Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Best Budget Earbuds for 2024: Cheap Wireless Picks

In need of a new pair of earbuds but don't want to splurge? These are the best wireless yet affordable earbuds on the market, tested by our experts.

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Stress, cyberthreats and overworking are making cybersecurity professionals want to quit in droves, new research has claimed.

The findings from BlackFrog reveal almost a quarter (24%) of security heads are actively seeking a change of job, with over half (54%) not yet at the quitting point, but open to new opportunities.

Overwhelmingly, stress and demands are the main considerations for security pros looking to quit, with 93% stating these as the main cause of their decision to potentially leave.

Burnout reaching new highs

The report also found CISOs and IT security decision makers are also working overtime in an attempt to keep their business secure, with almost every respondent (98%) stating they work more than their contracted hours.

Of those exceeding their hours, 15% are working more than 16 hours of additional time per week in an attempt to defend against almost constant ransomware and malware attacks. The average security pro was found to put in just over an extra day (9 hours) of work per week.

The reasons given for increased stress mirror the changing threat landscape faced by security professionals, with 42% of respondents voicing their concern about the potential for threat actors to integrate AI tools into their attack vectors, with a quarter of respondents also citing data exfiltration as a top concern. 37% stated the threat of ransomware and malware attacks are a significant source of stress.

When it comes to managing stress, there are some positives. Sport and physical activity is recognized as a means of dealing with stress and complementing overall health, with 86% stating that they allocate time to activities. Sleep, on the other hand, is harder to come by, with only three quarters (75%) stating that they get enough shut-eye.

Despite working significant amounts of overtime, 82% of those surveyed said that they set a clear boundary between their work and private life. The downside however is just under half (45%) have used drugs or alcohol as a way to deal with the pressures of the job, and 69% said that they have been more unsociable.

Help is being offered from the upper management of businesses, with many being offered practical support for dealing with the stress of the job, including flexible hours (64%) and hybrid or remote working for their role (62%).

But security heads still believe that there's more to be done to manage their stress and keep them from quitting, with bigger budgets for security tools (41%) and time prioritization for the things that really matter (40%) stated as additional measures for relieving stress and burden.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Best AirPods Pro 2 Deals: Get a Pair With Up to $50 Off Right Here

The second-gen AirPods Pro are among the best wireless earbuds around and we found all the best prices.

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As computing shifts from single-chip processors to multi-chip systems, traditional communication methods, such as Network-on-Chip (NoC) and Network-in-Package (NiP), are becoming less efficient. To address these limitations, scientists are exploring terahertz frequencies for high-speed data transfer, despite the challenge of noise interference, which complicates data decoding.

A research team from universities in Australia and the US has been studying wireless communication at the chip level and looking at ways to reduce noise. By applying Floquet engineering, a quantum technique that manipulates electron behavior, they found they were able to improve terahertz signal detection.

When implemented in a two-dimensional semiconductor quantum well (2DSQW), the approach successfully mitigated noise and boosted signal clarity. The team’s findings suggest that this method could pave the way for more effective and reliable wireless communication between chiplets, offering a potential solution for the efficiency challenges faced in multi-chip systems.

Wide-ranging applications

The team also developed a dual-signaling system that uses two receivers to monitor noise levels and adjust signals in real-time, further reducing error rates.

Writing forTech Xplore, researchers Kosala Herath and Malin Premaratne explained, “By overcoming the challenges of noise and signal degradation, our dual-signaling technique marks a key advancement in developing high-speed, noise-resistant wireless communication for chiplets. This innovation brings us closer to creating more efficient, scalable, and adaptable computing systems for the technologies of tomorrow.”

Their findings were published in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.

As we previously reported, universities are also looking at ways of boosting the potential of terahertz technology in order to unlock bandwidth for future telecommunications.

The University of Adelaide has developed a polarization multiplexer that doubles data transmission capacity at terahertz frequencies, while researchers at the University of Notre Dame showcased a silicon topological beamformer chip capable of splitting a single terahertz signal into 54 smaller beams.

