TechSpot

Wi-Fi 7 is expected to bring all of these improvements over Wi-Fi 6, except...

TechSpot Trivia — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:23 -0500

Is it more channel bandwidth, max throughput, or newer bands?

Latest Patch Tuesday accidentally removes Copilot app from Windows, and people want that as a feature

Alfonso Maruccia — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:02 -0500

On March 17, Microsoft released the KB5053598 update for Windows 11, bringing the OS build number to 26100.3476 and introducing the usual batch of changes and security updates. As Windows users have come to expect, each new Patch Tuesday can be both a security improvement and a potential disaster for OS stability.

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Gimp 3.0 is now available for download, after 7 years of development

Ivan Franco — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:54 -0500

Gimp, one of the best free alternatives to Photoshop, has officially reached version 3.0. This long-awaited update features an upgraded GTK3 user interface, improved PSD file export, support for BC7 DDS files, and various usability enhancements. Additionally, it offers significantly better tablet input support.

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Google Pixel 9a reviews are already live, days ahead of official unveiling

Zo Ahmed — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:50 -0500

The leaks come courtesy of a few YouTube creators who somehow managed to get their hands on the Pixel 9a ahead of its grand debut. One of them, Sahil Karoul, provides a comprehensive look at the phone. While the narration in his video isn't in English, the visuals more than...

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Microsoft Edge browser starts offering extensions on Android before Chrome

Alfonso Maruccia — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:13 -0500

Despite being built on the same layout engine derived from the Chromium project, Edge is making a determined effort to differentiate itself from Chrome. Microsoft's browser is now bringing support for extensions on Android – something even Google, despite owning the mobile platform and many of its most popular apps,...

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Google's Gemini AI is great at removing watermarks, maybe too great

Shawn Knight — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:01 -0500

Social media is abuzz with Gemini 2.0 Flash's ability to remove watermarks from licensed work, a practice that is deemed illegal by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Such images litter stock photography services although in many cases, an identifying logo, text, or pattern is used to discourage unauthorized use. If...

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CPU-Z 2.15 adds support for the latest CPUs and GPUs

Ivan Franco — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:40 -0500

CPU-Z version 2.15 adds support for Ryzen AI Max, Ryzen AI series and Radeon RX 9070 GPUs. It also includes support for Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti and 5070, new GPU compute unit details in the Graphics tab and a new Validation Statistics page.

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Amazon removes privacy option, all Alexa recordings will now go to the cloud

Rob Thubron — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:01 -0500

An email that Amazon sent to customers confirms that the Do Not Send Voice Recordings feature they enabled on supported Echo devices will soon no longer be available.

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This $29 tool gives you access to ChatGPT, Midjourney, Gemini AI, and more for life

TechSpot Deals — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:37 -0500

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to an all-in-one AI toolkit, powered by ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Midjourney, Anthropic Claude, and more – now just $29 (87% off)!

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To the extreme: Super Flower's 2,800W PSU with four 12V-2x6 connectors retails for $899

Shawn Knight — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:56 -0500

Super Flower introduced the 2,800 watt unit at Computex 2024, highlighting its use of Japanese capacitors. The PSU also carries an 80+ Platinum energy efficiency rating, meaning it's 94 percent efficient at 50 percent of its rated load (230 V EU).

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iPhone 18 Pro could debut with under-display Face ID, smaller Dynamic Island

Kishalaya Kundu — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:13 -0500

Future iPhone Pro models will likely feature under-display Face ID within the next few years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of this transition, Apple reportedly plans to move "some components" of the Dynamic Island beneath the screen, aligning with its goal of reducing the feature's size and delivering...

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Huawei to drop Windows, shifting to HarmonyOS and Linux for future PCs

Alfonso Maruccia — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:31 -0500

Starting in April 2025, Huawei will launch new PC models that no longer use Windows as their default operating system. According to domestic sources cited by MyDrivers, the Guangdong-based company may soon lose the ability to sell Windows PCs to Chinese customers. As a result, Huawei appears to be shifting...

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Samsung CEO warns of "do-or-die" situation, urges investment over short-term profits

Zo Ahmed — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 08:50 -0500

Lee's remarks were delivered via a prerecorded video at a recent internal seminar attended by approximately 2,000 executives from Samsung's various affiliates. The seminars are part of the company's broader effort to restore what it calls "Samsung's true identity."

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Most AIs struggle with reading clocks, misreading faces 75% of the time

Rob Thubron — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 07:43 -0500

A team of researchers at Edinburgh University tested some top multimodal large language models to see how well they could answer questions based on images of clocks and calendars.

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Valve rolls out SteamOS for more devices, offering a fresh alternative to Windows

Zo Ahmed — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 07:02 -0500

The line is vague but it officially confirms Valve's intent to open up its Linux-based gaming OS to a wider ecosystem of mobile gaming hardware beyond the Steam Deck. The release also features a newer Arch Linux base.

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Asus raises RTX 5090 and RX 9070 prices, making graphics cards even more expensive

Rob Thubron — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 06:16 -0500

The current graphics card situation is a repeat of what happened during the pandemic-induced chip crisis a few years ago. Buying a new GPU is almost impossible without resorting to eBay, and retailers' prices make a mockery of MSRPs.

