Techreport

4K video, wider color gamuts, and high-dynamic-range media are all coming to a living room near you within the next few years, and the HDMI 2.0 specification is designed to provide the extra bandwidth those advancements will need—18Gbps, to be exact. Another critical piece ...Read more...

After being acquired by Intel eight years ago, Havok is changing hands once more. Microsoft announced that it's purchased the 3D physics software provider from Intel today. Redmond says the acquisition puts another arrow in its quiver of tools for game development, alongside DirectX, Visual Studio, and Azure.For the uninitiated, Havok is the physics engine beneath a huge range of titles, including Half-Life 2 , Assassin's Creed , Call of Duty , Halo , and ...Read more...

Hot on the heels of Nvidia's mobile Quadro announcement, AMD has released some new mobile workstation graphics cards of its own. Foremost among the new FirePro W-series mobile offerings is the W7170M, a Tonga-based card clocked at 723MHz with 4GB of memory and a 256-bit memory interface. Dave Baumann, a member of AMD's product team, confirmed this card as a Tonga derivative on Twitter. ...Read more...

Happy Friday, gerbils. Pickings were slim for deals this week, but we've still found a couple bargains worthy of your hard-earned dollars today.That's it for this week—if we missed anything in our search for bargains, be ...Read more...

We know that TSMC and Samsung each manufacture versions of Apple's A9 SoC for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, and thanks to an enterprising developer, we might be learning more about how the sourcing of those chips is divided. According to data released by developer Hikaru Wang, it seems TSMC has made the majority of A9 chips in iPhones sold so far.Some caveats: only users who have installed the developer's app are being counted, so there's no way this is a complete tally of iPhones. The developer hasn't said how many phones have participated in these shenanigans. Furthermore, ...Read more...

Our discussion last night was wide-ranging. After a rough start due to technical issues, we took on a bunch of your questions while addressing some hot topics in the world of tech. We talked about the new iPhones and the apparent excellence of the Apple A9 SoC, and then we touched on the recent AMD news and what it means for that company. Afterward, we looked at Google's new slate of Nexus devices alongside the funky Pixel C....Read more...

Nvidia has released its lineup of Maxwell-based Quadro graphics cards for Skylake-powered mobile workstations. The new cards are separated into two families aimed at different sizes of laptops. ...Read more...

Bloomberg reports that by the end of October, Amazon will no longer carry or allow its third-party sellers to sell Google's Chromecast or the Apple TV. The news went out in an email to third-party sellers yesterday. Amazon says it's making the move because the Chromecast and Apple TV don't "interact well" with Prime Video.Other living room boxes are apparently safe. All three current-generation consoles—the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii—have apps for Prime Video. Blooomberg says Roku's streaming boxes will stay, ...Read more...

After some technical problems, we are streaming The TR Podcast live on Twitch. Behold:...Read more...

Zimperium Zlabs has disclosed a new Android vulnerability it's calling Stagefright 2.0. In case that name isn't ringing any bells, it's a bug in an Android multimedia component that can allow an attacker to perform remote code execution, sometimes without any user interaction. The previous version affected an estimated 950 million handsets, and the new one version has the potential to affect even more.Zimperium discovered two more distinct vulnerabilities in the way the operating system handles metadata in MP3 and MP4 files. The first vulnerability is CVE-2015-6602 , and it lies in an Android component called libutils. According ...Read more...

IBM's research division says it's found a way to overcome a key roadblock on the way to practical carbon-nanotube transistors.The company notes that scaling carbon nanotube-based transistors to smaller sizes is limited by two things: the size of the device's channel and the size of its contacts. IBM says making a transistor with a carbon-nanotube channel is relatively practical. Connecting such a channel to its ...Read more...

AMD plans to reduce its global workforce by about 5%, according to a Form 8-K filing that became public today. The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring plan that includes the outsourcing of functions like IT services and application development, as well as the consolidation of some of the company's real estate assets.As part of the restructuring, AMD expects to take a charge of about $42 million, $41 million of which will be recorded in the third quarter of the company's fiscal year 2015. The filing says about $31 ...Read more...

