Latest Tech News

The office isn’t the only place people are getting their work done these days. With more and more workers taking their responsibilities on the go, they rely on mobile systems to stay as productive as they’d normally be in the office. AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors step up the mobile productivity game, giving team members the ability to stay on top of their game wherever they are. 

AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors bring with them performance and capabilities that make for exceptional business-class laptops tuned for productivity.

With up to eight high performance cores available, there’s plenty of computing power on deck to handle some of the more demanding tasks that might be asked of a work machine. The extra cores can also carry the weight of many different tasks all running at once. This is one way the AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors can help boost performance in Microsoft Teams, and help manage heavy multitasking workloads. Being able to attend meetings virtually without the occasional snags that can be introduced is a boon for hybrid workers trying to stay productive. Whether the result is clearer communication or more effective presentations, the benefits are evident.

AMD further emphasizes the ability to stay connected with support for the latest wired and wireless connectivity options. 

When workers are on the move, they’ll often be relying on Wi-Fi, so AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors support Wi-Fi 6E for higher bandwidth and less congestion on the new 6GHz band. That can provide faster downloads and uploads of project files and clearer connections during calls. Bluetooth 5.2 can enable better connections to wireless accessories, like mice and keyboards or even headsets for communication. Meanwhile, swapping files back and forth is a snap with up to 40Gbps of bandwidth available through USB4 connections.

All of the power coming from AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors comes extra efficiently, too. That spells the mobility that’s so essential for hybrid workers on the go. With all-day battery life thanks to intelligent power management, workers could even go off the grid and get work done for multiple days before they run out of power.

When making IT decisions for a business, it’s important to ensure employees have all the tools for the job. And when it comes to hybrid working, AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors make for business-class laptops that keep up inside the office and out.

Learn additional details about these benefits and more from AMD Ryzen™ PRO 6000 Series processors here.  

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Latest Gadgets News

The Biden administration is said to be investigating Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei over concerns that the US cell towers fitted with its gear could capture sensitive information from military bases and missile silos that the company could then transmit to China. The company has denied all allegations.

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Best iPhone VPN of 2022 - CNET

These are the best virtual private networks for maximizing your privacy on Apple's iPhones.

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Latest Tech News

Spotify has been steadily expanding its Blend feature, most recently by letting users create shared playlists with up to 10 friends and also allowing them to get in on a shared playlist with select artists.

Blend in its expanded form is a particularly good Spotify feature since it gives the service a social dimension: friends can turn each other on to new music, or scramble down a nostalgic rabbit hole by sharing songs that were important to them in the past.

The artist playlist dimension of Blend was previously limited to 20 musicians or bands, with big names like BTS, Diplo, Charlie XCX, and Megan Thee Stallion all vying for your shared playlist attention. Now Spotify is adding Post Malone, Lizzo, and The Chainsmokers to the list of shared playlist-worthy artists, and also introducing a new Blend feature: the ability to purchase artist merch through a direct integration with Shopify.

Buying merch through Blend is a multi-step process where you first create a shared playlist with the artist on Spotify. You then get a social sharecard with a Taste Match score that reveals shared musical interests, which you are encouraged to post on social media.

Once all that’s all done, you’ll get the opportunity to purchase merch including t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, and more directly via Shopify, with the artist getting a cut of the proceeds. 

And while the focus of Blend’s shared playlist and Shopify feature at the moment is on big-name artists, independents who have their music listed on Spotify can also set up a “virtual merch table” via Shopify, with up to 3 products featured on their artist profile.

The author's Blended playlist with Post Malone resulted in an excess of that artist's songs. (Image credit: Future)

Analysis: Most musicians make money from merch, not streaming

Although it's one of the best streaming services, Spotify isn’t known for its generosity to artists. A New York Times article cited industry estimates of a “$4,000 per million streams, or less than half a cent per stream,” payout going to record labels, with the label then determining the artist’s cut of that amount. 

To make any reasonable amount of money from that arrangement, you’d have to be massively popular – someone on the level of a Post Malone, or maybe a Kate Bush post Stranger Things season 4.

Most touring artists make their money from the venue’s merch table, and having that table extend virtually into streaming services is a positive step. And while Spotify’s Shopify arrangement lets independent artists get in on the action, the service could do more to promote it by expanding its roster of Blend shared playlist options well beyond the current limited number of highly popular, presumably well-compensated artists.

For an example of how to do things right, Spotify should look to Bandcamp, a service that lets artists directly share streams and sell music downloads, along with other types of merch. During the height of the pandemic, Bandcamp became known for Bandcamp Fridays, where the service waived its revenue share and allowed artists to keep the proceeds of any merchandise sold.

Bandcamp plans to resume Bandcamp Fridays starting in September. If you’re an artist with a following less massive than Post Malone’s, you may want to be checking Bandcamp out rather than relying on Spotify to mix you into the Blend.

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Best Weighted Blanket for 2022 - CNET

From couch throws to full-size comforters, these are the year's best weighted blankets to help you get a good night's rest.

