XAMI

Intel wasn't expected to officially reveal their line-up of Kaby Lake desktop processors until early next year, as the company announced at IDF several months ago. However, they have essentially leaked details of their own unannounced CPUs through a product change notification (PCN) document, which was intended for manufacturing partners but published publicly. In the PCN document, Intel lists ten desktop-class Kaby Lake Core processors and one Xeon product, along with their base clock speeds and product codes. As expected, Intel is using a similar naming scheme to Skylake: K-designators for unlocked 95W parts, T-designators for low-power 35W parts, and no suffix for regular 65W parts. We can also expect to see a similar core configuration here, with Core i7 products receiving four cores and eight threads, while Core i5 CPUs get four cores and four threads. Cheaper Core i3 parts will be dual-core with four threads. The main change moving from Skylake to Kaby Lake appears to be a slight increase in base clock speeds, somewhere in the 100 to 300 MHz range depending on model. Intel's refined 14nm+ manufacturing process allows these clock speed gains at no cost to power consumption, and users can also look forward to minor Speed Shift improvements as well. A separate document has revealed Intel's upcoming chipset names, and again they aren't a massive surprise. At the top end we're looking at the Z270 chipset, while we can also expect H270, B250, Q270 and Q250. Additionally, Intel revealed the C422 and X299 chipsets, which could be next-generation products for server and enthusiast processors respectively.

If you are an Android user you may have noticed how some apps are prominently featured in the Pay Store, even though some times they don’t seem to deserve it. They do this through fraudulent installs, fake reviews, and incentivized ratings. Well, Google is on to them. Today the company announced that it's rolling out improved detection and filtering systems to help rid the visibility of less-than-stellar applications in Android's app marketplace. Writing on the Android Developers Blog, Google Search Quality Analyst Kazushi Nagayama and Product Manager Andrew Ahn, noted that this type of mani[CENSORED]tion violates the Google Play developer policy and harms other developers by hindering their chances of being discovered or recommended. “Ultimately, they put the end users at risk of making wrong decisions based on inaccurate, unauthentic information,” the post reads. Nagayama and Ahn said that if an install is conducted with the intention to mani[CENSORED]te an app's placement on Google Play, Google’s systems will detect and filter it. Developers who continue to exhibit such behaviors could have their apps taken down from Google Play. Developers are still allowed to use marketing firms and third-party promoters, but Google cautions to ensure that any promotions for apps are "based on legitimate practices."

Nintendo hasn’t rushed to reveal the technical details of its upcoming Switch console. The lack of information saw the company’s shares fall 7 percent, as investors worried that the machine could turn out to be another Wii U-style flop. But some of the Switch’s rumored specs have been revealed over the last few days, and they could help ease concerns. In the Switch’s preview trailer released earlier this month, there is no mention of the device’s touchscreen. With none of the actors in the video actually touching the display, could it be possible that it may not possess this ubiquitous feature? Thankfully, it seems this isn’t the case. The Switch will reportedly use a 6.2-inch, 720p 10-point multitouch capacitive screen, according to Eurogamer. If accurate, it will be an upgrade from the 3DS and Wii U’s resistive, single-touch only screens. While Nintendo has revealed that the Switch features a custom Nvidia Tegra chip, there have been few other details surrounding the platform’s specs. But according to a Tweet from long-term Nintendo blogger Emily Rogers, the Switch will have 4GB of RAM – double the amount found in the Wii U. 4GB may be half that of the PS4 and Xbox One, but Nintendo’s hybrid handheld device is a lot less demanding than the current generation of consoles, and it hasn’t been designed to challenge them in the graphics department. But the news has come as bit of a disappointment to some fans, who were hoping for 8GB. More information has leaked regarding the Switch’s cartridges which will reportedly come in a ‘standard’ size of 16GB. There was also talk of the console’s arrival spelling the end for the 3DS, but according to Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, that won’t happen. “Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing. So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form.” Kimishima told Bloomberg. In the same interview, the Nintendo boss was asked if the Switch would have virtual reality capabilities. And although they seem unlikely to be present at launch, VR games could arrive in the future. "If you asked as if this might be possible in the future, certainly we can't say no," he said. "In terms of how it can be used for gaming, it's something we must consider. It depends on the system specifications. I can't say that we have no interest in VR because VR offers new ways of playing, but that depends on what kind of software can be played.” One person excited by the Switch's arrival is Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata. Speaking to French site Gameblog, he said: “I’m very interested in this machine! As a player, but also as a developer. The Nintendo Switch that you can transform into a controller, that you can put into a dock, that you can move around with, on which you can replace elements. It’s been a while that I’ve told myself that I would like to make games on a Nintendo machine, so if the Nintendo Switch could be that opportunity, I’ll be delighted!” The Nintendo Switch is set for release in March 2017.

