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The HomePod captured more inadvertant Siri recordings than other devices like the iPhone. (Source: Apple)

Apple suspends Siri eavesdropping program in wake of privacy scandal

Apple has suspended a controversial Siri grading program that allowed contractors to listen to recordings of customers using the voice recognition software. The purportedly privacy focused company was caught out by a whistleblower...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 02 Aug 2019 13:30

New video from JerryRigEverything demonstrates critical design flaws of foldable smartphones

A new video from the popular YouTube channel JerryRigEverything shows that foldables that keep their displays on the outside of their case are at severe risk for damage. Simple items like keys or extreme heat could permanently mar...

Sam Medley, 29 Jul 2019 21:49

Researchers at Symantec discover media file vulnerability in WhatsApp and Telegram

WhatsApp and Telegram are popular secure messaging apps that feature end-to-end encryption to keep messages safe. Even still, the apps have a glaring backdoor that could allow attackers to alter media files sent through the apps. ...

Sam Medley, 17 Jul 2019 22:23

Google AdSense Android app (Source: Google Play)

Google discontinues the AdSense apps for Android and iOS

Google has decided to focus its efforts on the AdSense mobile web interface and discontinue the mobile apps. Those using AdSense on mobile devices were probably expecting this, since the Android app has not been updated since Dece...

Codrut Nistor, 16 Jul 2019 10:49

The Microsoft Surface Book 2. (Image source: Microsoft)

Microsoft acknowledges that some Surface Book 2 laptops are experiencing an NVIDIA dGPU disconnection issue

Microsoft has acknowledged that some Surface Book 2 laptops are experiencing NVIDIA dGPU disconnects following the Windows 10 May 2019 Feature Update. If you have already updated your Surface Book 2 to Windows 10 version 1903 then...

Alex Alderson, 15 Jul 2019 18:59

Here it is, the even slightly less repairable 13-inch MacBook Pro. (Image source: iFixit)

The 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro is even less repairable than its predecessors

Popular teardown and repair website iFixit has taken the new 13-inch MacBook Pro apart, revealing a 7% larger battery, a soldered SSD, a smaller heatsink and modular ports. Unsurprisingly, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro 13 received a...

Alex Alderson, 15 Jul 2019 18:43

Did the Pi Foundation act hastily? (Image source: Raspberry Pi Foundation)

Raspberry Pi 4: The Raspberry Pi Foundation brushes off that the RPi 4 has a temperature problem

The internet celebrated the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 4 last month, with its more powerful SoC, USB Type-C port, dual 4K HDMI and up to 4 GB of RAM. However, a few issues are rearing their head, with the Pi Foundation being quic...

Alex Alderson, 15 Jul 2019 18:25

Mark Zuckerberg's 2018 Congressional testimony

Facebook might get FTC's largest fine ever: US$5 billion

As impressive as it may be, the US$5 billion fine that Facebook could be subjected to — after the review of this settlement by the Department of Justice — only accounts for 9 percent of the revenue obtained by the company in 2018....

Codrut Nistor, 15 Jul 2019 11:11

A Redditor claims his S10 5G has gone the way of many Note 7s. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G allegedly involved in catastrophic battery failure

A Reddit post describes an incident in which a user's phone, an "S10 5G", exhibited extreme overheating. When the owner in question examined this device, it was apparently non-functional and emitted a strong smell of chemicals. Th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 12 Jul 2019 14:05

Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ (Source: UniverseIce on Twitter)

Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ got an update that locks users out randomly

The latest update for the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ locked its users out, requiring them to enter a PIN and restarting repeatedly no matter what they entered. Unfortunately, it looks like performing a Factory data reset i...

Codrut Nistor, 12 Jul 2019 13:50

Some Galaxy A80 handsets have a huge flipping problem. (Image source: @bencsin)

Some Samsung Galaxy A80 handsets have a huge flipping problem

The Galaxy A80 has just gone on sale, but there are already reports of its rotating camera getting stuck or the mechanism sound unusually noisy. A few errant devices or form over function?

Alex Alderson, 12 Jul 2019 13:27

Psychonauts 2 delayed, to launch next year (Source: Wccftech)

Psychonauts 2 has been pushed to 2020

Originally scheduled to arrive in 2018, Psychonauts 2 was expected to arrive later this year. This title for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 looks like its predecessor with improved graphics and a few new ideas. Sadly, its launch ...

Codrut Nistor, 11 Jul 2019 23:59

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 phablet facing camera failure bugs in Night mode, July 2019

Camera failed: Note 9 and Galaxy S9 users face a new software bug

The "Camera failure" error is not new to Samsung as its handsets were being hit by such camera-related bugs quite often in the past. Now, the time has come for those who own the high-end Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 to bump into th...

