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The latest news and reviews of PCs, laptops, chips and accessories.
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Apple's latest iPhone lineup was a hit during the holidays
We're not very far into 2020, but Apple is starting the year off with some strong financials. The company's Q1 2020 earnings release just crossed the wire, and the numbers here are significant: Apple reported a total of $91.8 billion in quarterly revenue, setting new all-time quarterly record in the process. As usual, iPhone sales ($55.9 billion) and Apple's services ($12.7 billion) were among the most notable contributors to the company's growth, but it's worth taking a closer look at what worked in Apple's favor going into 2020.
'Destiny 2' is offline as Bungie tries to fix a data-erasing bug (updated)
You might not want to look at your Destiny 2 inventory right now if you're an avid player -- you could be in for a rude shock. Bungie has taken the game offline for "emergency maintenance" after discovering that the latest update appears to have erased players' Glimmer currency, infusion materials (like ascendant shards) and possibly cosmetics currency like Bright Dust. Given that some of these items are particularly hard to get, that's a huge problem -- many hours of gameplay may have been wiped out.
Rockstar doles out freebies to 'GTA Online' and 'Red Dead Online' players
Rockstar's multiplayer games apparently had a banner holiday, and the company is using that as an excuse to hand out goodies to players (and, conveniently, give them a reason to keep playing). GTA Online gamers will get $1 million in virtual currency if they play before February 5th, and can receive another $1 million more if they sign on between February 6th and February 12th. Red Dead Online players, meanwhile, can pick up a "Gunslinger's Cache" with guns and ammo by February 3rd, or a "Bounty Hunter's Kit" (with a license and gear) between February 4th and February 10th.
Samsung discounts its SteamVR-compatible headset to $230
For those new to VR, pricing can be an obstacle, especially if you're not sure you'll get on with the tech. Perhaps with this in mind, Samsung is now directly offering its HMD Odyssey+ headset for just $230, instead of the usual $500. Sure, it's billed as a Windows Mixed Reality device, but it's also compatible with Steam VR and HTC Vive. Its 90Hz refresh rate isn't top of the line, but it is solid, and its resolution and quality are strong thanks to its anti-screen-door effect technology and improved, adjustable lens design. One of its downsides of the Odyssey range in general, as mentioned in our review of its predecessor (which scored 85 points) is how much it costs. That's considering the Rift S normally retails for $400 and is a slightly stronger VR headset overall. However, this redemptive 54 percent discount makes it a very affordable way to get involved in VR ahead of Half-Life: Alyx.
Intel is patching its Zombieload CPU security flaw for the third time
For the third time in less than a year, Intel has disclosed a new set of vulnerabilities related to the speculative functionality of its processors. On Monday, the company said it will issue a software update "in the coming weeks" that will fix two more microarchitectural data sampling (MDS) or Zombieload flaws. This latest update comes after the company released two separate patches in May and November of last year.
The company behind the Eve V laptop is back with crowd-developed monitors
Finnish company Eve focuses on crowd-developed products, taking input from gamers and power users to shape hardware designs. In 2017 the Eve V, a convertible tablet similar to the Microsoft Surface, was a strong effort -- it packed more RAM than similarly-priced Surface tablets and had a sharper screen than most competitors. This year, the company hopes to bring three gaming monitors to market. The Spectrum series is meant to deliver the high-end performance that gamers, designers and engineers look for in a monitor by gathering and implementing feedback directly from the Eve community. While they aren't scheduled to ship until much later later in the year, all three models are now up for pre-order.
This is the end of 'Kentucky Route Zero'
Kentucky Route Zero ends with a funeral. It's a beautiful sight. The ceremony is in front of a towering dilapidated barn that serves as the anchor for a pastoral artists' community buried deep in the Kentucky woods. The setting sun bathes the town in gold as residents gather around a mound of dirt and an open hole, sharing haunting poetry and a song about the two bodies inside. Everyone calls them The Neighbors.
HP Elite Dragonfly review: Pretty powerful for a 2-pound laptop
When HP launched the Elite Dragonfly, it made bold claims about this laptop being "lighter than air." Obviously, that's marketing hyperbole -- nothing tangible actually weighs less than air -- but the Elite Dragonfly is still pretty light. It comes in at 2.2 pounds, or just shy of a kilogram, and packs powerful components despite weighing so little. Though it's part of HP's enterprise-focused Elite line, the Dragonfly is also targeted at consumers looking for a powerful business laptop, if they can stomach the $1,549 starting price.
The iPad hasn't killed laptops, but Apple will keep trying
Ten years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the last all-new product line that Apple would launch in his lifetime. Initially, the iPad was mocked for its name and derided as a "giant iPod touch." But it caught on quickly with the public and inspired a host of copycat devices, none of which had the same impact as the iPad.
