Wednesday, April 5, 2023

ADT Home Security Review: Peace of Mind, but at a Hefty Price - CNET

Is ADT worth the money and installation time? CNET put it through its paces to determine if it's right for your home and security needs.

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Latest Gadgets News

The Western Railway (WR) on Wednesday launched a mobile application that will allow commuters to check the live status of trains on its suburban network spread between Churchgate station in south Mumbai and Dahanu in adjoining Palghar district. According to the zonal railway, the app, Yatra, also has several other features.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Home Internet Cheat Sheet: All Your Broadband Questions, Answered - CNET

Get expert advice on choosing a provider, saving money on your bill, keeping your Wi-Fi speedy and other home internet insights.

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Latest Tech News

Full spoilers follow for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. You have been warned.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has finally Goomba-stomped its way into theaters. And like any good Marvel and DCEU movie, one of our most highly anticipated new movies of the year comes equipped with a couple of post-credits scenes that tease the film series' future.

In our view, Nintendo, Universal Pictures, and Illumination's new big screen take on the Mario gaming franchise is a dazzling cinematic knock-out. You can read more on why we think it's so great in our spoiler-free review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie

But you're here because you want to know what the video game movie's mid- and post-credits scenes mean for future movies. Without further ado, then, here's the lowdown on The Super Mario Bros. Movie's end credits stingers.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie mid-credits scene explained: Peaches, Peaches, Peaches

Bowser laughs as he acquires the Super Star in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The film's mid-credits stinger finds Bowser imprisoned for his crimes. (Image credit: Universal Pictures/Nintendo)

The movie's mid-credits scene doesn't have any bearing on potential sequels to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In fact, it's an amusing rehash of a sequence seen earlier in the film.

This scene opens with Bowser sat at his piano once more, singing his 'Peaches' song. You know, the one the ballad he sung earlier in hilarious fashion. Of course you do. You wouldn't forget such a timeless love song – especially one co-written and performed by the brilliant Jack Black.

Initially, this rendition of 'Peaches' appears as if it'll be a longer version of the song Bowser belted out earlier on. After all, it's positioned as a music video-style rendition of the tune, which seems like it'll play alongside the rest of the credits.

Humorously, that's not the case. Bowser is stopped mid-flow by one of the Mushroom Kingdom's halberd-carrying Toad guards. The Toad in question tells Bowser to shut his mouth, at which point the camera pans back to reveal a tiny Bowser, sitting a a miniature piano, is locked in a birdcage.

Wait, why is Bowser so small? In the movie's climactic battle, Bowser is defeated by a Super Star-powered Mario and Luigi. After they put him in his place, Princess Peach feeds Bowser a blue, mini Mushroom, which shrinks Bowser down to a petite version of himself. Following his defeat, he's carted off to Peach's castle and locked away so he can't inflict further damage on the Mushroom Kingdom and its neighboring realms.

Unsurprisingly, the hot-headed Bowser isn't happy about being told to shut up by the guard. He angrily informs the guard he'll escape some day, but the guard ignores his lecture, instead closing the door behind him and switching the light off. Never mind, Bowser. We're sure someone will help you escape at some point...

The Super Mario Bros. Movie post-credits scene explained: Yoshi joins the battle

A pink-coloured Yoshi looks at someone off screen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

It sounds like Yoshi will be part of the next Super Mario Bros. Movie. (Image credit: Nintendo/Universal Pictures)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie's post-credits scene has more far-reaching implications than the mid-credits stinger does.

Here, we return to the underground pipe system where Mario and Luigi were initially transported to the Mushroom Kingdom early. The passageway has seen better days, mind you – after all, with Mario leading the giant Bullet Bill into the warp pipe in the film's third act (thus saving the Mushroom Kingdom from being blown up by said Bullet Bill), the projectile exploded as it exited the warp pipe, destroying the surrounding network of pipes.

The resulting explosion did more than ruin Brooklyn's water pipe system, though. The detonation resulted in the now-overpowered warp pipe inadvertently transporting a bunch of the film's main cast – and some other objects, which we're getting to – to Brooklyn. That's why the film's final showdown between the Mario brothers and Bowser takes place in the New York borough.