Codrut Nistor, 11 Jul 2019 08:31

The XPS 15 7590 adds some active cooling to the Voltage Regulator Module (VRM), but reported throttling issues on reddit suggest this may have been a half-measure.

Early reports suggest XPS 15 7590 still suffers from massive FPS drops while gaming

It hasn't been long that Dell's latest XPS 15 7590 flagship have arrived in the hands of consumers, but there already seem to be reports of uneven and unplayable performance when gaming due to thermal issues.

Douglas Black, 11 Jul 2019 07:45

Android Q presents this notification if you have gesture controls enabled and switch to a third-party launcher. (Image source: u/Charizarlslie)

Android Q nerfs gesture navigation if you use a third-party launcher

Android Q is nearly upon us, bringing with it a slew of changes and refinements. Beta 5 has started rolling out too, but it seemingly confirms that gesture navigation controls will not work with third-party launchers. The slow-mar...

Alex Alderson, 09 Jul 2019 21:43

Samsung Galaxy A50 fails to impress in DxOMark

DxOMark: The Samsung Galaxy A50 fails to impress

The triple camera setup of the Galaxy A50 failed to impress on DxOMark, although its specs are impressive. According to DxOMark, the images produced by this Samsung phone lack detail, the autofocus often fails to work in low-light...

Codrut Nistor, 05 Jul 2019 22:29

Dell's newly released XPS 15 7590 with OLED display. (Source: Saydigi Tech)

Opinion | Any XPS 15 7590 "review" already out... isn't a review

You are going to start seeing articles and videos cleverly implying educated conclusions about Dell's recently released XPS 15 7590. Don't be fooled into thinking they are anything other than first-impressions.

Douglas Black, 05 Jul 2019 07:24

GTA VI: A return to Vice City? (Image source: Wallsdesk)

GTA VI: Project Americas codename, next-gen exclusive and a return to Vice City with a Narcos twist?

A thread posted by someone purporting to have information on GTA VI from insider sources has gained a lot of attention on Reddit. The post goes into great detail about the locations, development and story arc of the sequel to GTA ...

Alex Alderson, 02 Jul 2019 17:47

A Galaxy S10 in a very sorry state. (Image source: Weibo)

Samsung Galaxy S10 catches fire while charging

The story of a Samsung Galaxy S10 self-destructing has been circulating on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The device apparently caught fire while charging just over a day after it was purchased. An accompanying video shows t...

Alex Alderson, 02 Jul 2019 13:20

Samsung CEO admits the Galaxy Fold's launch was "embarrassing"

In an interview with a small group of media outlet, Samsung CEO D.J. Koh stated that the Galaxy Fold's flubbed launch was "embarrassing." However, Koh still sees foldable devices as the next logical step in the evolution of person...

Sam Medley, 01 Jul 2019 23:23

South Korean phone makers targeted by Japanese trade restrictions

Trade Wars: The saga continues with Japan vs. South Korea

The trade restrictions that Japan has just announced will make it harder for companies such as Samsung and LG to buy various materials used in both chips and smartphones. The list of these materials includes resist, hydrogen fluor...

Codrut Nistor, 01 Jul 2019 08:01

Subverting expectations: Sprint LG V40 users wake up to find a surprising OTA update

The LG V40 started receiving the Android Pie update last month. Since then, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and even unlocked models of the device have all received their taste of Pie. Not Sprint, though, and users of the Sprint model wi...

Ricci Rox, 30 Jun 2019 10:19

A quick search for "charger" on the r/razer subreddit reveals more than a dozen posts just within the last year about chargers melting or smoking. (Source: u/sha256mechanic)

Opinion | Razer may want to consider a recall for their Blade and Blade Pro AC adapters

June 27 Update: Added comment in response to Razer's communications with NBC. We recently noted in our 2019 Razer Blade Pro review that its AC adapter hit the hottest temperature we've yet to measure on a gaming notebook, 67C. Bas...

Douglas Black, 28 Jun 2019 08:08

Motorola cancels plans to release Pie for its last true flagship, the Moto Z2 Force

Motorola has indefinitely shelved its plans to release the Pie update to most users of the Moto Z2 Force in the US. The Z2 Force can be said to be Motorola's last true flagship and it's a shame that the company appears to be showi...

Ricci Rox, 27 Jun 2019 18:10

No Android 9.0 Pie for the V30 this quarter. (Image source: Digital Trends)

LG rolls back on V30 Android Pie commitment

LG does not do itself any favours, does it? The South Korean company has now rowed back on its commitment to bring Android 9.0 Pie to the V30 by the end of Q2. The roll-out has been pushed to Q3 for "essential improvements", with ...

Alex Alderson, 27 Jun 2019 17:52

This could well be the end of the road for Steam and Ubuntu. (Image source: Omg! Ubuntu!)