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Latest Tech News

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched new memory-optimized Amazon EC2 R6a instances featuring AMD EPYC (Milan) processors.

First rolled out in 2006, AWS's EC2 instances allow users to run virtual machines on the company's cloud platform.

If you're a fan of running memory-intensive workloads in the cloud then you might be in luck, as AWS says the newest instances are ideal for high-performance database software such as relational databases and noSQL databases, distributed web scale in-memory caches such as Memcached and Redis, and in-memory databases including real-time big data analytics such as Hadoop and Spark clusters.

What do users get?

AWS says the new instances deliver up to 35% better price performance compared to R5a instances, and at a 10% lower cost than comparable x86-based EC2 instances.

In addition, AWS says R6a instances feature an 8:1 ratio of memory to vCPU, just like R5a instances and support increased sizes up to 192 vCPUs per instance. 

R6a instances are apparently SAP-Certified and support SAP Business Suite.

The specs of R6a instances vary significantly with the lowest performance instance "r6a.large" supporting 16 GiB of memory and network bandwidth of up to 12.5 Gbps.

In contrast, the highest performing R6a instance "r6a.metal" offers a whooping memory of up to 1536 GIB and network bandwidth of up to 50 Gbps.

Amazon has been pretty busy when it comes to rolling out new EC2 instances, users can now rent and run an M1 Mac Mini in the cloud.

READ MORE:

> AWS has patched a rather embarrassing Kubernetes bug

> AWS is using AI to make contact centers smarter

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Where can I sign up?

Users can launch R6a instances today in the AWS US East (N. Virginia, Ohio), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Mumbai), and Europe (Frankfurt, Ireland).

 To learn more about the new offering, head to Amazon's R6a instances page.

• Not interested in migrating everything to AWS? Check out our guide to the best business servers

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'House of the Dragon' Drops Extensive New Trailer Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con - CNET

Catch an even better look at Westeros under the reign of the Targaryens in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series.

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Latest Tech News

Ahead of the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered for PC next month, Sony and Insomniac Games have released a brand new trailer that touches on some of the PC-exclusive features we can expect. 

The trailer was released with an accompanying post on the official PlayStation Blog in which Mike Fitzgerald, Insomniac Games' core technology director, digs into what Insomniac Games and collaborator studio, Nixxes Software, have been working on. 

Fitzgerald explains that the priority for the studios was “to make this game a visual stunner on the PC platform” which meant “opening up extensive configurability to PC users with varying hardware, as well as introducing some new techniques and tools to push things even further”.

In the PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, then, you can expect to see ray-traced reflections “across the game for those with hardware that supports them”. These will have “varied quality levels, one of which is a new, higher-quality ray-traced mode that offers even more city detail”.

There’s support for NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and NVIDIA DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing) for RTX users, as well as support for “a wide range of display ratios, including ultrawide 21:9, panoramic 32:9, and NVIDIA Surround multi-monitor setups.”

Fitzgerald adds that “many other rendering systems are more customizable than they have been in the past, with additional quality levels and algorithmic options. These include SSAO, texture filtering, LoD quality, shadows, and more.  We support windowed, full screen, and exclusive full screen rendering modes.”

Aside from the graphical features, PC players will enjoy multiple peripheral support. You have the option to use the PS5’s DualSense controller in addition to mouse and keyboard, while Steam Input support means “there are innumerable remapping options available”. 

Finally, the post covers the PC specs for the game which are pictured below. They’re pretty thorough, covering what you’ll need at bare minimum all the way through to the specs you’ll need for the ultimate ray-tracing experience. 

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will launch on PC on August 12. The blog post closes out by revealing that if you pre-purchase the game ahead of this release then you’ll get a pre-purchase item pack that includes early unlock for three Spider-Man suits, an early unlock of the Spider-Drone combat gadget and 5 extra skill points to spend on Spidey upgrades.

• New PS5 games: all the upcoming PlayStation 5 game releases
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2: everything we know about the long-awaited PS5 sequel
• Marvel's Spider-Man review: amazing, spectacular and sensational

Sony's PC push

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is the latest PlayStation title to get ported to PC as part of Sony’s push to get more of its games on the platform. It follows an acclaimed port of 2018’s God of War and a slightly-less-acclaimed port of Horizon Zero Dawn. 

Sony has been talking about its plans for PC releases for a couple of years now, saying back in 2020, “We will explore expanding our first-party titles to the PC platform, in order to promote further growth in our profitability.” Around that time, PlayStation’s Head of Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst made it clear that Sony’s then-new policy wasn’t going to be to port over every first-party game. It would only port the ones that make sense and are a good fit for PC.

This year, it's become clear that the PC ports are working out for Sony. In a shareholder briefing back in May it was revealed that the ports have brought in $80 million over the past fiscal year (running up to the end of March). Sony went on to say in the next financial year, it expects its PC games to earn $300 million. That’s a pretty big jump but it suggests that the company has big plans for the PC platform in the near future. 