Once Bowser is beaten, everyone heads back to the Mushroom Kingdom – expect for one thing: a Yoshi egg. As the camera slowly zooms in on the object, it starts to hatch. The screen cuts to black as the egg breaks apart, and all we hear is the green-colored dinosaur saying his own name. Cue audience smiles and gasps all around.

Tanooki Mario evades a Bullet Bill in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Mario saves the day – and winds up causing Yoshi's egg to hatch. (Image credit: Universal Pictures/Nintendo)

If you recall the lead-up to Bowser and Peach's wedding-that-didn't-happen, one of the guests placing a Yoshi egg on the wedding gift table. This is the same egg that was sucked into the warp pipe later on. There's nothing like a good bit of foreshadowing, eh?

Yoshi's arrival in the Mario Cinematic Universe – we can call it the MCU, right? – means Nintendo, Universal, and Illumination can source from a whole suite of Mario and Yoshi games in a future film. They could adapt parts of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Super Mario Galaxy 2, which see Mario riding Yoshi. The trio might take inspiration from 1997's Yoshi's Island, which was briefly glimpsed (in some guise, anyway) in a montage scene in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. If the next Mario movie is even more of an ensemble piece, why not utilize Yoshi's abilities in the same way as Mario does in Super Mario Sunshine or Paper Mario?

Of course, a sequel to this film could deliver something wholly original. Yoshi has hatched in an underground part of Brooklyn, so he'll likely spook the city's population when he makes his way above ground. An early part of any Super Mario Bros. Movie follow-up could see Mario and Luigi trying to catch Yoshi and bring him back to the Mushroom Kingdom. We think another side-scrolling section would work very well for such a chase sequence. Make it so, Nintendo, Universal, and Illumination.

Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Toad, and Kranky Kong ride their karts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie could kickstart a cinematic franchise for Nintendo. (Image credit: Universal Pictures/Nintendo)

A joint Mario-Yoshi project doesn't need to be the next one that these three studios tackle, though. Seth Rogen, Charlie Day, and Keegan-Michael Key, who voice Donkey Kong, Luigi, and Toad respectively, have all expressed interest in playing their characters again in spin-off movies. If one or more of these are already in development, it could be a few years before we see Mario and Yoshi team up on the silver screen again (you know, after they did so in the terrible 1993 Super Mario Bros. live-action film).

Still, as long as The Super Mario Bros. Movie is successful, we'll be happy to wait for a sequel or two – no matter who's involved in them – if they end up being as good, if not better, than the legendary Italian plumber's latest cinematic adventure.

For more Super Mario Bros. Movie coverage, check out our exclusive chat with the movie's cast, which goes into detail about the latest Mario film aims to lay Nintendo's cinematic demons to rest.



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Latest Tech News

With the departure of Intel's Accelerated Graphics Unit head Raja Koduri, many feared that Intel Arc's future was in serious doubt, but there's some cause for hope as Intel reportedly placed a very large order with TSMC for Intel Arc GPUs for its next-gen graphics card lineup.

The new report comes from Taiwanese outlet Commercial Times, which cites insider sources to say that not only has Intel put in orders for TSMC silicon to power its next GPU line, Intel Arc Battlemage, but also the line after that, Intel Arc Celestial. This is a very strong sign that Intel is fully committing to its graphics card division after a fairly rocky start.

Intel Arc Alchemist hasn't gained the kind of foothold in the GPU market that a lot of us have hoped for, especially since they've generally been pretty tough to get a hold of and those cards that do exist in gamers' PCs have had some notable driver optimization issues. Still, the AMD and Nvidia duopoly doesn't do any of us any good, so having a third player in the fight would add some much-needed competition.

That may be coming sooner than expected, as one industry source said that the next-gen Battlemage cards, built on Intel's Xe2 architecture, will launch in the second half of 2024, with Intel Arc Celestial landing in the second half of 2026. This would put it several months after the launch of most of Nvidia and AMD's best graphics cards of this generation, so Intel is still behind the other two major players in terms of manufacturing cadence. Still, better late than not at all.

The source also indicates that Intel Arc Battlemage will be built on TSMC's 4nm process, with Celestial fabbed on its 3nm process.