Apple on Thursday gave its MacBook Pro line a long overdue refresh. While most were transfixed on the new TouchBar that replaces the row of function keys, others were more intrigued by AMD’s new Radeon Pro 400 Series graphics processors. Based on AMD’s Polaris architecture and built using a 14-nanometer FinFET manufacturing process, the new graphics processors feature a thermal envelope of less than 35 watts. AMD has also made use of a process known as “die thinning” that reduces the thickness of each silicon wafer from 780 microns down to just 380 microns which is slightly less than the thickness of four sheets of paper. As for specifications, the Radeon Pro 450 features 640 stream processors (10 compute units) with peak performance rated at up to one teraflop. The Radeon Pro 455 checks in with 768 stream processors (12 compute units) and 1.3 teraflops of performance while the highest-end Radeon Pro 460 packs 1,024 stream processors (16 compute units) and is good for up to 1.86 teraflops. All three offer 80GB/s of memory bandwidth. Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group, AMD, said they couldn’t be more proud to have Radeon Pro 400 Series Graphics launching in the new 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Pro is scheduled to ship in two to three weeks with pricing starting at $2,399.

Welcome back javed!

Many people are fans of female-voiced virtual assistants such as Siri; some may even say they love them. But there are an increasing number of lonely individuals who have formed an infatuation with these AIs and are turning to them for companionship and “sexually explicit” conversations. That’s the opinion of Ilya Eckstein, the CEO of Robin Labs. He told The Times that Robin - his company's own virtual assistant – was being used by some people an excessive amount of times each day, and often for the kind of conversations you shouldn’t be having with a machine. "There are guys who talk to Robin 300 times a day. This happens because people are lonely and bored. It's mostly teenagers and truckers who don't have girlfriends. They really need an outlet,” Eckstein said. "It's a symptom of our society. As well as the people who want to talk dirty, there are men who want a deeper sort of relationship or companionship." Eckstein said that around 5 percent of conversations with Robin are of an explicit nature, while a third of interactions with the AI take place for no reason – users just want to talk to ‘someone.’ The strange practice goes beyond teenagers trying to get a machine to talk dirty (there are entire YouTube videos dedicated to it), or long-distance truckers desperate for a conversation - even one involving an AI. Eckstein said there are those who use the virtual assistants to act out their fantasies. "People want to flirt, they want to dream about a subservient girlfriend, or even a sexual slave. It may just be more for laughs, or something deeper underneath the surface," he said. Microsoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana, also has to fend off its share of unwelcome advances from lonely men. Speaking at this year’s Virtual Assistant Summit, Deborah Harrison, one of the AIs writers, said that "a good chunk of the volume of early-on inquiries" were about Cortana’s sex life. Humans forming intimate relations with machines has been the subject of many TV shows and movies, and as technology becomes increasingly advanced and AI more human-like, it’s not surprising to learn people are using virtual assistants for more than just restaurant bookings and directions.

