Days before the launch of its new handheld, phone brand Nothing is whetting users' appetite by releasing a follow-up to its Ear (2) wireless earbuds – now in black.
There is more to the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds than just a shiny new paint job as the company has made some tweaks to address some of the issues we had with the original pair. Chief among these changes is the introduction of an Advanced Equalizer, which gives users the ability to create more detailed audio profiles.
To get the tool, you will have to first install the latest update for the Nothing X smartphone app. The patch introduces a series of sliding controls for adjusting audio gain as well as the frequency control. Once done, you can listen to the changes made through a real-time preview in case you want to make any additional tweaks.
The rest of the update is a series of optimizations for the Ear (2). Notable changes include improved Bluetooth connectivity and better call quality “when using Active Noise Cancellation (ACN) in ‘Adaptive’ mode.”
Speaking of which, the noise reduction effect will be more robust when utilizing ACN in “High mode”. The volume of prompt sounds have been adjusted too. In what capacity, we don’t know. Nothing didn’t provide a lot of details, though we did ask. We should also mention the Ear (stick) is getting Noise Reduction plus the Advanced Equalizer as well in this update.
To get everything you see here, launch Nothing X, go to the Device Settings, and select Firmware Update.
(Image credit: Nothing)
Apart from the software enhancements, the hardware on the Ear (2) is staying exactly the same. You still get the lightweight design housing a powerful 11.6mm customer driver on each side. The Ear (2) wireless earbuds are currently available for purchase from Nothing’s website for $149; same as the white model.
Room from improvement
We've complain about how mid-range vocal performances sound rather poorly coming out of the drivers in our Nothing Ear (2) review. With Advanced Equalizer, the voice problem has been effectively eliminated since you can now fine-tune the audio, which is great to see. However, we do wish Nothing had made the battery better on the black model as well. The buds by themselves last four hours on a single charge – one of the lowest in the industry.
With the case, the number is bumped up to 22.5 hours, which is okay. Still, just four hours on the buds? Hopefully the battery life on the Ear (3), if there are plans for a third, will be much better.
July 11 will be a big day for the brand as that’s when its next flagship device, the Nothing Phone 2, officially launches. We don’t know all the exact details of what the smartphone is bringing to the table, but a recent massive leak does reveal a ton of potential hardware upgrades from sporting a 6.7-inch OLED display to being powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset.
Razer has launched a new collection of gaming accessories based on the popular title PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, as part of a new partnership with Korean gaming conglomerate KRAFTON Inc.
There isn’t anything new in the lineup. The company is simply taking some of its older products and giving them a fresh coat of black and yellow paint inspired by the in-game desert map Miramar. But Razer isn’t skimping players out as the brand has selected some of its best peripherals to make up the trio.
You have the Razer Huntsman V2 keyboard whose tenkeyless version made it onto TechRadar’s list of the best gaming keyboards. Like the smaller model, the Huntsman V2 PUBG Edition comes with the company’s proprietary Optical Switches, utilizing infrared light to register key presses instead of metal-to-metal contact. These switches offer users a “true 8,000 HZ polling rate” to deliver a lightning-fast 0.2ms response time. That level of response could mean the difference between losing or earning the coveted Winner Winner Chicken Dinner victory screen.
Comfort and precision
Next are the Razer Barracuda X, a pair of headphones that we really like for its great sound quality as well as its long battery life. Razer claims it can last 20 hours on a single charge, although in our review, we were able to stretch the battery out “a few extra hours”. It may not be as high quality as something like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, one of the best gaming headsets right now. But at the very least, the Barracuda X supports spatial audio for extra immersion. These headphones can connect wirelessly to other gaming platforms so you can hop over to your PS5 seamlessly.
You can pre-order the PUBG Editions of both the Huntsman V2 and Barracuda on Razer’s website for just a little more than their base models. The keyboard will run you $229.99/€289.99 while the headphones cost $129.99/169.99. Shipping date is set for July 17 unless you pay an extra $10 to get them sent out on July 13.
What you can buy right now is the third device in the collection: the Viper V2 Pro PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Edition. It’s a wireless gaming mouse known for its comfortable, lightweight design. The Razer Viper V2 Pro is a great pick for shooting games. PUBG matches can last a while after all, so you might as well be comfortable. Other notable features include optical switches like those on the Huntsman V2 for fast response times plus a battery life of up to 80 hours. You purchase the PUBG version of the Viper V2 Pro also on Razer's website for $169.99.
