Technology

Even though someone managed to secure early purchases of a couple of Core i9-12900K CPUs, we still didn’t have detailed information about Intel’s upcoming line of Alder Lake chips. A (now-removed, but shown below) sale page popped up on Micro Center, suggesting the chips will be available for $669.99 when they launch on November 4th. The spec sheet reveals this chip will have a 3.2GHz operating frequency, capable of 5.2GHz in Turbo Mode, with 16 cores and 30MB of L3 cache. As expected, the specs reveal it also supports DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen 5, and the Intel Z690 chipset motherboards that should go on sale at the same time. During its Architecture Day 2021 event in August, Intel promised Alder Lake chips with 16 cores using eight performance cores and eight efficient ones. This leak lines u...

Tennessee lawmakers have approved an $884 million incentive package for the “mega campus” near Memphis where Ford plans to make batteries and electric vehicles, according to the Tennessean. The money — which is coming from Tennessee’s current $2.1 billion budget surplus — is the single largest investment in the history of the state. It comes at a time when many major automakers are looking to build new facilities in the US dedicated to EVs, batteries, or other supply chain components necessary for electric vehicles. Ford itself has committed to spending more than $5 billion on the Tennessee project with South Korean battery company SK Innovation, which it calls “Blue Oval City.” Ford is also simultaneously spinning up battery factories in Kentucky. A $500 million grant, plus hundreds of mi...

For those looking to take their gaming experience to the next level, Samsung is elevating the playing field with its all-new Odyssey Neo G9 gaming monitor. The first of its kind, the Odyssey Neo G9 is a state-of-the art display that meets the standards of today’s gaming landscape with the ability to showcase the highest quality graphics as they were intended. The Odyssey Neo G9 is the world’s first curved mini LED gaming monitor, and this particular model builds further on its predecessor with even better picture quality, immersiveness and advanced technology. HYPEBEAST is giving fans an exclusive look at the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 that’s set to be elevate and complete the vibe of any room its placed in. One of the most enticing features of the gaming monitor is the picture quality, provid...

Twitter has shared the discoveries of a study that examined which news outlets and elected political officials are amplified by its algorithm. The study analyzed hundreds of millions of Tweets containing political content that linked to articles, published between April and August of last year. It then enlisted two independent organizations, AllSides and Ad Fontes Media, to categorize the news outlets based on media bias ratings. The platform discovered that certain political content, particularly right-wing content, is favored on its timeline. “Right-leaning news outlets, as defined by the independent organizations listed above, see greater algorithmic amplification on Twitter compared to left-leaning news outlets,” Twitter reported. Twitter users have had the option to view the timeline ...

The button is simple, almost plain. A flat black circle, simple dye-sublimated letters, and a small LED pinprick to let you know that it’s on. “EXTRA BASS,” it declares in tall, bold capitals. For indeed, the EXTRA BASS button only does one blindingly obvious thing: it adds extra bass. The speaker in question here is a Sony XB90 Extra Bass High Power Audio System. It is a product without pretension, without guile or duplicity. It has Extra Bass in the name, and the eponymous button is a microcosm of the device, a thing that encapsulates the form and function in a neat, tidy shorthand. This is not a speaker for listening to soft sonatas of Mozart or enjoying the sonic subtleties of a rare acoustic studio recording. It is a party speaker, with emphasis on the “party,” and if you don’t happen...

Indoor cameras are an awkward category. It’s hard to find a way to fit one into your home without feeling like Big Brother is watching you. My family hates having them in the house and only grudgingly lets me set them up to test as long as I take them down as soon as possible. Despite my assurances that the devices are set to not record when we’re home — they just don’t quite believe me. And they’re not alone. Making a camera prettier so it blends in better with your home — as is the case with Google’s newest $100 Nest Cam (indoor) — may feel like a step in the right direction, but it really isn’t. In the end, it’s still a big black eye staring at you — no matter how attractive its exterior casing. Verge Score 6 out of 10 Good Stuff Snappy (and free) smart alerts Nice design Good privacy f...