Apple has taken the wraps off the new MacBook Pro, in what’s the biggest redesign to its professional notebook family since dropping the DVD drive and switching to Retina displays. It sports a thinner and lighter all-metal design with a new oversized trackpad, a redesigned keyboard, upgraded specs, four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, Touch ID, and of course, the not-so-secret OLED touch strip replacing the function key row. The latter is officially known as TouchBar and as expected it will show different shortcut buttons based on what app is open. One might be quick to dismiss it as gimmicky but a few minutes into the demonstration, it was easy to see how it can be genuinely useful, versatile and flexible. It can be used to browse Safari, access predictive typing and emojis, adjust volume, or edit photos, navigating a video without leaving full-screen mode, and more. For now TouchBar is primarily tuned to the company’s own software offerings but developers are able to add support for the new feature in their own apps. Key partners including Adobe and Microsoft are committed to adding support in Creative Suite and Office. There’s a dedicated virtual button for Siri on the main TouchBar screen, and users can further customize the bar by dragging and dropping buttons from a Notification Center-like pane that pops up from the bottom of the screen. Over to the right is the Touch ID sensor covered in sapphire glass, allowing users to login with just their fingerprint — the feature supports multi-user setups so you can quickly switch between accounts with a finger scan. Aside from password-free logins, Touch ID can also be used to authenticate Apple Pay purchases, so you can skip all the form filling process on sites that support the payment option. All sensitive data and private keys required for Touch ID to work will be kept on a new T1 chip that includes a secure enclave, similar to how this works on the iPhone and iPad. In terms of design, this is the thinnest and lightest version of the Pro to date. The 13-inch model is just 14.9 millimeters thin, or 17 percent thinner than the previous generation. It's also 23 percent smaller in volume, and weighs 3 pounds, almost a half a pound less than its predecessor. The 15-inch model is 15.5 millimeters thin, or 14 percent thinner than the last model. It also has 20 percent less volume, and weighs in at 4 pounds. The redesigned Force Touch trackpad is twice as large as the trackpad on the previous generation — it’s ridiculously large. The keyboard has also been updated with the second-generation of Apple’s “butterfly” switch mechanism that debuted on the 12-inch MacBook. The new Pros come with Intel’s sixth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 processors, Intel Iris or AMD Radeon Pro graphics, fast SSD storage and a new cooling system. Both the 13- and 15-inch have four Thunderbolt 3 ports in USB-C form factor and any one of them can be used for hooking up peripherals, displays, storage or for charging (MagSafe is gone). The headphone jack is still there in case you were worried, but the SD card slot isn’t. The new MacBook Pro’s display is 67% brighter and shows 25% more color than Apple’s previous generation Pro laptop, while battery life remains at 10 hours. The 13-inch models start at $1,799 featuring a dual-core, 2.9 GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage and integrated Iris graphics. The 15-inch models will set you back at least $2,399 for a quad-core 2.6 GHz Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and discrete AMD Radeon Pro 450 graphics. Apple is also selling a version of the 13-inch Pro with conventional function keys for $1,499, though it also drops the number of ports to two and uses an Iris 540 GPU instead of the 550.

Twitter on Thursday revealed third quarter earnings that beat analysts’ expectations. The report also confirmed rumors that the microblogging platform would be laying off nearly a tenth of its global workforce, or just over 300 employees. A brief note published on Medium shortly after revealed that one of the departments hit hardest by the layoffs is the Vine team. In fact, the entire division is getting the axe. Twitter said that in the coming months, it will be discontinuing the Vine mobile app. There’s no reason to fret today, we’re told, as the team promised to handle the closing “the right way” by providing users with the ability to access and download their Vines. What’s more, Twitter will be keeping the Vine website online as they feel it’s important to still be able to watch all of the videos that have been made. Users will also be notified before any changes are made to the app or website. Vine was founded by Colin Kroll, Rus Yusupov and Dom Hofmann in June 2012 before being acquired by Twitter later that year for a reported $30 million. The app didn’t go live until the following year, rolling out first for iOS users followed by Android roughly five months later. The app was an instant hit but its staying power didn’t last. Facebook added a video sharing element to Instagram in mid-2013 and as The Verge correctly highlights, Twitter was characteristically slow to add new features. Although a slightly different type of product, Twitter’s decision to acquire and launch Periscope likely didn’t help Vine’s chances.

Xbox One gamers looking to stack the odds in their favor (short of cheating, of course) have at their disposal the Elite wireless controller, a pro-level gamepad that offers swappable thumbsticks and D-pads as well as interchangeable paddles, trigger locks and more. The PlayStation 4 crowd, however, hasn’t had a comparable (official) solution… until now. In lieu of creating its own professional-grade gamepad, Sony has recruited peripheral specialists Razer and Nacon to do its bidding. Here’s what they’ve come up with. Razer’s Raiju gaming controller features two extra bumpers and two extra detachable triggers, an integrated control panel on the front, trigger-stop switches and hair trigger modes, two custom profiles that you can switch between on-the-fly, a 3.5mm headset jack with dedicated volume and mic mute controls and detachable analog stick rubber caps for added grip. The Nacon Revolution, meanwhile, offers an eight-way directional pad, 46° amplitude dual analog sticks with enhanced firmware for accuracy and reach, four custom profiles and two internal compartments with six additional weights to help balance weight and feel. Sony says both officially licensed controllers will be available for purchase in time for the holidays. No word yet on pricing although given the $149 price point of the Xbox One Elite controller, I wouldn’t expect either to be “cheap.” As a prospective buyer, I’d also want to know what sort of battery life to expect before making a purchase.

