Tech

Intel squeezes desktop Alder Lake CPUs into laptops with Core HX-series chips

Enlarge / Intel’s HX-series laptop processors bring the company’s desktop CPUs into high-end, high-powered laptops. (credit: Intel) Earlier this year, Intel announced three iterations of its 12th-generation Alder Lake CPU architecture for laptops: the U-series, which covers thin-and-light Ultrabooks, the P-series for thin-and-light workstation laptops, and the H-series for beefier workstations and gaming laptops with […]

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AMD Ryzen 6000 gets DisplayPort 2.0-certified, product testing ramps up

Enlarge / DisplayPort cable. (credit: Getty) Pixel and speed enthusiasts have anticipated DisplayPort 2.0 products since the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), which makes the spec, announced its incoming in 2019. While the pandemic inhibited the ability to test products for supporting the video protocol and slowed its release, we’ve inched closer to seeing monitors, […]

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Google teases future hardware: The Pixel 7, Pixel Tablet, and AR Goggles

Enlarge (credit: Google) Google I/O today contained a million different hardware announcements, some of which were just two-minute product teases, presumably to head off product leakers. First up is the Pixel 7, Google’s flagship smartphone launching later this year. Google called the work it did with the Pixel 6 and Google Tensor SoC “a hardware […]

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Sonos unveils its most affordable soundbar yet and its own voice-control feature

The new Sonos Ray is Sonos’ most compact and affordable soundbar to date. [credit: Jeff Dunn ] Confirming earlier rumors, Sonos on Wednesday announced a new soundbar aimed at more budget-conscious buyers, as well as a new voice-control feature for its existing speakers. The former is called the Sonos Ray and will be available on […]

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The Google Pixel Watch is official, launches this fall

Enlarge (credit: Google) Years of rumors are finally coming to fruition today—Google is finally launching the Pixel Watch. Google has been building a smartwatch OS for eight years, but it has never made self-branded smartwatch hardware. That changes today, or at least “this fall,” when the Pixel Watch is slated to hit store shelves. Google […]

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The Pixel 6a is official, and it’s set to dominate the mid-range market

Enlarge / The Pixel 6a is here at an incredible price. (credit: Google) It’s Google I/O today, and a big part of the keynote was the official confirmation of the Pixel 6a, Google’s next mid-range smartphone. The Pixel A series has been a great option since its inception in 2019, but this year is different. The […]

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Google Maps “immersive view” is the ultimate graphics mode for Google Maps

Enlarge (credit: Google) For most uses, Google Maps is a flat, 2D app, and if your device can handle more graphics and a bit more data, you can fire up the Google Earth 3D data set and get 3D buildings. At Google I/O Google has announced a new level that turns the graphics slider way, […]

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Windows 11 is bringing back Sound Recorder with a new design

Enlarge / Sound Recorder is back, but it’s wearing Voice Recorder’s clothes. (credit: Microsoft) Windows’ Sound Recorder app has gone through a few iterations since its initial release in Windows 3.0 back in 1990, when it launched as a simple app that could only record 60 seconds of audio at a time. But the app […]

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Goodbye, iPod: Apple stops making last model

Enlarge / A click-wheel video iPod, perhaps the most iconic iPod model. This one went away a long time ago, but its last living relative’s days have come to an end, too. (credit: Aurich Lawson) One of the most popular and iconic gadget brands in history is taking its last breath today. Apple has announced […]

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Japan’s Sharp Aquos R7 is the cure for bad smartphone design

Enlarge / The Sharp Aquos R7. (credit: Sharp) The latest entry in our ongoing coverage of “cool phones you can’t buy within the US” is the Sharp Aquos R7 . This phone hits Japan in July, and it’s proof that you can make a differentiated smartphone in this day and age. Sharp is no stranger […]