While we have you, be sure to check TechRadar’s list of the best budget gaming PCs for 2023 if you’re looking to get a new rig to play PUBG on without breaking the bank.
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In the internet’s early days, it was much more difficult to build your own web service. You had to buy and maintain your own servers or enter binding long-term contracts with data center operators. This arrangement was inconvenient for most businesses, and the costs were high, meaning people weren’t too willing to take risks. However, cloud computing providers changed the game.
Cloud computing platforms operate servers and rent them to customers on demand. There’s no need to sign any long-term contract, as you only pay for what you use. Anyone can now host their cloud-based app conveniently and affordably. This arrangement is known as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
You can rent a server from an IaaS provider and run any operating system or application you want on it. You can decide which locations to rent from to ensure proximity to your users, which, in turn, delivers faster speed.
We tested different IaaS providers to identify the best ones. We narrowed our list based on important factors including pricing, features, performance, ease of use, customer support, etc. The platforms we selected have their pros and cons, but are, overall, the best ones you can choose to host your websites and apps.
How to choose an Iaas provider
Cost
Cost is the main consideration when choosing any service. You should choose an IaaS provider that you can afford in the long term to avoid troubles. Different providers have different pricing structures, so study them to identify any potential problems. For instance, some hosts are affordable in the beginning but become costlier as you scale. Always read the fine print to have the full picture of how the pricing works.
Performance and Reliability
Your IaaS provider must be a reliable one. You don’t want something that goes down frequently and causes you to lose money. The servers you rent should also deliver solid performance and make your website or online app load as quickly as possible.
The larger the data center network of your cloud provider, the better their reliability and redundancy. Performance depends on what type of servers they use and the proximity to your users.
Customer Support
Nothing is perfect including IaaS providers. Things can go wrong at any time, and you’ll likely need customer support. You should be able to contact a human support representative from your IaaS host to help you solve your issues. The host should also provide complementary support resources such as FAQs, user guides, video tutorials, and extensive documentation.
Google is the tech giant best known for its eponymous search engine. However, it has many other products, including the Google Cloud system. Compute Engine is an IaaS service offered as part of Google Cloud. It lets you deploy and run virtual machines on Google's powerful data center infrastructure.
You can easily create and manage your fleet of virtual machines via Google Compute Engine; the machines ran either run the Windows or Linux operating system. You can live-migrate virtual machines between different hosts without rebooting, meaning your applications will continue running even while the system needs maintenance.
You can create Confidential virtual machines that encrypt data while in use. Google says the Confidential VMs don’t compromise on performance despite the additional encryption. You can spin up VMs with up to 11.5 TB of RAM and 60 virtual centralized processing units (vCPUs), signaling Google Cloud’s high performance.
Google Compute Engine is known for its very high performance and cost-effectiveness. However, this platform has a steep learning curve, so you might it difficult to use at first.
(Image credit: Amazon)
2. Amazon EC2
Best for redundancy and reliability
Reliable
Scalable
Easy to configure
Opaque pricing
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s biggest cloud computing provider. The company operates over 125 data centers across the globe, delivering fast performance and reliability with this massive server network.
Amazon EC2 allows you to rent virtual computers from AWS to run your applications. You can choose your operating system, storage space, processor, and many other variables. AWS boasts of being the only cloud provider with 400 Gbps Ethernet networking, meaning unprecedented speeds. It's also the first major cloud provider supporting AMD, Intel, and Arm processors, so you can choose the one that best fits
your app.
EC2 is pay-as-you-go, so you only pay for the resources you use. However, the pricing structure isn’t straightforward, which makes it difficult to calculate what your final costs will be. AWS is known for being affordable at low usage but expensive if you use significant computing resources.
EC2 has advanced security features to keep your sensitive data safe. Overall, it offers one of the broadest feature sets you can find in an IaaS provider; this is an advantage, but means that you may face difficulty navigating through the numerous features. EC2 is infamous for having a complex interface, and you may need to hire dedicated AWS experts that don’t come cheap.
(Image credit: DigitalOcean)
3. DigitalOcean
Best for affordability
Ease to use
Easy to customize
Affordable
Limited features compared to the competition
DigitalOcean is a low-cost cloud computing provider that’s ideal for small businesses and individual use. You can rent virtual machines called Droplets and add more when required. The platform promises 99.99% uptime and advanced security features to keep your data safe.
DigitalOcean has very straightforward pricing. Droplets start from $4 per month, which is affordable, and you can deploy them in seconds. You can run any type of app you want with the Droplets.