Intel Arc is still in the fight

I was very concerned when Raja Koduri left Intel, since his departure could very well have signalled the end of Intel's discrete graphics card division. The economy hasn't been in the greatest shape, and Intel's financials have looked a bit soggy this past year, so there's every reason to think Koduri's exist was the final blow for the project.

That doesn't seem to be the case, and as Tom's Hardware notes, Intel is taking Arc Alchemist as a learning experience on how to better build Battlemage rather than as a cause for abandoning the effort altogether.

Given the rampant price inflation for GPUs in recent years, including from traditionally budget-friendly AMD, we desperately need another graphics card manufacturer putting out quality product to help keep prices down. The high-cost of entry for the market means only Intel can really step into that space, so its exit after Alchemist would have been extremely discouraging.

Fortunately, reports of Intel Arc's demise have been premature, and the hope of a competitive, and hopefully more affordable, line of graphics cards lives another day.



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UFC 287 Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya Livestream: How to Watch, Main Event Start Time - CNET

The rematch between Pereira and Adesanya is going to be huge.

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Latest Tech News

For almost all enterprise IT and security decision-makers, endpoint security or device trust and identity management are essential to a robust Zero Trust strategy. However, only a handful of organizations are actually putting an effort in this direction, leaving most firms at risk of destructive cyberattacks.

This is according to “The Holistic Identity Security Maturity Model: Raising the Bar for Cyber Resilience” report, recently published by identity security experts CyberArk. 

After polling 1,500 IT and security decision-makers around the world, that operate in a multi-cloud environment, the company found that for nearly all (92%) of the respondents, device trust and identity management are key for Zero Trust. Furthermore, roughly two-thirds (65%) of the respondents believe the ability to correlate data is critical for effectively securing endpoints. 

Mature and holistic strategies

But most companies have a long way to go in that respect. Less than a tenth (9%) of organizations were identified as having “mature and holistic” Identity Security strategies. For CyberArk, these firms are “transformative” and have a “well-rounded focus on implementing Identity Security tools”. They are also “inherently agile” and display a “fail fast, learn faster” characteristic, even when faced with a successfully pulled-off cyberattack.

CyberArk also hints that it’s going to take quite some time before things turn for the better, as 42% of all respondents’ Identity Security programs are in the early stages of maturity and lack foundational tools and integrations for a quick mitigation of identity-related risk. 

“An expanding identity attack surface, IT complexity and several organizational roadblocks contribute to this widespread Identity Security deficit,” the researchers concluded.

There also seems to be a perception gap between C-level executives and other staff (technical decision-makers and practitioners) when it comes to Identity Security-related decisions. While 69% of the C-suite believe they’re making the right calls, just 52% of other staff would agree. 



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9 of the Best Family Movies on HBO Max You Can Stream Now - CNET

Settle in with one of these great films that everyone in your household can enjoy.

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Monday, April 3, 2023

Latest Tech News

Industry analyst and notable iPhone leaker Ross Young suggests Apple is going to be holding back its LTPO display technology from several upcoming models for the next two years. 

You probably know LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) by its more user-friendly name ProMotion, which was first seen on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

All you need to about ProMotion is that it enables a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and can dynamically turn that rate down to 10Hz to save battery life. The feature found its way onto the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which extended the refresh range down to 1Hz. You’ll notice the base models for the two lines don’t support ProMotion. We were hoping things would change with the iPhone 15; although looking at Young’s recent Tweet, that may not be the case.

According to the post, the rumored iPhone 15 and subsequent iPhone 16 will continue to have LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) displays, which is the same type of OLED screen present on the iPhone 14. Basically, the screen quality will remain stagnant for base models until 2025 when the base and rumored iPhone 17 launches with ProMotion allowing it to catch up to five-year-old hardware. Additionally, every standard iPhone afterward will have the same tech. 

Display redesign

Aside from the screen, Young’s Tweet does reveal some pretty interesting tidbits. The long-awaited Under Panel Face ID is set to launch on the rumored iPhone 17 Pro complete with a small pin-sized hole for the selfie camera. Recently, Ross Young stated development for Under Panel Face ID hit a roadblock due to some sensor issues and it wouldn’t launch until 2025. Beyond that, the rumored iPhone 19 Pro in 2027 may have an “under panel camera” meaning there will no visible selfie lens.