AirPods, the wireless audio solution that Apple hopes will make iPhone 7 users forget all about that missing 3.5mm headphone jack, have been delayed. Apple issued a statement to various media stating that the early response to AirPods has been incredible. Because the company doesn’t believe in shipping a product before it is ready, however, they still need a little more time before they’re ready for customers. The Cupertino-based company didn’t provide a timeline as to when they will be ready for retail nor did it specify the nature of the delay. As Digital Trends points out, several tech publications were granted early access to pre-production review units and although there were some minor issues found, there was no universal fault that would explain a global delay. One journalist did, however, note that his were starting to separate at a seam. The new W1 chip inside the AirPods probably isn’t to blame either as Beats-branded headphones using the chip are readily available. Shortages in the supply chain can also likely be ruled out as low initial inventory hasn’t kept other Apple products sidelined. Given that Apple has already announced the delay, we’re unlikely to hear anything about it during the Mac media event. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Apple’s AirPods will retail for $159 whenever they do arrive.

Microsoft at its New York City media event this morning shored up rumors of a Surface-branded all-in-one (AIO) with its introduction of the Surface Studio. Designed for “creators” and “professionals,” the Surface Studio features a 28-inch TrueColor (multiple color gamuts) touch display (3:2 aspect ratio) in a 12.5mm chassis that features 13.5 million pixels (192 PPI). Microsoft says that’s 63 percent more than a 4K TV. Redmond spent a significant amount of time talking about the screen and is clearly proud of what it has created. Indeed, the screen – and by proxy, the entire system – looks stunning. Unlike some AIOs that build the guts of the machine into the back of the display, Microsoft has chosen to put the hardware in the base / stand. Inside, you’ll find up to a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 CPU (no Kaby Lake love?), Nvidia 980M graphics with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 2TB “rapid hybrid drive” for storage. Power comes courtesy of a 270-watt power supply, we’re told. Connectivity-wise, the Surface Studio offers 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, built-in support for Xbox wireless controllers, four USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SD card reader, a mini DisplayPort and a 3.5mm headphone jack. A 5-megapixel front-facing camera works with Windows Hello, as do the dual microphones. In addition to being compatible with the Surface Pen, the Surface Studio can also be paired with a new input device called the Surface Dial. Pressing the dial down will bring to life an onscreen radial menu that can be interacted with simply by rotating the dial left or right. Additionally, the dial can be used as a scroll wheel to quickly zip through websites, documents and so on. Microsoft is now accepting pre-orders for the Surface Studio with a launch slated for December 15. Pricing starts at $2,999 for an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 965M GPU and 1TB of storage and scales up to $4,199 with an Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM, a GTX 980M and 2TB of storage.

If you’re like me, it’s not uncommon to have dozens of tabs loaded across multiple displays. While having that many tabs open doesn’t typically present much of a problem, it can be quite taxing if you happen to launch them all at once – especially if you are running dated hardware and / or are lacking in the RAM department. It’s this very scenario that web browser maker Opera has tackled in its latest release. Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Global Engineering for Opera, notes in a recent blog post that Opera 41 includes a smarter startup sequence that eliminates a significant amount of wait time when opening multiple tabs at once as demonstrated in the clip above. It does this by prioritizing which of your previously used tabs are likely to be the most important to you – namely, the ones you had opened most recently. Kolondra says that in tests with more than 42 tabs open in the previous session, startup time can be improved by up to 86 percent. Elsewhere, when using battery saving mode, Opera 41 can now detect which codec can be hardware-accelerated and will try to choose said codec when video conferencing via WebRTC. The new browser also delivers a fully hardware-accelerated video pop-out. Again, this should reduce the strain put on the CPU and free up resources for other tasks.

Google is taking on Microsoft’s Surface Hub with its own 55-inch 4K wall-mounted touchscreen aimed at businesses. The Jamboard is a cloud-connected digital whiteboard that lets teams collaborate on projects even when people are in different locations. The display, which runs Android and a new whiteboarding app, lets users draw, type, import/edit images and Google docs, do web searches in a mini browser, add post-it notes, place stickers, and more, all while automatically saving everything to Google Drive. The Jamboard’s built-in HD camera, speakers, and Wi-Fi lets teams use Hangouts, allowing them to broadcast their work globally. Support for YouTube will arrive at a later date, and third-party developers will eventually be able to create apps that run on Jamboard. Google’s device can recognize up to 16 simultaneous touch inputs, and its passive stylus (no batteries or Bluetooth connection required) may look chunky, but it can draw a line just 1mm thick. It also comes with a round eraser, though you can also use your finger to remove stuff. Probably the most important element of the Jamboard is its remote collaboration features. Teams from around the world can watch and contribute to “jam” sessions using their own Jamboards, or participate using the full companion tablet app for iOS and Android. There’s also a smartphone app that lets users follow along and contribute. The Jamboard can be wall mounted or rolled around on a stand, and it comes with USB and HDMI ports. Google said it has already been testing and refining the device with companies such as Netflix and Spotify. The Jamboard will be available for G Suite customers in the first half of 2017 for less than $6000, making it cheaper than Microsoft’s $8999 55-inch Surface Hub. There’s an early adopter program for those who can’t wait until next year.

