Techreport

Eight is Enough

Cooler Master has big plans for its products of tomorrow. Chief among them is modularity: as the company told us a couple months ago, its future product catalog will contain fewer items with more customization options. That customizability will be achieved through modular parts that can be added, removed, or changed as needed. The company also wants to get in on the "maker movement," where adventurous modders might use 3D-printed custom parts to mold a product to their unique needs.Now, the first product based on that philosophy ...Read more...

Intel's sequel to Knight's Corner is more than just a fresh coat of paint. We've been hearing about the Xeon Phi successor for a while now, and the company released a torrent of new information at Hot Chips, detailed by Serve The Home.Knights Landing-based Xeon Phis (Xeons Phi?) are built using tiles. A tile contains a pair of x86 cores based on the Silvermont microachitecture with customizations for HPC, which are fed by 1MB of L2 cache. Each core can track ...Read more...

Intel's sequel to Knight's Corner is more than just a fresh coat of paint. We've been hearing about the Xeon Phi successor for a while now, and the company released a torrent of new information at Hot Chips, detailed by Serve The Home.Knights Landing-based Xeon Phis (Xeons Phi?) are built using tiles. A tile contains a pair of x86 cores based on the Silvermont microachitecture with customizations for HPC. Each core has 1MB of L2 cache and can track and execute four hardware ...Read more...

Right on the heels of a juicy rumor about the camera in the presumed iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple has revealed the date and time for its next major event. The company will be hosting some kind of presentation at 10 AM PT on September 9. The Verge's invitation indicates the event will be held at the 7,000-seat Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. ...Read more...

Mix a bowl of first-person shooting and stealth mechanics. Add a spoon of parkour, and season with 80's slasher film influences and neon visuals. The result? Red Awakening....Read more...

Apple's iPhone "S" models tend to be about refinement, and if a report by 9to5Mac proves correct, the presumably in-the-pipeline iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will be getting some attention in the camera department as part of their mid-cycle refresh.The site's sources say the cameras in these phones will get a bump from eight megapixels to 12MP, along with an improved image signal processor ...Read more...

The TR Podcast will be back this evening at its usual time, 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT. Drop by our Twitch channel and join us in the chat if you can.Also, feel free to post questions in the comments below, ...Read more...

Dell has released a pair of 27" monitors today, one of which may be of interest to the gaming crowd around here. Let's start with that one. ...Read more...

Logitech has announced a pair of fancy gaming headsets this morning: the G633 Artemis Spectrum, and the G933 Artemis Spectrum Wireless. The Artemis Spectrum cans are supposedly the first headsets to support Dolby's DTS Headphone:X virtual surround sound technology. The company says the Artemis Spectrum family's drivers are "made with hybrid mesh materials that provide the audiophile-like performance gaming fans demand." Without putting a pair on, we'll have to take Logitech's word for it. ...Read more...

Hard West. Might sound like a an album by some guy named Kanye, but it's actually a game that mashes up a Wild West theme with turn-based tactical combat. Gambitious Digital Entertainment recently posted a gameplay video with developer commentary, which you can watch below....Read more...

Ubisoft is delaying the PC version of Assassin's Creed Syndicate. In a blog post, the studio says the game will be released on November 19, roughly one month after the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. Sam Kovalev, Ubisoft Kiev's Studio Production Manager, says the delay is to "[ensure that] PC players get the most stable, optimized version of the game on day one." ...Read more...

Windows 10 has only been available for a month, but it's already found its way onto 75 million devices, according to Microsoft Corporate VP of Marketing for Windows and Devices Yusef Mehdi. Since Windows 10 hasn't hit phones in any final capacity yet, that 75 million figure most likely accounts for the number of desktops, notebooks, and convertibles upgraded so far. That's more than 15 quarters worth of Macs, based on Cupertino's latest financial results.Mehdi also shared some highlights of the upgrade on Twitter. More than 90,000 different PC models from as far back as 2007 have been upgraded ...Read more...