Samsung’s The Frame doubles as both wall art and an HDR-compatible QLED TV. The television offers a decor-friendly design while also displaying customizable images when somebody’s in the room. When turned on, however, it transforms into a smart 4K TV with Alexa built in that boasts a 120Hz refresh rate to display content smoothly. Right now, you can pick it up for its lowest price yet. For a limited time, you can buy the 65-inch 2021 model for $1,500 instead of $2,000 from Amazon. Samsung The Frame LCD TV (65-Inch, 2021) $1,498 $2,000 26% off Samsung’s The Frame is a smart, 4K TV designed to directly blend in with your home’s decor. The QLED panel can seamlessly switch from displaying whatever content it is you’re watching to idle scenes of decorative art. The Frame also boasts HDR, a 120H...

Nintendo has delayed its upcoming remaster of the first two Advance Wars games. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp had been set to release on December 3rd, but it will now be coming out sometime in spring 2022. “The game just needs a little more time for fine tuning,” Nintendo said in a tweet on Friday. The company announced the remasters of Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising at E3 2021, and Nintendo says they’re “reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up.” You can check out the board game-inspired aesthetic in the game’s debut trailer and in an E3 gameplay demo. [embedded content] Advance Wars is one of many recent game delays. In September, EA’s Battlefield 2042 was bumped nearly a month from October 22nd to November 19th. Last week, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring was pushed from ...

PUBG: New State, the upcoming free-to-play mobile game, will release on iOS and Android on November 11th, its publisher Krafton announced today. The game is set in the year 2051, and will offer a futuristic take on the multiplayer-focused PUBG formula with new features like weapon customization and in-game drones. New State will be available in over 200 countries and 17 languages at launch. New State is a significant launch for the PUBG series, which popularized the battle royale genre after the launch of its first title in 2017. Although New State isn’t its first mobile entry, following the launch of PUBG Mobile in 2018, it’s the first to have been made by the game’s original developer, PUBG Studios. Development of the original PUBG Mobile was handled primarily by Chinese tech giant Tence...

EpocCam, the app from streaming brand Elgato that lets you repurpose your iPhone as a webcam for your PC or Mac, has been updated with native support for Snap Lenses augmented reality filters, Elgato’s parent company Corsair has announced. The functionality comes thanks to a partnership with Snap, who already offers similar filters natively in the Snapchat app, as well as with its Snap Camera software. Now the functionality is included natively in the EpocCam app. There are a total of 15 Snap Lenses for EpocCam, which include virtual backgrounds, virtual masks, and customizable filters. “Become your digital avatar, colorize your hair, interact with animated characters, and much more,” promises Elgato’s website, which also notes that the Snap Lenses work with the free version of EpocCam as ...

In an effort to compete with Facebook’s continuously growing metaverse, Twitter is now branching out its own range of services by acquiring the London-based group chat app Sphere. Founded by Tomas Halgas and Nick D’Aloisio, who also created the news summary app Summly, Sphere focuses on building communities through chat rooms and spaces designed for people who share the same interests. The startup has previously reportedly raised upwards of $30 million USD across three rounds of funding, although the specific terms and figures of its acquisition by Twitter have not been made public. “It’s been a long and exciting journey to this point,” reads a blog post from Sphere announcing the acquisition. “Like many startups, Sphere started with a very different mission — to help anyone find and share...

Months after we predicted that Stadia would soon become a white-label cloud-gaming service, AT&T appears to be taking Google up on the idea. AT&T is offering a free browser-based version of Batman: Arkham Knight exclusively for wireless customers that makes use of Stadia’s technology. AT&T confirmed that its new game streaming experience runs on Google Stadia’s tech (via 9to5Google). Google announced the shutdown of its internal Stadia game studio in February. While Stadia is still available and supported by Google, the studio shutdown means Google is relying on third parties to provide all the games, and it opens up the potential for Google’s partners to use the tech. AT&T is apparently the first of those partners — it released a browser-based demo of Batman: Arkham Knight...