We already know that Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also getting the PC treatment, as is the Uncharted Collection: Legacy of Thieves. We’re looking forward to seeing what else Sony has up its sleeve, even though we're not holding our breath for Bloodborne. 

• Best PS5 games: the PlayStation 5 games you need to play right now

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Latest Gadgets News

Nothing is rolling its latest software update for the Nothing Phone 1. The smartphone runs on Android 12 and debuted a week ago. The latest update brings bug fixes and performance optimisations to the smartphone.

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Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Cases - CNET

In the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung created a compelling and more affordable foldable phone that's become something of a sleeper hit. Here are the top cases for it.

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Huawei says medium-term developments in 5G technology will deliver mobile broadband speeds of up to 10Gbps within five to ten years, unlocking a new generation of industrial use cases.

The Chinese tech giant uses the term "5.5G" to describe future advances that bridge the gap between the current generation of mobile technology and 6G networks which are due to be commercially available as early as 2030.

It argues the headline speed will be achieved through wireless technologies like MIMO, through higher spectrum efficiency, and higher order modulation, and as part of a wider connectivity ecosystem that comprises advances in fibre, Passive Optical Network (PON), and Wi-Fi 7.

5.5G network vision

When combined with advances in microprocessors, storage, cloud computing and other areas of IT infrastructure, Huawei believes 5.5G will unlock a new generation of intelligent, interconnected, and scaled services for businesses by breaking free of existing technological bottlenecks.

It believes the potential for robotics, industrial applications, and massive IoT deployments is vast.

Read more

> Forget 5G, development of 6G is really starting to heat up

> Huawei hopes to launch 6G products in 2030

> Here's our pick of the best mobile plans for businesses

“As [digitisation] takes hold, intelligent applications will see large-scale commercialisation and computing resources will be located across multiple clouds," said David Wang, chairman of Huawei’s ICT Infrastructure Management board. “Enterprises need to make use of computing power from multiple clouds at lower costs, with greater agility and flexibility.”

To accelerate the development of ‘5.5G’, Huawei wants the industry to develop a common roadmap within the frameworks of standardisation bodies like 3GPP and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

“As we move towards the 5.5G era, all industry players need to work together to bring standards to maturity and cultivate a thriving industry,” he said.

Although Huawei has endured many well-documented struggles in the US, the UK and in other markets, it is still a highly influential player in the world of telecommunications and IT, especially when it comes to networking technology.

It hopes that by establishing a leadership position in such standardisation it can maintain this influence despite any geopolitical difficulties. This will prove especially important in 6G, where Huawei hopes to launch its first compatible products by 2030.

• Here are the best 5G phone deals if you're looking for the current speed champs

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Twitter Gets 5-Day Trial in October Over $44B Musk Deal - CNET

Billionaire Elon Musk wanted to have the trial next year.

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Latest Tech News

Online computer and electronics retailer Newegg has just launched an all-new retail site, JustGPU.com, that sells one thing and one thing only. Can you guess what that is?

All kidding aside, JustGPU.com is selling all the best graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD right now and it is offering some incredible discounts on them.

Most incredible, though. is that this isn't just an ecommerce site, it's a major research tool for when you're graphics card shopping thanks to the site's extensive benchmark information on every card on the site.

“JustGPU.com simplifies the shopping experience for a large number of our customers who are specifically shopping only for GPUs and need resources to make informed decisions to upgrade their gaming PC builds,” Jim Tseng, Director of Product Management for Newegg, said in a statement. 

“Customers are spending a lot of time researching throughout the Internet for GPUs, including performance details and pricing," Tseng continued. "We’re reducing the hassle and frustration for customers by providing a streamlined resource with this new personalized shopping site.”

---

Analysis: It's just a Beta for now, but Boy Howdy

(Image credit: Newegg)

Bookmark JustGPU.com, you won't be sorry.

Whether you're looking to buy a graphics card right now, or you hope to do so in the near future, this site looks like it'll be a major benefit for consumers looking to upgrade.

When you click on "Shop all GPU," in addition to the price of the card, JustGPU will also give you breakdowns of how each GPU performs with many of the best PC games around, including Cyberpunk 2077, Far Cry 6, Forza Horizon 5, Elden Ring, and more.

It also lets you adjust the configurations a bit to see how the performance changes based on your resolution, and with various processor tiers. It's not a precise measurement, and we're pretty sure a lot of these scores are estimates, but from what we've seen in our time playing around on the site, the scores look pretty accurate.

And anything that helps customers buy the graphics card they want is great as far as we're concerned.

If you want to pursue our reviews of the best graphics cards, start here.

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Latest Gadgets News

The Redmi K50i 5G is set to launch in India today. The smartphone is expected to feature a triple rear camera setup.

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'Lightyear' Just Tipped When 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Will Start Streaming - CNET

Disney hasn't confirmed when its latest Marvel movie will hit Disney Plus, but the streaming release date for Lightyear gave the clearest hint yet.

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