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Monday, October 14, 2024

Call of Duty Is Coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming on Game Pass Ultimate

Subscribers will be able to play these Call of Duty games without a console soon.

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The Insta360 Ace Pro from November 2023 remains the most powerful action camera we've tested, but that looks likely to change soon – according to some leaked marketing materials that spill the beans on a new Ace Pro 2.

As always, the source of these leaks is the reliable @Quadro_News on X (formerly Twitter, below), who's posted some useful slides that give us an idea of what to expect from Insta360's flagship GoPro rival.

Previous leaks had already told us that the Ace Pro 2 is likely to have a 1/1.3-inch main sensor (this time with a 50MP resolution, rather than 48MP). But it seems that the new action cam will pair its 5nm AI chip with some new silicon called the 'Pro Imaging Chip'.

Exactly what the latter does isn't clear, but from the other slides it will seemingly boost software features like PureVideo, which primarily handles low-light performance. From a slide of leaked specs, it seems the Ace Pro 2 will now be able to shoot Active HDR footage at 4K/60p (rather than maxing out at 4K/30p), while PureVideo will now be available for 4:3 clips alongside the usual 16:9 aspect ratio.

Another slide shows Insta360's 'Memories Album', which will seemingly use AI to help organize and potentially edit your clips (a bit like GoPro's Quik app). The PR material separately adds that the action cam "delivers high image quality in conditions unavailable to other action cameras" (no prizes for guessing who Insta360 is referring to).

There's still no news on a release date sadly, but these leaks suggest it'll be worth waiting a week or two if you're about to pull the trigger on a GoPro Hero 13 Black or DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Room for improvement?

Insta360 Ace Pro

(Image credit: Paul Hatton)

So far, it looks like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 will be a relatively minor upgrade of the Ace Pro – and there's no news yet on if it'll support 10-bit color depth, which Insta360 previously confirmed isn't possible on the current model due to hardware limitations.

That would certainly be a benefit to pro shooters who want to edit their footage or shoot in a 'flat' log profile. But given our Insta360 Ace Pro review called that camera "an absolute monster" without 10-bit video, the feature may not prove to be a deal-breaker for many either way.

The Ace Pro currently sits third in our guide to the best action cameras, with its lofty $449.99 / £429 / AU$729 price tag being one of the few things holding it back from eclipsing GoPro and DJI.

If it could add features like 'log' recording and develop its AI-powered features beyond low-light noise reduction, then it may yet grab that top spot when it launches – hopefully very soon, if these leaks are any sign.

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Sunday, October 13, 2024

Frontier Fiber Internet Review: Plans, Pricing, Speed and Availability

Frontier Fiber is set to be Verizon Fios in the future, so enjoy Frontier's fast speeds, low pricing and simple service terms while you can.

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Saturday, October 12, 2024

Best iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Cases for 2024

Protect your iPhone with one of the best cases for your iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, according to our experts.

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Latest Tech News

South Korean memory giant SK Hynix has announced it has begun the mass production of the world’s first 12-layer HBM3E, featuring a total memory capacity of 36GB, a huge increase from the previous 24GB capacity in the 8-layer configuration.

This new design was made possible by reducing the thickness of each DRAM chip by 40%, allowing more layers to be stacked while maintaining the same overall size. The company plans to start volume shipments by the end of 2024.

The HBM3E memory supports a bandwidth of 9600 MT/s, translating to an effective speed of 1.22 TB/s if used in an eight-stack configuration. The improvement makes it ideal for handling LLMs and AI workloads that require both speed and high capacity. The ability to process more data at faster rates enables AI models to run more efficiently.

Nvidia and AMD hardware

For advanced memory stacking, SK Hynix employs innovative packaging technologies, including Through Silicon Via (TSV) and the Mass Reflow Molded Underfill (MR-MUF) process. These methods are essential for maintaining the structural integrity and heat dissipation required for stable, high-performance operation in the new HBM3E. The improvements in heat dissipation performance are particularly important for maintaining reliability during intensive AI processing tasks.