We're putting The TR Podcast band back together tonight. Join us this evening on Twitch at 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT as we discuss the latest developments in the PC hardware and technology world, along with our most recent reviews and feature articles.We'll also be answering listener questions, so email your queries to me , post ...Read more...

Some PC builds are works of art worthy of ogling eyes and drooling mouths. Thermaltake's latest case, the Core P5, lets builders put their masterpieces on full display on the floor, on a desktop, or even on walls for maximum visibility. ...Read more...

MSI is going for a little overkill with its latest version of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti, the Gaming 6G Golden Edition. The card gets its name from its all-copper heatsink. MSI says this card is a limited edition, to boot. ...Read more...

The evolutionary arms race in gaming mice continues today. Cougar's 700M eSports mouse boasts a wild paint job that'll make it stand out during live coverage of the next International Dota 2 Championships—or at least that's the dream, we suppose. Take a gander at this flamboyant rodent and awaken your inner 13-year-old. ...Read more...

Are you ready for the Star Wars Battlefront beta? AMD is, too. The company has released some fresh Catalyst beta drivers, version 15.9.1, ahead of the beta's October 8 drop date.While Star Wars Battlefront is the big draw for Catalyst 15.9.1, AMD's drivers also include optimizations for the Fable Legends benchmark. Some issues in Diablo 3 , Dragon Age: Inquisition , ...Read more...

Are you ready for the Star Wars Battlefront beta? AMD is, too. The company has released some fresh Catalyst beta drivers, version 15.9.1, ahead of the beta's October 8 drop date.While Star Wars Battlefront is the big draw for Catalyst 15.9.1, AMD's drivers also include optimizations for the Fable Legends benchmark. Some issues in Diablo 3 , Dragon Age: Inquisition , ...Read more...

Those with Macs, iPhones, or both in their lives will find software updates waiting for them today. Apple has released version 10.11 of OS X, code-named El Capitan, to the public today along with a minor iOS update, version 9.0.2. ...Read more...

Are you one of the roughly 500 million people using WinRAR? Best be careful with the archives you open. Security researcher Mohammed Reza Espargham has discovered a flaw in the way WinRAR version 5.21 handles self-extracting archives. The vulnerability makes way for attacks like remote code execution and data siphoning. You can check out a video of the exploit in action:...Read more...

The utility of multiple displays is hard to dispute, but it's hard to cart around a second monitor if you mostly work on the go. AOC's 15.6" HD Pro display could be mana from heaven for mobile folks who need an extra screen. This 1080p monitor uses DisplayLink's proprietary signal compression tech to deliver full-HD resolution over a USB 3.0 cable. ...Read more...

Nvidia is giving native Android TV gaming and local media playback some extra love to go alongside the revamped GeForce Now service. Shield Android TV firmware version 2.0 will be released tomorrow, and it will add several features to the micro-console's repertoire....Read more...

AMD has released a Pro family of APUs and management tools targeted at business environments. These APUs hail from the Godavari and Carrizo families, and come in both mobile and desktop flavors.According to AMD, its new Pro A12 mobile APU is "the first [HSA-compliant] commercial processor in the industry." It's also the first APU with support for ARM's TrustZone , for system-wide separation of software execution environments. The mobile Pro A12 packs in four CPU cores ...Read more...

Nvidia believes game streaming is an increasingly compelling way to play. Its GeForce Now service is a from-the-ground-up reimagining of the Grid streaming service, and it's meant to provide a Netflix-like gaming experience for Shield devices. Like Netflix, GeForce Now is a subscription service that'll cost $7.99 a month. ...Read more...

Harebrained Schemes, the developer that brought back Shadowrun, is working on a turn-based BattleTech game for the PC. The game is being funded on Kickstarter, but the developer says it's funding the basics of the game itself—the crowd-funding campaign is meant to raise money for an extra layer of polish. Jordan Weisman, BattleTech creator and designer of the tabletop game, is leading the project, and he introduces the game in the Kickstarter launch video....Read more...

Amid declining fortunes in every sector of its business, it appears AMD is looking to outside investors for a capital lifeline. According to a report from Bloomberg citing "sources familiar with the matter," the company was in talks with private-equity fund Silver Lake Partners to sell about 25% of itself to the investment firm—at least before talks broke down.Bloomberg says the talks fell apart after Silver Lake and AMD couldn't come to agreeable terms about the price of the ...Read more...