One of the toughest challenges in computing is building large-scale systems like those used in the world of high-performance computing (HPC). Currently, such systems typically communicate between nodes over an interconnect like Ethernet or Infiniband, but Intel intends to replace those technologies with a new interconnect known as Omni-Path Architecture. This week at the Hot Interconnects conference, the firm is unveiling detailed information about how Omni-Path works and how it will be deployed alongside Intel's other products.Omni-Path is interesting in part because of the intense difficulty of the problem it has to address: allowing the hundreds or thousands of nodes in a supercomputer to communicate with one another at high speed while keeping delays at a minimum. Intel says Omni-Path is meant to scale from "small clusters to the largest supercomputers." To make that happen, the chipmaker has taken on the task of designing nearly every piece of the puzzle needed to establish a new interconnect fabric, ...Read more...

AMD first showed off its Project Quantum mini-PC at E3 earlier this year. Aside from some broad discussions of the dual-tiered box's specs, the company was coy about what exactly was going on inside to allow Project Quantum to cool twin Fiji GPUs and a Core i7-4790K CPU. Now, one of the Project Quantum demo units has apparently failed after a hard life on the road, and AMD gave the fallen PC to PC World to dissect as the site saw fit—which, of course, it now has. ...Read more...

AMD first showed off its Project Quantum mini-PC at E3 earlier this year. Aside from some broad discussions of the dual-tiered box's specs, the company was coy about what exactly was going on inside to allow Project Quantum to cool twin Fiji GPUs and a Core i7-4790K CPU. Now, one of the Project Quantum demo units has apparently failed after a hard life on the road, and AMD gave the fallen PC to PC World to dissect as the site saw fit—which, of course, it now has. ...Read more...

So you're looking at that neat M.2 gumstick SSD, but your motherboard lacks the necessary slot. Worry not: look no further than SilverStone's ECM20 PCIe expansion card. ...Read more...

Your touchpad isn't big or fancy enough anymore. What you need now is a Sensel Morph, the centerpiece of a just-launched Kickstarter project. It's a large, pressure-sensitive touchpad that's purportedly capable of identifying various objects that touch its surface. On top of that, the Morph can be used with 3D-printed overlays like a piano keyboard or audio control surfaces. ...Read more...

Did you like the The Settlers series? Enjoyed Cultures, or perhaps Banished? Please, sit down and have a drink, I have something to show you. Valhalla Hills is now available, and it looks to be both gorgeous and a time waster—of the good kind, that is. Instead of the usual trailers, we have a gameplay video. Lean back and watch:...Read more...

Giant Army's follow-up to the 2011 space simulator Universe Sandbox has entered Steam Early Access. Universe Sandbox 2 promises to allow players to "create and destroy on an unimaginable scale," and it looks pretty sweet while doing it. Here's the game's latest trailer:...Read more...

Eight is Enough

The Moto X Play is an intriguing phone thanks to its supposedly excellent camera, big battery, and low(er) price. The big question mark until now, though, has been whether it'll be available in the States—it's available in Canada and the UK, but Motorola's US site only has a "register for updates" link. Recent rumors point to the middle child of Motorola's phone family coming to the US, too—but only on Verizon.Phandroid got the first hint . The site's sources claimed the Droid Maxx 2 would be a Verizon-specific version of the Moto X Play. The biggest carrier in the U.S. seems like a reasonable landing spot—Motorola has been making the Verizon-exclusive Droid line since 2009 . Possibly the best info ...Read more...

Check Point, the company that disclosed the Certifi-gate vulnerability a few weeks ago, has published a blog post with further analysis of the problem. The security researchers report that an app called Recordable Activator was exploiting the vulnerability, using TeamViewer's plugin to gain system-level access and record the screen. The app has now been removed from Google Play, although Check Point claims it had somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 downloads before that point.The security company provides an application that tests whether a device is vulnerable and collects anonymous data. It's important to make a distinction: a "vulnerable device" is exploitable only if the user installs a remote support plug-in, while one that's both vulnerable and ...Read more...

Galaxy, the Steam-like portal to GOG's collection of content, is getting an update with some interesting features. Version 1.1 of the Galaxy beta will most notably include update rollbacks: the service will let owners restore their games to an earlier version "with a single click." This capability could be useful in the event that a patch causes a game not to work properly. GOG touts the fact that updates are not only optional in this version, but reversible.Control over updates could be handy for mod-happy players, whose complaints litter a Google search for "Steam update rollback." Valve's service doesn't offer users any control over which game updates are installed: it's the current version or nothing. Update rollback is just one of several added features ...Read more...