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Apple iMac: The Computer That Saved the Company

Amir Shoam — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 05:14 -0500

Before the iPhone or iPod, Apple's comeback began with the iMac. In 1998, the Bondi Blue desktop revolutionized home PCs, rescued Apple from near bankruptcy, and set the stage for its future success.

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Intel's new CEO lands $66M pay deal, with stock performance conditions

Skye Jacobs — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 12:07 -0500

The package includes a long-term equity grant valued at $14.4 million and a performance grant of $17 million in Intel shares, set to vest over five years. Notably, Tan will only receive these shares if Intel's stock price does not decline over the next three years, with the potential to...

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AI coding assistant pulls a life lesson: "I won't do your work for you"

Zo Ahmed — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 10:34 -0500

"I cannot generate code for you, as that would be completing your work... you should develop the logic yourself. This ensures you understand the system and can maintain it properly."

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Apple's AI strategy plagued by delays, Siri upgrade remains in limbo

Skye Jacobs — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 09:51 -0500

Apple's much-delayed AI Siri features are still in limbo. In a candid address to the Siri team, Robby Walker, a senior director at Apple, acknowledged that delays to key features have been both "ugly" and "embarrassing." The decision to publicly showcase these features before they were ready exacerbated the situation,...

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Nvidia RTX 50 series supply woes extend to system builders as scalpers drive up prices

Skye Jacobs — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 08:47 -0500

System integrator PowerGPU has faced substantial challenges in securing RTX 5090 units, forcing it to raise prices. PowerGPU's CEO, Jese Martinez, recently addressed allegations of price-gouging in a video on X, stating that the company itself has fallen victim to scalping by distributors.

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E-waste or Linux? Charities face tough choices as Windows 10 support ends

Skye Jacobs — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 10:17 -0500

Microsoft's requirements for Windows 11 include a 1GHz or faster CPU with at least two cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, Secure Boot capability, and TPM 2.0 compatibility. However, the supported Intel CPU list only goes back to 8th Gen chips, introduced in 2017, while the AMD list includes...

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Retro acceleration: The SNES might be running faster as it ages

Daniel Sims — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 09:04 -0500

Tinkerers and speedrunners have recently discovered that the audio processors in many aging Super NES consoles are now running at slightly higher clock frequencies. While the difference is currently just a few hundred hertz, research suggests the effect may become more pronounced over time.

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Samsung's ambitious 1.4nm plans in jeopardy as foundry challenges mount

Skye Jacobs — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 08:18 -0500

Samsung Foundry had originally planned for the SF1.4 node to enter high-volume manufacturing by 2027 alongside other specialized nodes like SF2A – designed for automotive applications – and SF2Z, the company's first to incorporate backside power delivery technology.

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Trump administration's "AI Action Plan" may redefine fair use - OpenAI is counting on it

Skye Jacobs — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 07:29 -0500

US courts are currently grappling with whether AI training qualifies as fair use, with rights holders arguing that AI models pose a market threat by potentially replacing them and diluting creative output. OpenAI and several other AI companies are embroiled in multiple lawsuits, contending that AI transforms copyrighted works rather...

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Indie studios and homebrewers are still making great new RPGs with a 25-year-old King's Field toolkit

Cal Jeffrey — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:04 -0500

In 2023, a little-known indie developer released Lunacid – a retro dungeon crawler that paid homage to FromSoftware games, King's Field and Shadow Tower – the progenitors of the Elden Ring series. The studio, Kira LLC, just posted a new Steam page confirming it is ready to release a follow-up...

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Rainbow Six Siege X brings major changes, new Dual Front mode, and a free tier

Daniel Sims — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:46 -0500

The update's main highlight is Dual Front, a 6v6 mode available on PC and current-generation consoles. This mode adds one player to each team and allows unlimited respawns, aiming to create longer, more dynamic matches where players can switch characters.

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Roblox CEO tells parents to keep kids off the platform if safety is a concern

Alfonso Maruccia — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:53 -0500

Parents concerned about the content or interactions their children might encounter on Roblox should keep them off the platform. Company co-founder and CEO Dave Baszucki delivered this seemingly counterintuitive message in a recent BBC interview, stating that the company is doing all it can to ensure Roblox remains a child-safe...

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Apple could bring real-time translation to AirPods with iOS 19

Cal Jeffrey — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:49 -0500

Anonymous insiders told Bloomberg that Apple is developing a new AirPods feature that translates in-person conversations in real-time. The functionality, expected to launch later this year, will be included in an AirPods software update tied to iOS 19, Apple's next major mobile operating system release.

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Android users will soon be able to pause Google's anti-malware service for sideloading

Alfonso Maruccia — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:46 -0500

Android users may soon find it easier to sideload apps. Google recently updated the Play Store, introducing an option to temporarily pause its antivirus service through Android's native settings. This change creates a window of opportunity for installing apps from outside traditional sources while maintaining device and data security.

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