In addition to its increased speed and capacity, the HBM3E is designed to offer enhanced stability, with SK Hynix’s proprietary packaging processes ensuring minimal warpage during stacking. The company’s MR-MUF technology allows for better management of internal pressure, reducing the chances of mechanical failures and ensuring long-term durability.

Early sampling for this 12-layer HBM3E product began in March 2024, with Nvidia’s Blackwell Ultra GPUs and AMD’s Instinct MI325X accelerators expected to be among the first to use this enhanced memory, taking advantage of up to 288GB of HBM3E to support complex AI computations. SK Hynix recently rejected a $374 million advanced payment from an unknown company to ensure it could provide Nvidia with enough HMB for its in-demand AI hardware.

“SK Hynix has once again broken through technological limits demonstrating our industry leadership in AI memory,” said Justin Kim, President (Head of AI Infra) at SK Hynix. “We will continue our position as the No.1 global AI memory provider as we steadily prepare next-generation memory products to overcome the challenges of the AI era.”

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Friday, October 11, 2024

Don't Miss Out On Your Chance to Nab the Jack Skellington Echo Dot Bundle for Just $63

It's time to get spooky! Just in time for Halloween, you can save up to 30% off the Jack Skellington shell and Echo Dot bundle.

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Latest Tech News

Windows 11 24H2 has got off to a somewhat wobbly start - with a number of bugs being discovered, though thankfully, there are no huge blunders (yet) - but one thing to be aware of is that the upgrade can take a pretty long time to install.

There’s an official Reddit thread detailing what features and changes users can expect to see with version 24H2 of Windows 11, as well as a FAQ section. And in the latter, Microsoft admits that 24H2 can be very slow going with respect to the time it takes to install.

Microsoft observes: “This is a significantly larger update than the regular monthly updates you have been installing up until now. In some cases, it can take a few hours to install, so be patient! You do not need to babysit it, and you can continue to use your computer during most of the installation.”

So, as noted, you can keep using your PC while the installation process is churning away in the background. Or so Microsoft assures us, anyway, though performance will be affected to some extent at times. And, of course, once the update is ready to go, you will be forced to sit through a whole lot of spinning circles and multiple reboots where you can’t do anything (with your PC, anyway).

An Acer Swift Go 14 laptop keyboard showing the Copilot button

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

What’s the secret of a great installation? Timing

If you want a rough idea of installation times, there’s a report from PC World which tested how long it takes to install Windows 11 24H2 on various laptops. While noting that Microsoft describes 24H2 as a ‘full OS swap’ to underline how noticeably bigger it is than previous updates, PC World recorded installation times varying from just over an hour, to one hour and 45 minutes. Four laptops were tested in total, with the average time taken for those devices being around an hour and a half. So yes, that is longer than most folks are used to - certainly these days anyway.

PC World notes that as you’d expect, as a general rule, older laptops take longer to update, and I echo its recommendation that you set aside some time in your day (an hour or two) if you want to update to version 24H2. Time during which you can at least keep glancing at, and keeping an eye on, your PC while it’s updating.

Windows 11 24H2 is in the process of being rolled out in a phased, gradual manner, and when it’s your device’s turn, the upgrade should be offered automatically. You can keep manually checking for it in Windows Update if you’re keen, though.

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Thursday, October 10, 2024

Latest Tech News

Rumors about AMD’s Radeon GRE graphics cards aren’t anything new, but the latest whisperings on the tech grapevine may be revealing something big for the upcoming CES 2025 event.

According to the latest leak from well-known hardware leaker Hoang Anh Phu (reported on by PCGamesN), we could be seeing an AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE graphics card reveal during the tech trade show next year. The post leak in question lists the model name of the card with the hashtag #CES2025.

