XAMI

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.

Acer has unleashed a new gaming-focused Predator monitor that packs an impressive spec sheet. The Predator XB241YU features not just a 2560 x 1440 resolution, but also a refresh rate that can be "overclocked" up to 165 Hz. To achieve such a high refresh rate, the XB241YU uses a 23.8-inch TN panel, so don't expect IPS display quality. However, Acer still claims that this monitor has 100% sRGB gamut coverage, 16.7-million color support, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. Brightness is rated up to 350 nits. Most Predator monitors come with some sort of variable refresh technology, and the XB241YU is no exception. This display supports Nvidia G-Sync all the way up to 165 Hz, and the panel comes with both a DisplayPort and a HDMI port. The XB241YU's stand supports tilt, swivel and height adjustments, and can be rotated into a portrait display if you so choose. There's also a four-port USB 3.0 hub, two 2W speakers, and Acer's thin ZeroFrame bezel design. Anyone interested in this monitor can purchase it right now for $500, which seems pretty reasonable for a monitor with G-Sync and these specifications.

The holiday gaming season is fast approaching, and we're starting to see a number of major game launches on both PC and console. Today, AMD has launched a new set of Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers that include support for the latest triple-A titles. The Radeon Software 16.10.2 drivers pack game optimizations for Battlefield 1, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and Titanfall 2, along with two virtual reality games: Serious Sam VR Early Access and Eagle Flight VR. There's also a DirectX 11 CrossFire profile for Civilization VI that takes full advantage of multi-GPU systems. AMD graphics card owners can expect a small handful of bug fixes, including an update to Battlefield 1's CrossFire profile and fixes for Gears of War 4 crashes. However there are still some known issues with graphical corruption in The Division and crashes in FIFA 17. As always you can download the 16.10.2 drivers through Radeon Settings automatically.

Well, i always see reclamaties in this section of forum, this is not section for it! if you think he do wrong in something, first speak with him, if still is not solved speak with a administrator, resolve this things in private!

Kodak, perhaps the most po[CENSORED]r brand in photography at one point in time, lost virtually all of its clout with the advent of digital cameras. The industry is in the midst of yet another massive shift as standalone digital cameras are giving way to smartphone cameras. This time around, Kodak wants in on the action although it’s debatable as to whether the approach they’re taking is optimal. Kodak on Thursday unveiled its second photography-led smartphone, the Ektra (named after its 1940s-era rangefinder camera). The Ektra features a 5-inch, 1080p display with a MediaTek Helio X20 deca-core processor under the hood alongside 3GB of RAM and 32GB of local storage that’s expandable via microSD card. It’ll ship running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. The star of the show, of course, is the camera around back – a 21-megapixel unit with f/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization, autofocus, Kodak’s non-reflective lens coating and Sony’s IMX230 sensor. Up front, you’ll find a 13-megapixel autofocus camera with phase detection and an f/2.2 aperture lens. The phone includes photo editing software from Snapseed. Users will have access to advanced manual controls to adjust things like exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance and so on. There’s also a familiar scene selection option so you can select sports, HDR, macro, portrait, etc. The backside of the smartphone has been designed to look like a traditional film camera complete with camera bump, faux leather and metal-looking (but really plastic) sides. Kodak is no doubt hoping its design will strike a chord with brand-loyal fans but I’m not sure if this is the best approach. We’ve seen camera-first smartphones in the past – some with better features and true optical zoom – but none have ever caught on with consumers. Kodak says the Ektra smartphone will go on sale later this year in Europe priced at £449 (around $550). There are no plans to bring the device to the US although that could change, Kodak says, if there’s enough market demand.

You would imagine that buying Apple products such as chargers or cables from Amazon would mean you’re getting the real thing, but it seems that’s not always the case. According to a lawsuit filed by the iPhone maker, 90 percent of Apple power accessories found on the retail site are fake, even those labeled as genuine. Patently Apple reports that the Cupertino company is suing US-based firm Mobile Star LLC for trademark infringement, alleging that it has been selling counterfeit goods using Apple logos and product images in its listings. Apple states in the lawsuit that, so far this year, it has bought more than 100 Apple-branded products from Amazon, such as "iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables,” 90 percent of which turned out to be fake. Mobile Star is reportedly responsible for the “majority” of these items. Buying one of these fakes doesn’t just mean you're missing out on an authentic Apple product, you could also be putting yourself at risk. Apple says they’re often poorly built with inferior or missing parts, flawed designs, and inadequate electrical insulation. Meaning they have the potential to cause fires or even “deadly” electric shocks. Apple argues that its reputation is damaged when consumers buy these products. The company is seeking an injunction against Mobile Star selling any more of the fake goods, destruction of all counterfeit items, and damages of $150,000 for alleged copyright infringement and up to £2 million for trademark infringement. When Apple alerted Amazon to the fake Mobile Star products, the retail giant handed over all the stock purchased from the company. Amazon said it “has zero tolerance for the sale of counterfeits on our site. We work closely with manufacturers and brands, and pursue wrongdoers aggressively.” Just remember: if you find something that seems too good to be true when shopping online, it probably is.