It seems Apple can no longer keep a secret, with leaks and rumors of new product launches and details of upcoming products being right on the money again and again as of late. What's more, this latest leak comes directly from Apple. Yesterday, macOS Sierra 10.12.1 was released and it took no time for people to notice Apple Pay images showing the new MacBook Pro and its OLED touch panel that is set to replace the function key row (supposedly to be called the 'Magic Toolbar'). There are a few other details shown, like Touch ID clearly being supported, a new hinge that could point to a redesigned thinner profile, and no Escape key on the top left corner of what appears to be the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. With a Microsoft Surface event scheduled for today (a day before Apple's) one has to wonder if the leak was not made on purpose to steal some more of Microsoft's thunder. Apple has sent out invitations to members of the press for an event at its Cupertino headquarters on October 27. As usual, the invitation is light on details, though the company is widely expected to refresh its Mac lineup. The tagline on the invite is "hello again," likely in reference to the original Macintosh unveiling in 1984. An update to the MacBook Pro line is pretty much a given — the Retina MacBook Pro hasn’t seen an update in over a year. Rumors point to a set of touch-sensitive OLED keys on the MacBook Pro to replace the function row along the top of the keyboard, possibly dubbed “Control Strip”, allowing those keys to change based on the application you’re using. Many expect the addition of Touch ID for secure user logins, as well as authenticating transactions through the company’s Apple Pay service in apps and Safari. And there are also reports that Apple will move to USB-C exclusively, dropping classic USB and its own MagSafe power connector in favor of the all-in-one port it uses on the smaller 12-inch MacBook — hopefully they’ll squeeze more than one USB Type-C port this time around, though. On the MacBook Air side, there are rumors that the company might kill off 11-inch version of its po[CENSORED]r laptop and update the 13-inch model with fresher specs and USB-C. There hasn’t been much action on the desktop side for Apple either so we’ll see if the company has any plans on that front. The company has been rumored to be working on a 5K display with its own GPU to replace the discontinued Thunderbolt Display.

First and foremost, why do you need a Wi-Fi information/optimization tool? Although the range of functions varies in the programs listed here, they all share a common goal which is to provide the necessary information about the Wi-Fi networks available so you can choose the best options for you. This ensures optimal performance and top speeds. Most of the programs recommended below offer network details like signal strength, addresses, and channels, but some offer extra features like network troubleshooting and security options. You can use these tools to study your wireless network at home, work, or in public areas. Identify rooms or spots where there is signal weakness, interference between wireless devices, obstacles that might cause dips in performance, and rogue connections stealing your Wi-Fi. For gamers, they can help prevent lag, and in public areas choose the safest connection available -- if there was such a thing. Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector Designed to provide real time monitoring of wireless network status, Wi-Fi Inspector 2.0 is available for Windows and macOS and supports the latest Wi-Fi standards, including 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 technology. In addition to real-time monitoring, Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector can detect rogue access points and can work as an IT assistant with easy to use troubleshooting tools. Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector is freeware. InSSIDer This Wi-Fi network discovery tool displays every wireless hotspot’s MAC address, encryption, signal strength, and channel. inSSIDer is one of the most po[CENSORED]r Wi-Fi troubleshooting apps out there and is available for Windows, macOS and Android, but it's not free. The full version ($19.99) helps you measure signal strength and estimate the performance of your Wi-Fi in various locations. See how walls, stairways, and doors affect your wireless network coverage. Insider tip (no pun intended): the previous version of inSSIDer which was free is still around if you want to give it a try. WifiInfoView WifiInfoView scans the wireless networks in your area and displays extensive information about them. This includes: Network Name (SSID), MAC Address, PHY Type (802.11g or 802.11n), RSSI, Signal Quality, Frequency, Channel Number, Maximum Speed, Company Name, Router Model and Router Name (for routers that provide this information), and more. WifiInfoView also has a summary mode, which shows all detected wireless networks, grouped by channel number and maximum speed.WifiInfoView is freeware and available for Windows only. Wifi Analyzer for Android Turns your Android phone into a Wi-Fi analyzer, clever, huh?. Wifi Analyzer is a handy tool which helps you to select a better channel for your wireless router. Shows the Wi-Fi channels around you. Helps you to find a less crowded channel for your wireless router. Wi-Fi Analyzer has several handy views like channel graph, time graph, channel rating, AP list, and signal meter. It also includes a tool called Lan neighbors, which offer information about nearby routers, and OUI lookup, which also you to check MAC addresses. NetSurveyor NetSurveyor can be used to verify that your network is set up correctly, find areas with poor WLAN coverage, detect interference in your network, and detect unauthorized "rogue" access points. The data is displayed using a variety of different diagnostic views and charts. Data can be recorded for extended periods and played-back at a later time. Also, reports can be generated in Adobe PDF format. NetSurveyor is free and because of its visual nature it can also be used as a learning tool to help understand the relationship between access points, wireless networks, and client stations. NetSurveyor is available for Windows only.