Google unveiled a much-needed refresh to its classic Nexus 5 handset today. Enter the Nexus 5X, which should deliver a heavy punch in the middleweight category. ...Read more...

Google's Pixel device family is growing today. At its press event, the company unveiled a convertible called the Pixel C, a sleek tablet with a versatile companion keyboard. ...Read more...

During its press event today, Google outlined many of the improvements it's made to Android 6.0 Marshmallow in more detail. The company says this release focuses on contextual computing, where the device tries to learn what users will want to do based on what they've done in the past—andon what they're doing at a given time.The natural starting point is the lock screen, which shows more information and now offers quicker access to the camera and voice search. Double-tapping the power button brings up the camera app. Swiping up and in from ...Read more...

At a press event today, Google unveiled the next-generation of Nexus phones—the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P. The 6P, made by Huawei, is the more premium of the two handsets. Google says the 6P is supposed to present Android 6.0 Marshmallow as the company intends it to be experienced. ...Read more...

It seems that PCs keep getting smaller and smaller every day. Silverstone's ML08 chassis looks like a desktop case that went on a diet. Coming in at only 15" wide x 3.4" tall x 14.6" deep (380 x 87 x 370 mm), this skinny Mini-ITX chassis looks like it can fit nearly anywhere. ...Read more...

The Year of the RGB-Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard continues, but this entrant is a little different from the rest. Logitech's G410 Atlas Spectrum mechanical keyboard packs the company's own Romer-G mechanical switches into a compact tenkeyless package. ...Read more...

LG is stepping lightly into the ultrabook arena with two models in its "gram" lineup. Light as feathers, the Gram 13 and Gram 14 are only half an inch thick, weigh 2.2 lbs (980 g), and pack 1920x1080 IPS displays with thin bezels.

Chipworks has begun its teardown of Apple's iPhone 6S, and the firm has already made a startling discovery. By delidding the A9 SoC in multiple examples of the iPhone 6S, Chipworks has discovered that Apple is sourcing its latest chip from not one, but two foundries: TSMC and Samsung. What's more, both of these chips are being supplied in the iPhone 6S right now.From what little Chipworks is revealing right now, it made the dual-sourcing determination based on a difference in die sizes between the A9 SoCs it tore apart. One, the ...Read more...

It feels like forever since I've brought out the Mini-ITX Casewarmer testing system. I'm dusting those parts off in preparation for their residence in Fractal Design's Core 500 Mini-ITX case, which just arrived in our labs for review. Check it out: ...Read more...

Every time somebody publishes an article about Windows 10, it's not long before someone accuses Microsoft of spying on its customers. The company is apparently watching those comment sections, because Terry Myerson, executive VP of Windows and devices, has addressed those privacy concerns in a blog post.Myerson says Windows 10 collects data for two reasons: to check on safety and reliability, and to personalize the operating system. Personalization seems to be the hottest topic, since some folks seem to equate it with advertising. Myerson says ...Read more...

Among the many changes Apple made in the iPhone 6S, there may be one unannounced feature inside the phones' aluminum-and-glass bodies. An intrepid Youtuber named Zach Straley chose to submerge a large wad of cash in the form of an iPhone 6S and a 6S Plus to check their resistance to water. Take a look:...Read more...

Sales for many big smartphone vendors are declining, yet Apple continues to hit new heights. In just three days, the company says it's sold 13 million iPhone 6S and 6S Plus handsets in 40 countries. That result continues the company's history of setting record after record with each iPhone launch. There's no end to iPhone demand in sight, either—right now, the Apple website quotes a two week delivery time for various iPhone 6S options, and it'll be three to four weeks if you want the larger 6S Plus.Though today's smartphones may offer "goood enough" performance even in midrange devices, Apple is still pushing the performance envelope with the A9 SoC in its new phones, based in part on the tests of one TR editor who contributed to ...Read more...

Did you find the Intel Compute Stick concept interesting? Here's another take on the formula. The Computer Stick Indiegogo project wants to add a little oomph to the nano-PC concept with Intel Cherry Trail Atom SoCs. ...Read more...