The iPhone 15 may also be the first standard model to ditch the camera notch, according to Young’s information, instead opting for the Dynamic Island’s pill-like design. All the way in 2027, the base iPhone 19 is slated to have the same Under Panel Face ID tech mentioned earlier with the tiny lens.

Room for improvement

Be mindful that this is all leaked information and should be taken with a grain of salt. Things could always change at the last minute. There's a chance the iPhone 15 will have ProMotion. 

However, assuming Young is correct (given his track record, he probably is), this is really disappointing news. The standard iPhone 14 certainly has a nice screen with decent power behind it, but there’s room for improvement. It’s not very good at running video games. The iPhone 14 display is, as our Senior Mobile Editor Alex Walker-Todd put it, “just too slow; both for relaying user inputs and [tracking] moving threats or goal on-screen”. With the Pro models, it’s a different story, but then you’ll have to spend nearly $1000 on a phone.

Speaking of video games, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best gaming phones for 2023. Spoiler alert: the iPhone 14 Pro Max is on there. 



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Best Keto Meal Delivery for 2023 - CNET

You don't have to try every low-carb meal subscription -- we did that for you. These are the best keto meal delivery services.

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Dyson Airwrap vs. Revlon One-Step Volumizer: TikTok's Favorite Hair Tools Go Head to Head - CNET

Is the Dyson really worth $600 or will the Revlon's $40 hair tool suffice? That is the question.

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Skip the iOS 16.4 FOMO: Download It Now for New Emoji and Voice Isolation - CNET

If you want to improve your phone call quality, download iOS 16.4 right away.

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Latest Tech News

As the weather warms up, people will naturally begin planning their next vacation. Google, in response, is adding four new features across several platforms on smartphones in an effort to help users find good travel deals and build an itinerary.

Arguably the most impactful addition, Google Flights is getting a new price guarantee badge to indicate the current price of a ticket is the lowest it will be for that day. That price point will be monitored “every day until departure, and if it does go down,” Google states it will pay you back the difference via Google Pay. The badge is part of a new pilot program so its reach will be limited. It’ll only show information on flights departing from the United States. 

Google Search, on the other hand, is getting a new Stories-like feature for hotel listings where you can swipe through a series of images to give you an idea of what to expect. User reviews and the location’s website will be present on-screen for more information alongside a booking button. The third Search feature adds prices for local tourist attractions and tour companies with an accompanying booking link. Famous locations in particular will have suggestions underneath the listing “for related experiences”, almost like a mini “city-wide tour”.

And finally, Google Maps will be getting a Recents tab for desktop displaying recently searched locales on the left-hand menu. You can then place everything in a new list to be saved for the future or to be shared with friends. Recents will be available “globally starting next week” with no word on a mobile version yet. That same Maps post does mention other notable travel tools, but it’s all stuff we’ve seen before like Immersive View and the AR-based Live View

Availability

The Google Search update is currently rolling out to mobile with some already online. We were able to try out the hotel Stories slideshow, but neither the flight guarantee badge nor tourist attraction prices were available at the time of this writing. Additionally, we asked Google if the company has plans to expand its badge pilot program to other countries and flights arriving in the US. This story will be updated at a later time if we hear back.

Before you go on vacation, there are a couple of other tools we recommend you become familiar with. Google recently launched extreme heat alerts to Search to let people know of upcoming heat waves and what to do to stay cool. There's also the tracking tool on Maps allowing users to share their location with friends in case they get lost.

You can learn more about this tracking feature and more by checking out TechRadar’s list of the 10 things you didn’t know Google Maps could do.



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Best Solar Companies of 2023 - CNET

Wondering how to choose a solar installer? Start by taking a look at CNET's picks for the best national solar companies available.

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Sunday, April 2, 2023

Latest Gadgets News

Elon Musk on Sunday removed the gold "verified" marker from the New York Times' main account, after the publication said it wouldn't pay for the company's verification service. The microblogging site's CEO made the decision via a tweet, as the platform transitioned to a paid verification scheme over the weekend.

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Latest Tech News

These are the games we’ll be playing over the holidays this year. from Latest from TechRadar https://ift.tt/J7OIYod