Ubuntu 19.10 looks DOA for gamers, with Valve dropping support for the OS

Canonical has seemingly crippled Ubuntu 19.10 for gamers, having removed all 32-bit support from the upcoming OS. Anything requiring 32-bit libraries or packages will not install, causing Valve to abandon Steam support for all Ubu...

Alex Alderson, 24 Jun 2019 13:58

Hackers attacked NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab via a Raspberry Pi, stole 500 MB of mission data

According to a U.S. Office of Inspector General report published Tuesday, a cyberattack on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in April 2018 was due to a severe lack of security oversight. The attack was made possible via an unauthor...

Sam Medley, 23 Jun 2019 00:34

There will be no sequel to the Pixel Slate and iPadOS probably put the final nail in its coffin. (Source: Google)

Opinion: Did iPadOS kill the Pixel Slate?

Tech fans were disappointed to learn that Google has officially killed off any plans for a successor to the Pixel Slate. While there had been suspicions the decision was made some time ago, it looks like the arrival of iPadOS migh...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 22 Jun 2019 10:14

PC-Doctor Tool For Windows is also believed to be vulnerable to cyber attacks. (Image source: Lifewire)

Cybersecurity company finds worrying vulnerability affecting millions of Dell laptops and desktops

A high-severity vulnerability has been discovered in Dell’s SupportAssist software that is found on millions of computers sold by the American manufacturer. The problem was highlighted by a company called SafeBreach and was origin...

Daniel R Deakin, 22 Jun 2019 01:49

GPS spoofing attack could drive a Tesla Model S or 3 off the road, as security researchers find

The Tesla Models S or 3 have a feature called Navigate on Autopilot feature, which can allow one of these vehicles to follow a certain route while driving autonomously. The security firm Regulus Cyber has claimed that they are sus...

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Jun 2019 17:57

Microsoft now offers a cheaper 15-inch Surface Book 2, but buying one doesn't make sense

Microsoft is now selling a cheaper version of the Surface Book 2 15. The new model swaps the Core i7 CPU for a Core i5 and drops the dedicated GTX 1060 GPU. However, at $2000, the Core i5 Surface Book 2 15 is hardly a bargain cons...

Sam Medley, 20 Jun 2019 00:08

The XPS 15 9570 originally shipped with support for S3 sleep. (Image source: Dell)

Dell doubles down on justifying XPS 15 9570 problems

The company is still burying its heads in the sand over why some XPS 15 9570 laptops are getting hot and experiencing high battery drain when asleep. The company has added having an outdated BIOS and drivers along with wake on Wi-...

Alex Alderson, 17 Jun 2019 20:09

The Shot on OnePlus web interface. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus found to have sprung a user-data leak through a photography app

"Shot on OnePlus" is an initiative by which users can upload their shots via a smartphone app or online. This is done via an API, which, when analyzed, was found to be a ready source of user emails and IDs. The company's response ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 15 Jun 2019 18:47

The Smach Z will finally see the light of day, but perhaps a few years too late. (Image source: Tom's Hardware)

E3 2019 | GPD Win Max and One-Netbook OneGx competitor Smach Z debuted, but it already looks DOA

Smach has been showing off its much anticipated and delayed handheld games console at E3 2019, with promises that it will ship at the end of the year. 17 FPS in titles like Monster Hunter World for a starting price of US$699 thoug...

Alex Alderson, 13 Jun 2019 13:59

Huawei's plans for its popular MateBook range of notebooks are in tatters. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei scraps planned MateBook launch as US sanctions bite

Huawei has indefinitely postponed the launch of its latest MateBooks confirming the rumors Notebookcheck exclusively reported on during Computex. At the time, we learnt that Huawei had cancelled an order for 16-inch notebook panel...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 12 Jun 2019 13:17

The charred remains of an XPS 15 9560. (Image source: Reddit)

Dell woes continue as XPS 15 self-destructs

With Dell starting to blame customers if their XPS 15 9570 overheats when asleep, one getting so hot that it explodes would be rather inconvenient PR. That is the state that one person arrived home to see their XPS 15 in, and Dell...

Alex Alderson, 10 Jun 2019 20:13

A firmware updating should be arriving within a few weeks to address the bug. (Image source: XDA)

Updated | OnePlus confirms that it is addressing the OnePlus 7 Pro ghost touch display issue

OnePlus is moving quickly to fix the ghost touch issue that has been affecting some 7 Pro smartphones, less than a week after acknowledging its existence. Thankfully for owners, it does not appear to be a hardware issue. Update: ...

Alex Alderson, 10 Jun 2019 17:21

BIOS 1.10.1 reduced but did not eliminate the DPC latency issues affecting some XPS 15 9570 laptops. (Image source: Dell)

XPS 15 9570: More DPC latency improvements inbound

It seems that Dell has not forgotten about the XPS 15 9570 in the wake of releasing its successor. The company has committed to further reducing the DPC latency issues still affecting some machines beyond the BIOS release that it ...