Samsung fans still reeling from the Galaxy Note 7’s recall can look forward to an S Pen after all albeit on a different mobile platform. That’s because the South Korean electronics giant will be bringing its Galaxy Tab A 10.1 tablet with S Pen stateside later this month. The upcoming slate features a 10.1-inch TFT LCD WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200) panel with anti-glare and a blue light filter to reduce eye strain. Samsung’s own Exynos 7870 – a 1.6GHz octa-core (Cortex-A53) chip with Mali-T830 graphics built on a 14nm FinFET process – can be found under the proverbial hood. It’ll also come with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of local storage that’s fortunately expandable via microSD card slot. An 8.0-megapixel camera is positioned on the back of the tablet with a 2.0-megapixel shooter up front. 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 LE draw the assignment in terms of wireless connectivity while its 7,300mAh battery can reportedly last for up to 13 hours of continuous video playback. Samsung didn’t mention a 4G LTE model so I’m assuming that’s not an option for the US version. A single USB 2.0 port handles charging and wired connectivity duties. It’ll ship running Android 6.0 Marshmallow which, with any luck, will get Nougat in the not-too-distant future. Physically, the slate measures 10.0 inches x 6.46 inches x 0.32 inches and weighs 1.22 pounds. Expect to pay $349.99 when it arrives on October 28 in your choice of black or white color schemes.

The Chinese electronics firm that created many of the IoT devices used in last week’s DDoS attack on DNS service provider Dyn is issuing a product recall in the US. Researchers said Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology’s products, such as webcams and digital video recorders, were able to aid the assault because of their basic security errors. The unprecedented attack, which knocked off several major websites for hours, was caused by the Mirai malware. It seeks out internet of things devices that use factory-default usernames and passwords before exploiting them and forcing the products to join botnets used in DDoS attacks. Security researchers say Xiongmai’s easy-to-guess default passwords and the inability to set a password on some forms of connection meant their products made up the majority of the devices used in the attack. The company denied this, and stated that users should change the default passwords. “Security issues are a problem facing all mankind. Since industry giants have experienced them, Xiongmai is not afraid to experience them once, too,” the company said in a statement. The recall will mainly affect webcams made by Xiongmai. The company is also issuing a patch for products made before April 2015 and improving the password function of its devices. Chinese firm Dahua Technology said that some of its older products were also vulnerable to these sort of attacks. It is now offering firmware updates and discounts for customers wishing to exchange devices. As the po[CENSORED]rity of IoT devices continues to grow, an increasing number of hackers are exploiting the poor security found in these products. “For something with so much promise, and marketing opportunities, the Internet of Things is a total mess, at least from a security standpoint, ” Lee Munson, Security Researcher for Comparitech.com, told me. “The fact that Xiongmai is recalling devices in the wake of the Dyn DDoS attack just reeks of another manufacturer rushing to market without sparing a thought for how networked devices could - or should - be protected from attackers who are always looking for new opportunities to compromise their way to their goals." Afer Mirai was used in a record-breaking 620 Gbps DDoS attack on famed researcher Brian Krebs’ website last month, the malware’s source code was published online, leading to an increase in its use. We still don’t know who was behind Friday's attack, though several different hacking groups have claimed responsibility. While US intelligence agencies say it wasn't state-sponsored, antivirus pioneer John McAfee believes the culprit was North Korea.

