Computing

The latest news and reviews of PCs, laptops, chips and accessories.

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Help humans and aliens live in peace in 'XCOM: Chimera Squad'
A new standalone game from Firaxis, XCOM: Chimera Squad is set five years into a new world. XCOM: Chimera Squad is heading to PC via Steam on April 24th, $10 at launch.
ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G gaming laptop gets a $300 discount at Best Buy
ASUS' AMD-powered ROG Zephyrus G gaming portable is down to $900 from its usual $1,200.
Alex Garland on 'Devs,' free will and quantum computing
An interview with "Devs" creator Alex Garland, and how the FX/Hulu show explores the nature of free will with quantum computing.
FCC filing suggests Microsoft's Surface Go sequel is almost here
An FCC filing and other clues hint at Microsoft updating the Surface Go in the near future.
After a year on the Epic Store, 'Journey' is heading to Steam
After more than a year of Epic Games Store exclusivity, indie gem Journey is heading to Steam.
MSI's new laptops include 10th-gen Intel CPUs and RTX Super graphics
MSI is refreshing its gaming laptop lineup, including its popular GS Stealth and GE Raider series computers, to add Intel's new 10th-generation Comet Lake mobile processors and the new Super variants of NVIDIA's RTX mobile GPUs. Similarly, you can configure several of MSI's new laptops with the RTX 2080 Super. In some situations, those enhancements should lead to performance improvements, but probably not the 50 percent gains MSI is touting.
Best Buy sale knocks the Pixelbook Go's starting price down to $584
A free sign-up for My Best Buy will save you $85 on Google's flagship Chromebook.
PC shipments see their largest drop in four years due to COVID-19
PC sales might be up due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but factory shutdowns led to a steep drop.
The work-from-home gear you should actually buy
Working from home is difficult even in the best of times. Here are some essential gadgets and services that can help you stay calm, cool, and productive.
Google’s new keyboard helps Android users type in braille
Today, Google is rolling out a new keyboard that will let blind and low-vision users type in braille without any additional hardware and in any app. The TalkBack braille keyboard is integrated directly into Android, so it should work whether you’re posting on social media, responding to a text or writing an email. Google says the keyboard will be familiar to anyone who has typed using braille before.
Microsoft bought corp.com to keep it away from hackers
To save its corporate clients potential security-related headaches down the road, Microsoft has purchased the domain corp.com. First reported by security researcher Brian Krebs, the company confirmed the purchase on Tuesday but didn't say how much it had paid to acquire the domain. It had a $1.7 million starting price when it was first listed in February by a man named Mike O'Connor who had owned it for about 26 years.
Dell's XPS 15 and 17 leak with sleek new designs
It looks like Dell is about to launch highly revamped versions of the XPS 15, along with an XPS 17 laptop for the first time in years, according to an image on its site.
'Candy Crush' will get in-game 'stop the spread' ads in the UK
To slow the spread of COVID-19, the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working with the some country's biggest video game developers to tell gamers to stay inside.
Origin's EON15-X laptop is powered by AMD's 12-core desktop Ryzen 9 CPU
Origin has unveiled the revamped EON15-X laptop with an impressive trick: It packs the 12-core AMD Ryzen 3900 desktop processor.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook review: Great, until the battery runs out
The obvious competitor for the Galaxy Chromebook is Google’s own Pixelbook. It’s significantly cheaper than the Galaxy Chromebook, starting at $649. Unfortunately, there is one massive problem: The Galaxy Chromebook’s battery life is unacceptable.
Safari flaw let intruders hijack cameras on iPhones and Macs
If you're working on a Mac at home or reconnecting with friends on an iPhone, you'll want to be sure you have the latest security updates. Security researcher Ryan Pickren has detailed recently patched Safari vulnerabilities that allowed intruders to hijack the cameras and microphones on iOS and macOS devices. A maliciously crafted website could trick Safari into believing the page had the same camera and mic permissions as one you'd already cleared, such as Skype. The attacker just needed a combination of specially-made web addresses with scripts to perform a "bait-and-switch."
Microsoft Edge becomes the second most popular desktop web browser
Microsoft's gamble on a Chromium-based Edge browser appears to have paid off, at least in the short term. Bleeping Computer noted that Edge is now the second most popular desktop web browser based on usage, with NetMarketShare giving the software nearly 7.6 percent of the market in March, eclipsing a declining Mozilla Firefox with almost 7.2 percent. Edge is still far behind Chrome's 68.5 percent, but that's no mean feat for a browser that wasn't even three months old.
E3 will return June 15th, 2021
The Entertainment Software Association may have cancelled E3 2020 due to COVID-19, but it's still committed to holding an event next year. The organization has announced that E3 will return between June 15th and June 17th, 2021. It characterized the future expo as a "reimagined" event, although that's the language it used for its since-scrapped 2020 gathering. It won't be surprising if the 2021 event is really a look at what you might have seen this year, just with a different mix of games.
ESPN2 will air 12 hours of esports coverage on April 5th
TV networks are already trying to fill the void in sports coverage left by the COVID-19 pandemic, but ESPN is going all-out. The broadcaster's ESPN2 channel is airing a 12-hour ESPN Esports Day on April 5th starting at 12PM Eastern, and there will be some high-profile live events in the mix. The highlight may be the second F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix at 3PM, when racers (including some current Formula 1 drivers) will compete online in a digital version of Australia's Albert Park. The marathon will also represent Rocket League's debut on ESPN television (it was only streamed before) with the Season 8 World Championship's Grand Finals broadcasting live at 4:30PM.
The Morning After: Apple's iPad turns 10
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Engadget's review of the first iPad ten years ago lauded its potential, even if the first version of tablet software couldn't do much for one's productivity. Since then, Apple has slowly gotten around to adding multitasking, external storage management and even mouse and keyboard support, all while maintaining a tight grip on the segment. To remember how that happened, check out Chris Velazco's look back at the iPad killers that missed their shot, as well as Engadget readers' impressions of the first-gen model. Separately, Jessica Conditt recalls one use case that developers have mostly given up on: second-screen gaming. -- Richard

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