Alex Alderson, 10 Jun 2019 16:17

CNet whines about angry YouTube commenters, proceeds to disable its own comments system about said whining

The CBS-owned tech outlet has a beef with how YouTube gamers and influencers are "riling up the crowd" with their rants and negativity toward game publishers.

Allen Ngo, 09 Jun 2019 21:54

The Nexus 6P, a tarnished classic. (Image source: Google)

Nexus 6P compensation goes live

Did you buy a Nexus 6P in the US between September 25, 2015, and May 3, 2019? If so, then you can now file a class action compensation claim against Google and Huawei for up to US$400. Your Nexus 6P does not need to be stuck in a ...

Alex Alderson, 09 Jun 2019 17:35

Do you know how to switch between Connected and Disconnected Modern Standby? Thought not. (Image source: Dell)

XPS 15 9570 get hot or drain its battery when asleep? Dell says that you are using it wrong

Does your XPS 15 9570 get hot or suffer from heavy battery drain when asleep? If so, then Dell thinks you have caused it to do so. Re-installing the OS may, or may not, fix the issue too.

Alex Alderson, 09 Jun 2019 17:24

MSI takes jab at Apple's $999 monitor stand on Twitter, nails it

Let's face it - the Pro Stand will probably still sell like hotcakes, but that won't stop competitors from having their fun with the ridiculous comparisons. The 34-inch 5K MSI monitor retails for $1299 with an actual display and ...

Allen Ngo, 08 Jun 2019 17:22

CooTek hid BeiTaAd within over 200 apps on Google Play Store like TouchPal

BeiTaAd adware found in over 200 Android apps on the Google Play Store

A major app developer has been found sneaking adware into over 200 Android apps listed on the Google Play Store. The adware, named BeiTaAd, would only present adverts after at least 24 hours from an affected app being first opened...

Alex Alderson, 05 Jun 2019 19:02

Dell launched the XPS 15 9570 with S3 sleep mode but removed it in a July 2018 BIOS update. (Image source: Dell)

Dell backtracks on XPS 15 9570 S3 sleep fix

Sound familiar, anyone? Just over a month ago Dell reported that addressing the removal of S3 sleep was next on its agenda for the XPS 15 9570. Disappointingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the company has seemingly u-turned on thi...

Alex Alderson, 05 Jun 2019 17:00

HTC does not have a good track record with delivering system updates. (Image source: Android Central)

HTC is pulling the HTC U11 Android Pie update

HTC started rolling out Android 9.0 Pie to the HTC U11 just over a week ago, but the system update has had some dire unintended consequences. The company has been forced to pull the update amid multiple reports of it soft-bricking...

Alex Alderson, 05 Jun 2019 16:46

The XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 was just announced at Computex to both fanfare and criticism due to its design choices.

Frank Azor confirms XPS 13 7390 will have soldered SSD, "not very different from smartphones today"

Dell and Alienware VP Frank Azor has confirmed in a tweet that the recently announced XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 will indeed have all its components — particularly its SSD — soldered on, citing the "extremely tight form factor" and compar...

Douglas Black, 04 Jun 2019 06:52

Do you own a Pixel smartphone? Have you been encountering notifications with DND enabled? (Image source: CompareGadgets.net)

Some Google Pixel smartphones may have a Bluetooth-related DND notification bug

It appears that Google has messed up how its Pixel smartphones how they handle notifications when set to Do Not Disturb (DND). Originally reported on Reddit, some Pixel devices are receiving two notification sounds too. Google can...

Alex Alderson, 03 Jun 2019 19:34

Snazzy designs and more attention to build quality are becoming more common as laptop OEMs struggle to give consumers more reasons to upgrade outside of performance.

Opinion | Intel and Nvidia's stagnation might be the best thing to happen to notebooks in years

Some people might look at the death of Moore's Law, Intel's 10nm troubles, and Nvidia's highly resistible 2019 mobile-RTX lineup and think that the notebook business is in trouble. I think it might be the best thing that's happene...

Douglas Black, 03 Jun 2019 15:09

X370-based mainboards and X470 parts will not get PCIe Gen 4 support

Forget about those BIOS updates: Pre-X570 mainboards will not support PCIe Gen 4

Although recent BIOS updates for X370- and X470-based mainboards were supposed to include PCIe Gen 4 support, AMD's Robert Hallock has just confirmed on Reddit that this option will not be available in the final firmware releases ...

Codrut Nistor, 03 Jun 2019 09:19

A BBC news report over 5G gets distinctly low-res. (Source: BBC)

BBC broadcast fails highlight potentially serious drawbacks of 5G

The UK's first 5G network launched recently, at the end of May 2019. The country national broadcaster, the BBC, attempted to conduct some news reports over the new data standard. Unfortunately, they faced severe issues due to the ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Jun 2019 22:46