Apple's latest iPad is back down to $250 in Amazon's tablet sale
Amazon has slashed prices across Apple's range of iPads, and there are savings to be had whatever model you might be in the market for. The $250 10.2 inch 32GB deal is back again -- great for people on a budget. It's not the lowest price ever, but a saving of $79 off the usual list price is not to be sneezed at.
Apple envisions a Mac made from a sheet of curved glass
Apple is known to explore unusual Mac designs, but its latest may be more eye-catching than most. The company has applied for a patent on a desktop Mac design whose main body consists of a single, curved sheet of glass -- a wedge at the back could both house processing components and prop up the design. A slot at the bottom center would let you slot a keyboard through, and Apple even envisions the possibility of altering the curve to adjust the display angle or fold the system shut.
Google vows to make Search 'better' after redesign backlash
Last week, Google upset desktop users when it changed the appearance of Search. The changes were relatively minor, showing companies' favicons next to link previews, but critics argue that the changes cluttered an otherwise clean interface and made it difficult to distinguish ads from search results. Now, Google is backtracking a bit. In a tweet, the company said it is going to "experiment with new placements for favicons."
My quest to fix my terrible home WiFi
When I was young -- in high school or so -- my sister and I had a system worked out. Our Comcast cable internet service routinely seemed to flake out, so she and I would take turns running downstairs to the router, unplugging it, waiting for what felt like the most torturous 30 seconds possible and plugging the router back in. It was obnoxious enough back then, but now that our respective homes are filled with even more hardware clamoring for internet connections, the idea of half-assing a home network seems even tougher to endure. And yet, that's exactly what I've been doing, even now.
Steam's Lunar New Year sale begins with deals on GTA, Witcher and more
Steam is having a massive sale in celebration of the Lunar New Year and it all kicks off today. Right now, catch deals on Grand Theft Auto V (50 percent off), Dark Souls III (75 percent off), Resident Evil 2 (67 percent off), Disco Elysium (20 percent off), Assassin's Creed Odyssey (60 percent off), The Witcher III (70 percent off), and a ton of other titles. A handful of games are available for less than $10 -- the first episode of Life is Strange 2 is just $2, Rainbow Six Siege is $8, and Payday 2 is $5, to name a few.
What does Dell’s XPS 15 excel at?
Dell's 2019 XPS lineup has done well across the board -- both reviewers and consumers alike were impressed by the performance, speed and sleek design of last year's XPS 13. Its big brother, the XPS 15, continued that trend. With a ninth-generation eight-core Intel i9 CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1660 GPU, the configuration we tested in September delighted reviews editor Cherlynn Low. She was particularly thrilled by the vibrant display, powerful performance and long-lasting battery, though less enthusiastic about the laptop's rather hefty weight of 4.4 pounds. The XPS 15 earned a score of 85 (a full 8 points lower than the XPS 13).
Adorable co-op adventure 'Knights and Bikes' is coming to Switch
Charming co-op adventure game Knights and Bikes is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The adorably illustrated game -- which sees two children exploring the ancient countryside and coastlines of England's Cornwall -- has been a big hit with fans since its successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2016.
Apple drops Flash from its latest Safari browser preview
It's another nail in the coffin for Adobe Flash. Tech providers have been moving away from the dying plugin for years, and now Apple has completely removed support for it in the latest release of Safari Technology Preview, foreshadowing what's in store for the browser later public release.
Germany has to pay Microsoft for failing to upgrade from Windows 7
Last winter, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would reach its end-of-life on January 14th, 2020. In other words, the company will not be releasing any updates for the operating system -- even crucial security patches -- after that date. The public had nearly a year to make the move to Windows 10, but Germany's government didn't upgrade in time. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the German Federal Ministry has at least 33,000 computers still running Windows 7 and, as a result, will have to pay Microsoft about $887,000 in extended security update fees.
HP's latest Chromebooks for schools include more durable keyboards
HP is once again giving its school Chromebooks an overhaul, and they'll be particularly good news for teachers who bristle at the thought of mangled keyboards. The Chromebook 11 G8 EE, 11A G8 EE, x360 11 G3 EE and 14 G6 all have full-skirted anchored keys that are more "pick-proof" -- a curious kid should have a harder time prying off the Shift key when the teacher isn't looking. You can also expect military-grade drop resistance, enough splash resistance to survive a glass of water, toughened power ports and bodies that can be cleaned with household wipes.
Half-Life games are free on Steam until March
With the first Half-Life game in more than a decade set to come out in March, series creator Valve has made every game in the franchise free to play for the next two months. As long you have Steam installed on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, you can play all of Gordon Freeman's adventures, including Half-Life and its excellent Opposing Force expansion, as well as Half-Life 2 and its two subsequent DLC episodes.