Google is making a play for virtual reality with the Daydream platform, but the company is said to be working on a separate project that combines both VR and AR into a standalone headset that doesn’t require a smartphone or a computer. According to a report fromEngadget, citing people familiar with the matter, the unnamed headset will introduce eye-tracking technology capable of mapping out the real-world space in front of users. The end result will supposedly blur the line between virtual and augmented reality, displaying digital objects alongside environments and objects from the real world — not unlike what Microsoft is doing with HoloLens. There’s little else in the way of details at this point but the report claims some components powering the device are being provided by Movidius, the computer vision company that Intel is acquiring for an undisclosed sum. A separate report from The Drum point to a recent FCC filing for a “wireless virtual reality” prototype that operates between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequencies, that lists Mike Jazayeri, director of product management for Google's VR group, as a contact, though Engadget does note that there’s not enough evidence to tell if this is the headset in question. While VR headsets are just starting to hit the market in their consumer-ready form, many in the tech industry believe the future might be in "mixed reality." Magic Leap is working on a similar concept and Apple has dropped some hints about this being an area of interest. On that note, Robert Scoble posted a fairly speculative piece about this on Medium a couple of days ago that’s worth a read. It offers some hints — based on research — of how Apple expects to get in on the VR market.

Apple has pushed out the first major update to the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 10. The update will be of particular interest to owners of the larger iPhone 7 Plus as it enables portrait mode, a feature teased during the phone’s unveiling early last month but has thus far only been available to participants of Apple’s iOS beta program. Portrait mode utilizes both of the rear cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus to create images with a shallow depth of field. Typically associated with standalone DSLR or micro four-thirds cameras, a shallow depth of field isolates the subject in sharp focus while blurring out the background. By using both rear cameras, the iPhone 7 Plus’ image signal processor creates a depth map which it uses to determine which areas of a photo should be in focus and which areas shouldn’t. Using this data, it simulates the blurred effect. While portrait mode is now available to all, Apple still labels it as a beta feature. For best results, you’ll need a well-lit environment and an adequate amount of distance between you and the subject (the camera app will tell you if you need more light or are too close to your subject). Elsewhere, iOS 10.1 delivers nearly two dozen general fixes and improvements (none of which address Apple’s senseless decision to remove the “Trash All” option in its mail client). In the event your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus doesn’t automatically prompt you to install iOS 10.1, you can manually initiate the update by tapping Settings -> General -> Software Update.

It appears that the majority of consumers and critics are big fans of Google’s recently released Pixel smartphones. We called the Pixel XL “outstanding,” and gave it a well-deserved score of 90. Now, iFixit has performed one of its famed teardowns on the larger handset, revealing just how easy, or difficult, it is to repair one. iFixit has awarded the Pixel XL a repairability score of 6 out of 10. That’s just less than the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus’ score of 7, but a lot better than the rival Samsung S7, which managed just 3 out of 10. It’s also a vast improvement over the Nexus 6P, which got a measly 2 out of 10. The biggest problem came when the team attempted to remove the phone’s display from the assembly, causing the OLED panel to separate from the digitizer glass “a little too easily.” “Super-thin components and no frame or bezel behind the display make it extra sketchy to remove,” wrote iFixit. The Pixel XL’s modular design is highlighted as one of its best features, allowing easy removal of internal components such as the 3.5mm headphone jack, cameras, and motherboard, which contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC and 4 GB LPDDR4 mobile DRAM from Samsung. The site also notes that the 13.28 Wh battery is the only part of the handset to display the name of manufacturing partner HTC. It comes with a pull tab and uses a small amount of adhesive, making removing and replacing it easy. Barring opening up the handset, it appears that the Pixel XL is one of the better smartphones on the market when it comes to repairs. Make sure to check out the full teardown on iFixit.

Whenever a major security incident takes place in the tech world, you can be certain that John McAfee will weigh in with his opinion. The anti-virus pioneer has just revealed who he believes was behind Friday’s DDoS attacks on po[CENSORED]r DNS provider Dyn. A senior US intelligence official told CNBC that the attacks did not appear to be state-sponsored, but a classic case of internet vandalism. McAfee’s sources disagree. He toldCSO online that the Dark Web is “rife with speculation that North Korea is responsible for the Dyn hack.” Specifically, he claims Bureau 21, the country’s cyber-warfare agency that reportedly consists of over 2000 hackers, launched the assaults. McAfee added that if Bureau 21 really was responsible, the forensic analysis would point to either China, Russia, or a US group being behind the DDoS attacks. The one-time presidential candidate told social media week that the North Korean group left a false trail pointing toward US DDoS protection company BackConnect Inc. “If all evidence points to this American company [BackConnect], then, with 100% certainty, it is not them,” he said. Bloomberg reports that Dyn’s director of Internet analysis, Doug Madory, gave a presentation about BackConnect’s alleged questionable practices, such as BGP hijacking, the day before the attacks took place. One computer security firm claims last week’s attacks involved Mirai, the malware used in the record-breaking 620 Gbps attack on researcher Brian Krebs website last month. Mirai’s source code was subsequently posted on hacking community Hackforums, which Krebs said “virtually guarantees” the internet will be “flooded with attacks from many new botnets powered by insecure routers, IP cameras, digital video recorders and other easily hackable devices.” Looks as if he was right. Krebs, incidentally, helped Madory with his research into BackConnect. As large as the attacks were, McAfee believes those responsible have merely been probing the defenses before launching a much bigger assault. While McAfee has fabricated claims in the past for no other reason than publicity – he admitted his team of “superhackers” that could break into the San Bernardino iPhone was made up – North Korea will probably be one of the prime suspects in this case. And unless the perpetrators are found, more attacks do seem likely.