Judging from previous RX 7000-series cards, the RX 7650 GRE model name could mean that it’ll be between the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT in terms of performance. The former is in competition with the Nvidia RTX 4070 and tends to retail for $449, while the latter competes with the RTX 4060 and is usually priced at $329.

Most likely then, the RX 7650 GRE will retail between $300-$400 if it does end up being confirmed. This would put it above the Radeon RX 7600 - easily the best cheap graphics card since the RTX 3060 - in terms of price but the tradeoff would be assumed superior performance and VRAM.

The AMD RX 7650 GRE and other 2025 launches could make for a great PC gaming year

There’s a good point to be made that the GRE branding tends to be given to cards that are released in China exclusively or first. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE going global after a Chinese-exclusive launch and subsequently upending the mid-range cards market, the chances of us seeing the worldwide release of the 7650 GRE (if this card really does exist) would be rather solid.

There’s also the chance that Team Red is planning on using the GRE label for new variants of its graphics cards, which lines up with the part of the leak that this particular card will debut during a Western tech trade show and not at a Chinese one. If this does end up being true, it would probably be the last of the RDNA 3 cards before RDNA 4 makes its debut.

In general, it seems like a good plan for gamers to wait until at least January 2025 before investing in a new graphics card, since not only is there this rumor but the fact that Team Red will also be launching said RDNA 4 cards next year. Team Green’s next-gen 5000-series cards are expected to launch in January as well, giving gamers even more options.

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Fidelity Data Breach Exposed Personal Data of 77,000 Customers

The cyberattack on Fidelity impacts a small percentage of customers. Here's what you can do if you're affected.

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Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Best Lightweight Laptop for 2024

Looking for an ultralight ultraportable? These are our favorite lightweight laptops, tested and reviewed by CNET's laptop experts.

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Latest Tech News

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have made significant strides in developing a structural battery that could drastically reduce the weight and energy consumption of vehicles and electronic devices.

The structural battery, made from a carbon fiber composite, functions as both a power source and a load-bearing component, making it ideal for a range of purposes. "We have succeeded in creating a battery made of carbon fiber composite that is as stiff as aluminum and energy-dense enough to be used commercially. Just like a human skeleton, the battery has several functions at the same time," said Richa Chaudhary, lead author of a paper recently published in Advanced Materials.

The battery offers an energy density of 30 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), which is lower than standard lithium-ion batteries but allows for a significant reduction in overall weight.

A huge boost for electric cars

Professor Leif Asp, who leads the research, explained that electric cars using this battery could see a huge boost in driving range. "Investing in light and energy-efficient vehicles is a matter of course if we are to economize on energy and think about future generations," said Asp. "We have made calculations on electric cars that show they could drive for up to 70 percent longer than today if they had competitive structural batteries."

The structural battery also has improved stiffness, now reaching 70 gigapascals (GPa), allowing it to carry loads as effectively as aluminum while being much lighter. Asp stated, "In terms of multifunctional properties, the new battery is twice as good as its predecessor – and actually the best ever made in the world."

Although the technology is still under development, Sinonus AB, a spin-off from Chalmers Ventures, is working to bring this innovation to the market. Asp envisions that lightweight laptops, mobile phones, and electric vehicle components will be among the first products to benefit from the structural battery.

The developed battery concept is based on a composite material and has carbon fibre as both the positive and negative electrodes – where the positive electrode is coated with lithium iron phosphate. The carbon fiber used in the electrode material is multifunctional. In the anode it acts as a reinforcement, as well as an electrical collector and active material. In the cathode it acts as a reinforcement, current collector, and as a scaffolding for the lithium to build on. In the image, thin current connectors are attached to the electrodes

(Image credit: Chalmers University of Technology / Henrik Sandsjö )

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Heat Domes and Surging Grid Demand Threaten US Power Grids with Blackouts

A new report shows a sharp increase in peak electricity demand, leading to blackout concerns in multiple states. Here's how experts say ...