don't buy a laptop with GeForce RTX 2060 graphics if you want to maximize performance-per-dollar. The cheaper mobile GTX 1660 Ti is only about 5 percent slower than the mobile RTX 2060 while retailing for hundreds less. The mobile...

Allen Ngo, 15 Sep 2019 18:41

The non-offending side of the iPhone 11 Pro. (Image source: Apple)

Trypophobia rears its unholy head once more thanks to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro and its rear triple camera system

People suffering from trypophobia have been posting negative comments on social media about the new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max due to their rear main camera arrangements. It wasn’t that long ago that another flagship smar...

Daniel R Deakin, 13 Sep 2019 19:36

Nokia 9 PureView's main camera setup, DxOMark failure

DxOMark: The Nokia 9 PureView fails to impress

It is not something new that more cameras are not always better, but many of those into mobile photography had high expectations from the Nokia 9 PureView. Sadly, Nokia's flagship with five cameras on the back failed to impress an...

Codrut Nistor, 09 Sep 2019 20:23

An infected directory showing files with a ".lilocked" extension. Image via FOSSBytes

Lilu/Lilocked ransomware has now infected thousands of Linux servers

Lilu (also known as Lilocked) is a relatively new ransomware that is specifically targeting Linux servers. The ransomware has been infecting systems since mid-July and has so far attacked at least 6700 systems. Lilu targets specif...

Sam Medley, 08 Sep 2019 22:02

Samsung Galaxy A90 5G will get quarterly security updates, another failure by Samsung

Samsung fails again: No monthly security patches for the Galaxy A90 5G

Although it is not cheap at all, the Galaxy A90 5G is Samsung's first non-flagship handset with support for the fastest mobile connectivity standard available for the masses (depending on region, of course). Sadly, although it is ...

Codrut Nistor, 06 Sep 2019 17:19

AMD could end up facing legal action in regard to advertised Ryzen 3000 boost clock rates. (Image source: Gigazine)

AMD addresses issue with 3rd Gen Ryzen processors failing to reach advertised boost clock speeds

AMD has posted a declaration on its Ryzen Twitter account in regard to reports of 3rd Gen Ryzen processors not offering the levels of performance that were expected by users. The post states that the company is working on a BIOS u...

Daniel R Deakin, 03 Sep 2019 19:13

Sony Xperia 1: Midrange triple and selfie cameras according to DxOMark (Image source: DxOMark)

Mediocre at best: DxOMark takes issue with the rear and selfie cameras in the Sony Xperia 1

The camera benchmark website DxOMark has just released its in-depth analysis and extensive review of the rear-facing and selfie cameras in the Xperia 1, and it is not good news for Sony fans. As we discovered in our recent review,...

Alex Alderson, 30 Aug 2019 18:56

Bulldozer and Piledriver were 32 nm architectures. (Image source: AMD)

Did you buy an octa-core an FX Bulldozer or Piledriver processor? You could be due compensation from AMD

AMD has finally agreed on a settlement for the false advertising of its Bulldozer and Piledriver processors, after eight years of litigation. Claimants will be eligible to draw from a pot of up to US$12.1 million, but there are ce...

Alex Alderson, 29 Aug 2019 13:28

Gigabyte totally overlooked a small but important detail on its Aero 15 and Aero 17 laptops

Gigabyte is totally overlooking a small but important detail on its Aero 15 and Aero 17 laptops

RGB lighting is great and all, but it's not very useful if it doesn't light up each and every key symbol. There's no reason why secondary fn key symbols on flagship Gigabyte laptops should be unlit even after two years in the mark...

Allen Ngo, 28 Aug 2019 21:30

Keeping your Apple Card looking this good won't be easy. (Source: Apple)

Laughably, Apple's fancy titanium credit card can get discolored if left in a leather wallet

In yet another episode that will go down in the list of embarrassments for Apple, its new-fangled titanium Apple Card credit card can apparently become permanently discolored if it makes contact with fabrics like leather and denim...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 22 Aug 2019 12:33

Many LG V30 handsets remain stuck on Android 8.0 Oreo. (Image source: Digital Trends)

LG temporarily pulls LG V30 Android 9.0 Pie update

Are you unable to download Android 9.0 Pie to your LG V30? Well, the South Korean has apparently pulled the update from its FOTA and LG Bridge servers. This may prove a temporary measure, but there is no word when LG will continue...

Alex Alderson, 21 Aug 2019 17:38

Apple accidentally rolls back security patch in iOS 12.4 update, making jailbreaking possible

An oversight by Apple caused an old security bug to be reintroduced with iOS 12.4. While the bug had been patched in iOS 12.3, the exploit is present in the latest operating system from Apple and can be used for jailbreaking on co...

Sam Medley, 20 Aug 2019 22:46

Facebook paid human contractors to listen to and transcribe audio from users

According to employees familiar with the practice, Facebook has been hiring outside contractors to listen to and transcribe user audio. While Facebook claims the transcriptions were done to improve the voice-to-text transcription ...

Sam Medley, 14 Aug 2019 23:30

Tumblr is to be sold to the makers of WordPress

Tumblr is a blogging platform that has been part of Yahoo (or Oath, as it is now) since 2013. However, the parent company in this case - Verizon - has reportedly been trying to palm it off for some time. It has now successfully fo...

Deirdre O Donnell, 14 Aug 2019 19:08

Security researchers load ransomware onto DSLR over WiFi and encrypt photos in WannaCry-styled attack

A new report by security experts at Check Point Research demonstrates a glaring vulnerability in modern DSLR cameras: Photo Transfer Protocol. Worse yet, the researchers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in PTP/IP, which transf...

Sam Medley, 12 Aug 2019 23:23

The Galaxy Note 10 phones. (Source: Yahoo)

Opinion | Samsung's new devices are a poor joke and the base Note 10 is the punchline

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 10 phones a few days ago and the devices have received mixed reviews, most notably for the lack of a headphone jack and the...well, the general existence of the Note 10.

Ricci Rox, 11 Aug 2019 15:48

Dell launches the XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 in China; Core i7-1068G7 SKU missing

While the rest of the world still waits, China has become the first country where the long-awaited XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 has gone on sale. Prices start at 12,999 CNY (~US$1,850) for the Core i5-1035G1 model and rise to 16,999 CNY (~U...

Alex Alderson, 07 Aug 2019 19:31

The ZenFone 6, a motherboard malfunction coming to a device near you. (Image source: ASUS)

ASUS issues fatal software update for some ZenFone 6 units; offers motherboard replacement as a resolution

The ASUS ZenFone 6 won plaudits for its almost stock Android experience, but a recent software update has been causing havoc with some handsets. According to an ASUS engineer, the update has caused some motherboards to malfunction...

Alex Alderson, 07 Aug 2019 19:04

Microsoft security researchers discover new cyber attack through Internet of Things connected devices

A new publication by Microsoft's Threat Intelligence Center points out an increasingly popular avenue used for cyber attacks: the Internet of Things (IoT). The publication states that researchers discovered a new attack that explo...

Sam Medley, 06 Aug 2019 22:01

Dell has delayed the new XPS 13 2-in-1 once already. (Image source: Own Swap)

Dell delays the XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 again; no re-revised date in sight

Dell has once again missed its release date for the new XPS 13 2-in-1, having already delayed it by almost a month. The company only came clean after people online were left wondering why the upcoming convertible had not launched ...

Alex Alderson, 03 Aug 2019 04:34