Apple is widely expected to announce new MacBooks in a few more days, but rumors are already doing the rounds about what’s next for the company’s laptop family. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple's eventual 2018 MacBook refresh will feature a customizable e-ink keyboard that will be able to display any alphabet, emojis and context-sensitive buttons for whatever application is active at the moment. The Journal’s report cites its own unnamed sources and follows similar reports by The Guardian and a now deleted Reddit post claiming that Apple was in talks to acquire Australian startup Sonder Design, which is launching its own Bluetooth E-Ink keyboard later this year. The report mentions that Tim Cook met with Sonder in China last week to talk about using the keyboard technology, although Sonder has already come out to deny those claims. Even talks have taken place there are no guarantees we'll actually see a MacBook with the e-ink keyboard technology in the future. The company often develops and tests new products and features but they don’t always make it to market. Of course this wouldn’t be the first customizable keyboard to hit the market. A few years ago garnered a lot of attention when their Optimus Maximus, finally began shipping in 2008 with an obscene price tag of around $1,500. It followed up with the Optimus Po[CENSORED]ris in 2010 and that one sold for around $1,000, still limiting its mass-market appeal. Apple’s upcoming refresh for the MacBook line could take a first step in the direction of a fully customizable keyboard. The new laptops are expected to use a customizable OLED display bar in place of function keys — we’ll know for sure before the end of the month.

Singapore is leading the way when it comes to the adoption of self-driving vehicles. The country was the first in the world to use autonomous taxi cabs, and its driverless public transit pods are due to hit the roads later this year. Now, the island city-state is to start testing self-driving buses. The country's Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) signed an agreement to develop and trial the technology, which Singapore hopes will ultimately see residents use more shared vehicles and public transport, thereby reducing congestion, addressing workforce challenges, and easing pollution on its busy roads. “They say big dreams start small, so we are collaborating with NTU (Nanyang Technological University) on an autonomous bus trial, starting with two electric hybrid buses,” said Singapore’s transport regulator in a Facebook post. The two 12-meter electric hybrid buses, which can accommodate 80 passengers, are being fitted with an array of self-driving sensors that enable them to navigate Singapore’s roads without the need for a driver. They include charging technology that allows the vehicles to recharge at bus stops and depots. The test routes will include roads between NTU and CleanTech Park in Jurong. These may extend to include Pioneer MRT station at some point in the future. It’s not known when the test phase will begin, but it’s likely to be sooner rather than later. It will, however, be some time before residents are able to use the buses. Singapore’s NuTonomy self-driving taxi service launched in August, beating Uber in the race to get the cabs operational. It’s been reported that one of the vehicles was involved in an accident today - it collided with a truck “at low speed” when changing lanes. Thankfully, there were no injuries. The company confirmed there were two engineers in the car at the time, but no passengers.

Netgear has added a new router to its po[CENSORED]r Nighthawk line that’s designed to handle intensive tasks like 4K media streaming and virtual reality gaming. The Nighthawk X10 AD7200 Smart Wi-Fi Router features a quad-core processor operating at 1.7GHz (the fastest chip ever in a home router, Netgear says) and Quad-Stream Wave 2 Wi-Fi architecture as well as next-gen 802.11ad Wi-Fi. You also get MU-MIMO technology that supports simultaneous streaming while 160MHz doubles Wi-Fi speeds to mobile devices. The menacing router utilizes four patent-pending active antennas with amplifiers in the tips for improved range and throughput. All things considered, the San Jose-based company says the Nighthawk X10 offers combined wireless speeds up to 7.2Gbps. The X10 additionally features a 10Gbps Ethernet port for a fiber connection and six Gigabit Ethernet ports including two Ethernet aggregation ports. Also worth noting is the fact that the Nighthawk X10 supports Plex Media Server meaning you can run the software without needing a computer. Simply connect an external storage device loaded with your movies and TV shows to the router via USB 3.0. X10 buyers will also receive a three-month subscription to Plex Pass. As you may have guessed, a feature-filled home router of this caliber doesn’t come cheap. Expect to pay $499.99 for the opportunity.

One area that has struggled to keep pace with advancing technology is speech recognition. Due to the enormous variations in the way people speak, perfecting these systems has proved difficult. But Microsoft says its new experimental software is able to identify words in a conversation as well as a human can. Microsoft announced the breakthrough in a blog post yesterday. The team from Artificial Intelligence and Research reported that its software has reached “human parity,” in that it can transcribe conversations with an error rate “about equal” to professional transcriptionists – 5.9 percent. PC World notes that only five years ago, the most cutting-edge speech recognition technology had word error rates of 20 – 25 percent. Microsoft managed to hit 6.3 percent last month, and today’s report is the first instance of it dropping below 6 percent. “Even five years ago, I wouldn’t have thought we could have achieved this. I just wouldn’t have thought it would be possible,” said Harry Shum, executive vice president for Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and research group. The system uses neural language models that group synonyms for better efficiency. If someone says “fast,” for example, it will look for “quick.” The researchers used the Computational Network Toolkit (CNTK) – a homegrown system that is available on Github via an open source license. The kit’s ability to process deep learning algorithms across multiple computers enabled the team to vastly improve its research speed. Microsoft points out that the system isn’t perfect – it doesn’t recognize every word. But neither do people. Like humans, it can mistake words like “have” for “is,” or “a” for “the,” when transcribing. Microsoft didn’t say when the software might appear in commercial products, and it still needs more fine-tuning to work in real-world situations where there is often background noise. One of its more obvious applications would be integration with Cortana. "This will make Cortana more powerful, making a truly intelligent assistant possible," said Shum.