It’s difficult not to feel, as a PC gamer, like this whole “Remaster” kick the gaming industry has latched onto is anything but a shameless cash-grab. The occasional exception ( I had high hopes for
Preliminary data from U.S. sales of Apple’s newest iPhones suggested that the larger 7 Plus was outselling the smaller 7, which would be a first, a market research firm said today. Of the iPhone 7 online preorders tracked by Slice Intelligence during the initial 48 hours of availability, 55 percent were for the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. The remaining 45 percent were for the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. That was the first-ever flip to the Plus size in the three annual cycles since Apple offered a big-screen iPhone in 2014. According to Slice, U.S. buyers of the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus two years ago leaned toward the smaller and cheaper model, in a split of 65 percent to 35 percent. The gap narrowed last year with the 6S and 6S Plus, when the smaller iPhone 6S accounted for 59 percent of the total, and the 6S Plus with 41 percent.
The PC market is showing signs of recovery, with Intel increasing its revenue guidance based on improved chip shipments. The chip maker has raised its revenue guidance for the third quarter to $15.6 billion, plus or minus $300 million, an improvement from $14.9 million, plus or minus $500 million. That's due to PC makers replenishing laptop and desktop inventory, which means Intel is shipping out more chips. It's likely in anticipation of the holiday season, when PC shipments rocket. "The company is also seeing some signs of improving PC demand," Intel said in a statement. In the second quarter of the year, PC makers slowed down chip orders and were clearing out existing stock of laptops and desktops. PC shipments declined by 4.5 percent during that period, according to IDC.
Apple’s
If you think using your smartphone to turn on your lights is cool, you’ll flip when you can do that (and more) with just your voice. In fact, when I reviewed the Amazon Echo last year, I predicted a lot of people would buy more than one Echo so they could put them in multiple rooms. Amazon was smarter than that. As soon as the company realized it had a hit product, it came up with less-expensive versions: the
Microsoft’s adding some helpful new features to Outlook.com on the web. Over the next few weeks, Microsoft says it will add We weren’t able to test the new Google Drive integration, but presumably it will work the same way as OneNote integration does on Outlook.com. After you click the “attachment” icon and then choose the service to use, you see a pop-up window showing your files. (The first time you use the Google Drive integration you’ll have to sign-in and authorize Outlook).
Amazon Prime members get a special 50% discount on this folding keyboard from Microsoft. It pairs with any combination of 2 iPads, iPhones, Android, Windows tablets, and Windows Phones. Features a water repellent keyset and fabric to protect against accidents. Unfold to turn on, and fold to turn off. Pairs quickly and reliably with Bluetooth 4.0 technology. Its built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 3 months on a single charge. It currently averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon (
Rejoice Linux fans; the OS will work on laptops with Intel’s Kaby Lake chips. Three new models of Dell’s slick XPS 13 Developer Edition will be available with Ubuntu OS and 7th Generation Core processors in the U.S. and Canada starting on Oct. 10. Prices for XPS 13 DE will start at $949. Dell also announced the XPS 13 model with Kaby Lake and Windows 10, which will ship on Oct. 4 starting at $799. Dell didn’t share details on what version of Ubuntu desktop OS will be preloaded. It officially supports Ubuntu 14.04 in existing laptops, but could pre-load version 16.04 on the new XPS 13 DE. Dell has remained committed to Linux while major PC vendors shift to Windows 10 on PCs. Intel made a major commitment to supporting Windows 10 with its new Kaby Lake chips but hasn’t talked much about Linux support.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered that Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones can only be carried by crew and passengers on planes if the phones are switched off and are not connected to charging equipment. The order follows an People can now travel with the smartphones on aircraft only if they disable all applications like alarm clocks that could accidentally activate the phone, protect the power switch to prevent the phone from being inadvertently activated or turned on, and store the device in carry-on baggage or on their person, and not in checked baggage.
Grab some fresh, fun Android apps for the weekend ahead.
As we’ve mentioned previously, The Firefox start tab isn’t exactly motivating; in fact, you’re more likely to be seduced by the search bar into wasting time than starting on the day’s tasks. This add-on kickstarts your productivity by making your essential sites and services the first thing you see when you boot up your browser.
The FBI may have paid a small fortune to unlock an iPhone 5c used by the San Bernardino shooter. But a security researcher has demonstrated a way to do it for less than US $100. Sergei Skorobogatov at the University of Cambridge used a technique known as NAND mirroring to bypass the passcode retry limit on an iPhone 5c. Using store-bought equipment, he created copies of the phone’s flash memory to generate more tries to guess the passcode. Skorobogatov detailed the whole process in a
The companies behind some of the top Android Wear watches are heading for the bench. LG, Huawei, and Motorola aren’t planning a new smartwatch in the final months of the year, according to a