Happy Friday, gerbils. We've clawed our way out from the weekly avalanche of deals, discounts, and clearances to bring you the very best of the bunch. Here's what we found:Those are all the deals we could find this week—as usual, if we missed ...Read more...

Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames' Transformers: Devastation will be released on October 6, and it looks unbelievably good to this fan. The game mixes the Generation One look and feel of the 1980s cartoon and comics with a modern 3D game engine, and the result is a visual spectacle, as evidenced by this "behind the scenes" trailer fresh off the Activision presses....Read more...

A while back, we reviewed Intel's 750 Series PCIe SSD and came away impressed by its performance. There was a fly in the ointment, though. For some inexplicable reason, booting an OS off one of these drives is pretty darn slow—at least, until today. Intel has released a firmware update for the 750 Series drives that should help alleviate the lengthy boot time issue.Users can download the latest Intel Solid-State Drive Data Center Tool to run the upgrade. The new firmware update will also be available in upcoming versions of Intel's SSD Toolbox and Firmware Update Tool ...Read more...

After months of leaks and speculation about an Android-powered BlackBerry phone, the company has officially let the cat out of the bag. As part of its financial report (PDF), the Canadian smartphone maker announced it will release an Android phone named the BlackBerry Priv. The company hasn't published any photos of the device yet, but leaker Evan Blass seems to have us covered.. @CrackBerry That render is getting a ...Read more...

Our gerbil-eyed "chuckula" spotted three animals today, often spoken of in tale but yet to be seen traipsing around in the wild. I'm talking, of course, about the Skylake Core i7-6700K CPU and its cousins, the Broadwell Core i7-5775C and i5-5675C.If you need a refresher course, those are the goodies you're looking for. Scott tested these CPUs recently and, in short, you want'em. The newer Skylake architecture on the 6700K lends itself particularly well to ...Read more...

At Oculus Connect today, Oculus reiterated its recommended specifications for a Rift-compatible PC. (For quick reference, that means a Core i5-4590-class CPU and a GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290 graphics card, for starters.)Building or buying a PC with those specifications will likely be second-nature for many TR readers, but not for everybody. Oculus wants to make sure that folks interested in VR can easily buy a ...Read more...

At the Oculus Connect keynote today, Samsung unveiled its updated Gear VR headset, which it's trumpeting as the device that will make VR experiences accessible to a wide range of mobile users. This latest Gear VR is 22% lighter than its predecessor for greater comfort. The company says it has improved the quality of the touchpad on the side of the device as well as the "overall feel" of the unit. ...Read more...

It's time to make plans to call in sick. We knew the Star Wars Battlefront beta would be open to all sometime in October, and now we know exactly when: October 8-12 on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The Android and iOS companion apps and desktop companion website will be available during that time, too. ...Read more...

We've enjoyed the recent explosion of semi-passive graphics card coolers that stop their fans while the GPU is idle. Arctic Cooling is extending that idea to the CPU cooler with its Freezer 32 series of heatsinks. The company is a little cagey about how its semi-passive system works, but it appears that a controller built into the Freezer 32's 120-mm fan can shut off the spinner entirely when the PWM signal from the motherboard falls below a certain duty cycle threshold. Arctic says most boards can't deliver PWM duty cycle signals below 40%, so we imagine that's the magic number. As a result, no external hardware or cabling is needed: the fan plugs right into the CPU fan header, just like it would with any other heatsink. ...Read more...

Prolific gadget leaker Evan Blass claims to have the skinny on HTC's upcoming One A9 smartphone, also known as Aero. The new handset is reportedly a mid-range device with some high-end qualities. If the price is reasonable, that might not be a bad thing. A Moto G-like success would certainly help the ailing handset maker.Despite the midrange billing, the new handset reportedly comes with a metal body, something usually reserved for higher-end offerings. The display looks to be a 5" 1080p AMOLED unit, yielding an approximate resolution of 441 PPI. Two gigabytes ...Read more...

The hardest part about typing on touch-sensitive screens is not being able to feel where one button ends and another one begins. A team of researchers from MIT could be on the path to fixing that by creating tactile buttons right on a touch screen. MIT Technology Review has the details of Gel Touch, the researchers' tactile touch display prototype. ...Read more...