China has overtaken the U.S. to become the largest market in the world for iOS App Store revenue, earning over $1.7 billion in Q3 2016 versus just under $1.5 billion. This is according to a report by app intelligence company App Annie, which notes that Chinese consumers are spending more than 5 times the amount they were spending just two years prior. Now leading the United States by over 15%, China’s growth in iOS revenue is projected to climb further by 2020. The country has become an increasingly important market for Apple in a relatively short time in terms of hardware sales so iOS revenue is just the result of that. Gaming is largely responsible for the lion’s share of that growth, while Entertainment, Social Networking, Books and Photo & Video applications were also among the top-grossing categories in China. In fact, games drive 75 percent of all App Store revenue across all countries, even though non-game apps make up 75 percent of the store. Looking at specific apps, App Annie highlighted the worldwide success of Pokémon Go, reaching $600 million in revenue in well under 100 days, faster than any other app to date. The initial po[CENSORED]rity is starting to wane, but Pokémon Go still accounts for 45 percent of total time spent in-app compared with the rest of the Top 20 games.

During a recent speaking engagement at the Jamf Nation User Conference in Minneapolis, IBM VP of Workplace as a Service Fletcher Previn said his company is saving even more money than anticipated by trading out PCs for Macs. After first adopting Macs for its employees in mid-2015, IBM now has 90,000 employees using Macs and is deploying 1,300 new Macs each week. By the end of the year, IBM anticipates that 100,000 of its employees will have made the move to a Mac. Most assumed that using Macs would be significantly more expensive than PCs seeing as they cost more up front. That’s not the case, however, according to Previn. Depending on the model, he says, IBM is saving anywhere from $237 to $543 per Mac compared to a PC over a four-year lifespan. The figure represents the best pricing they’ve ever received from Microsoft, he added. Multiply that by 100,000 and you’ve got some serious savings. At last year’s conference, Previn said Macs require less management and setup effort than PCs even though they cost more up front. This year, he said that just 3.5 percent of employees using a Mac will reach out to the company’s help desk for assistance. Looking ahead, 73 percent of IBM’s employees say they want their next work computer to be a Mac.

Unless you were somewhere without TV or Internet access yesterday, you’ll know about Nintendo’s upcoming Switch console. The majority of consumers and critics reacted positively to the three-minute reveal video, but that didn’t prevent skeptical investors causing the company’s share price to drop 7 percent. Thanks to its innovative motion-sensitive controllers, the original Wii went on to become the fifth best-selling console of all time. But its successor, the Wii U, failed to make a serious impact with gamers. It seems the unanswered questions surrounding the Nintendo Switch is making some shareholders nervous that the machine could become another flop. Nintendo hasn’t yet released much information about the Switch. We do know that it’s powered by custom Tegra SoC from Nvidia, possibly the Tegra X2, along with a Pascal-based GPU with 256 CUDA cores, meaning it wouldn’t be able to match the older PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in terms of graphical performance. The Switch’s battery life – often a make or break factor for many devices – is also a mystery, as is the apparent lack of touchscreen capabilities. When asked about the latter issue, Nintendo said: “We have nothing to announce on this topic. We will make additional announcements about the Nintendo Switch hardware later, before the launch of the product." But the biggest investor concern about the Switch is its price. If it doesn’t launch at a cost equal to or less than the price of other available consoles, it will likely struggle. “They must find a way to release the Switch at US$299 to stand a chance; that’s the threshold. It’s not impossible by offering the device in multiple versions,” game industry consultant Serkan Toto told the Financial Times. He added that Nintendo’s machine may still fail to reach a wide audience: “Who else but diehard Nintendo fans will buy the Switch?” Nintendo's shares jumped 3.3 percent after it announced the Switch trailer was arriving, before falling more than twice that amount after the video appeared. When the Nintendo Switch launches next year, it will not only have to compete with the current crop of consoles but also the smartphone games market, which is becoming more po[CENSORED]r all the time. We’ll find out if investors were right to be cautious when the Switch arrives in March 2017.