DigitalOcean also offers Kubernetes clusters starting from $12 per month. You can deploy these clusters without much complexity.
The best thing about DigitalOcean is that it’s much more affordable than the competition. It’s also very easy to use, with an intuitive interface that you’ll likely find easy to navigate. Customer support is great, as often highlighted in user reviews.
However, DigitalOcean doesn’t offer as many complex features as you’ll find on rivals like Compute Engine and Amazon EC2.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
4. Azure Virtual Machines
Best for security
Scalable
Vast storage options
Very secure
Complex interface
Azure is a cloud computing service offered by Microsoft, the tech giant best known for its Windows operating system. Azure is the second-biggest cloud provider after AWS, with a network of over 100 data centers globally.
You can rent virtual machines on Azure running either the Windows or Linux operating system. You can deploy different types of software on these servers, e.g., SQL server, and SAP ERP.
Azure has very advanced security to protect you from malicious threats and guarantee secure network traffic. It has thousands of cybersecurity experts constantly identifying and thwarting potential threats.
This platform is very scalable. You can start from one virtual machine and go as high as you want as long as you pay. Azure virtual machines are known to be affordable, especially at a high scale. It’s pay-as-you-go, so you only pay for the resources you consume, just like with other cloud providers.
A major complaint about Azure is that it has a pretty complex interface. There’s a steep learning curve, but you can get used to it with time.
(Image credit: Akamai)
5. Linode
Best for Linux servers
Great customer support
Value for money
Limited features
Linode is a cloud hosting provider focused on Linux-powered virtual machines. You can rent powerful CPUs and servers running the Linux operating system, which is preferable for some people.
This platform is self-serve, so you can easily sign up and spin up the servers you need. You can rent CPUs with different levels of storage, RAM, and capacity. For instance, you can rent CPUs that need to be up throughout the day.
The virtual machines you rent can be dedicated or shared. The former is more expensive but gives better performance and speed. The latter is slower but still reliable to run your applications.
Linode is very secure, with bundled distributed denial of service (DDOS) protection and cloud firewalls. You can access many other extra features such as the Domain Name System (DNS) manager and a cloud management app.
Linode offers great value for money and has excellent customer support, as user reviews often point out. The drawback is that it’s limited to Linux and doesn’t offer as many features as you’ll find on rival IaaS providers.
What are the essential features of an IaaS provider?
1. Pay-As-You-Go
The main benefit of IaaS providers is that you don’t have to sign any long-term contracts to rent computing resources. You can just select the ones you want and pay as you go. You only pay for what you use, which makes it convenient and more affordable.
2. Scalability
You should be able to scale your computing needs with ease. Your IaaS provider should handle your increasing data storage and computing needs without hassle. You just need to select the additional resources you need and deploy them.
3. Security
You’ll be uploading sensitive data to your IaaS provider, so it should have sophisticated security features to prevent data leaks and theft. Losing customer data could lead to costly fines and lawsuits and losing sensitive business data could make you lose your competitive advantage.
4. Virtualization
Virtualization means creating virtual versions of computers or servers. One server can host several virtual machines, with each machine acting like its own separate server with distinct features. Your IaaS provider should let you deploy virtualized computing instances to support your app.
More on IaaS
Investing in your own IT infrastructure is a significant cost, regardless as to whether you're a startup or an expanding business.
It's not just the servers, but all aspects of your network that you will need to buy, and for some companies this can be prohibitive to growth. Even worse is that after a few years this hardware will need replacing as an additional cost.
However, advances in cloud computing mean that an alternative that is now available: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), in which a supplier already has their own servers and networks, and you simply rent the resources you need.
The big advantage is that pricing is much less than if you bought your own hardware, making it much easier for small companies to set up an extensive and professional IT infrastructure at the fraction of the cost.
Additionally, because you are only paying for what you need, there's no over-spend required for redundant systems, as IaaS is fully scaleable for as and when you need it.
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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off.
Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.
What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently.
But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too.
I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #527 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Quordle today (game #527) - hint #1 - Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #527) - hint #2 - total vowels
What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?
• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.
Quordle today (game #527) - hint #3 - repeated letters
Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.
Quordle today (game #527) - hint #4 - total letters
How many different letters are used in Quordle today?
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 13.
Quordle today (game #527) - hint #5 - uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.
Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know
What is Quordle?
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.
What are the Quordle rules?
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
What is a good Quordle strategy?
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
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