Grand Theft Auto V is already a nice-looking game that runs well on the PC. As nice as it looks, though, it still doesn't look real. Martin Bergman on YouTube is teasing a mod for the game named Toddyhancer that can make you forget you're looking at a game at first glance....Read more...

The folks at Android Police have uncovered a serious design flaw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 handset. The device's stylus, called the S Pen, can easily be inserted backward and get stuck. What's worse, using force to remove the pen may damage or disable the pen detection sensor in the slot. The site posted a video demonstration and description of the problem, which you can watch below....Read more...

Nickolai Zeldovich and his colleagues at MIT have created a file system they claim is mathematically proven to be impervious to any unexpected system crash. The team built the file system on the basis of formal verification, which by itself isn't entirely new. What's different about the MIT team's work is that their formal proofs are made against the final code they wrote, and not against some high-level flowchart describing the system.Zeldovich described the difficulties encountered ...Read more...

If you have an Android phone, and you've been itching to talk to Cortana, now's your chance. Microsoft has opened the Android public beta for its personal assistant. ...Read more...

Harebrained Schemes has released the third instalment in the remade Shadowrun series of cyberpunk turn-based RPGs, called Shadowrun: Hong Kong. The new game is (surprise) set in Hong Kong in 2056. Players will take their crews through a campaign involving triads, street gangs, and of course, lots of cybernetic technology. Check out the release trailer:...Read more...

Microsoft's Kinect SDK has allowed apps to perform 3D mapping for a while, but the Kinect is hardly ubiquitous or portable—let alone something many people already stuff into their pockets. Smartphones, on the other hand, are everywhere, and a project from Microsoft Research can turn them into pocketable 3D scanners. Microsoft calls the process MobileFusion. Check it out:...Read more...

Intel has pulled back the curtain on a new mobo format called 5x5. 5x5 boards are smaller than Mini-ITX mobos, but they retain support for socketed CPUs. The official reveal was made at a presentation during IDF15.

In Win has a history of making some beautiful, if not terribly practical, PC cases. The company's glass-and-aluminum 805 mid-tower case does have something enthusiasts are looking for, though—a USB Type-C connector right on the front where it's easy to access. It's also truly lovely to look at. ...Read more...

Phanteks' Enthoo Evolv ITX has been available for some time now in an all-black finish, but the company is spicing up the Evolv ITX lineup with a couple new colors. A white version of this Mini-ITX case is now available with a contrasting black interior finish, while the black model can now be had with red insides. Take a peek: ...Read more...

Intelligent Energy, a British power company that specialises in fuel cell technology, has unveiled a working prototype of an iPhone 6 powered by a hydrogen fuel cell battery. The company claims the phone can go for a week without refueling, and it says it hasn't altered the shape or size of the device to incorporate its technology.The word "refueling" is actually correct, as the prototype uses an adapted headphone socket for that purpose. The company is said to be developing disposable cartridges containing hydrogen-releasing powder, which would plug into the headphone jack to refuel ...Read more...

The folks from OCZ were present at the Intel Developer Forum last week, demonstrating their latest wares while situated somewhat uncomfortably across from Intel's big 3D XPoint display. The highlight of their booth was an early mock-up of an upcoming product: the RevoDrive 400. ...Read more...

If something seems off about the shots from the rear camera on your iPhone 6 Plus lately, you may not be seeing things. Apple has announced a camera replacement program for some 6 Pluses made between September 2014 and January 2015. In affected phones, "the iSight camera has a component that may fail causing your photos to look blurry." ...Read more...

The eggheads at DisplayMate have taken a good, hard look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 5's display, and they like what they see. The company rated the Note 5's display as the best it's ever tested in multiple categories, dethroning the previous record holder, the Note 4.The screen in question is a 2560x1440 AMOLED unit with "diamond pixels" and several baked-in color calibration modes. DisplayMate praised the Adaptive Display mode, which it claims covers 134% of the sRGB color gamut. Although it's highly saturated, this mode is useful for outdoors viewing where the increased saturation is claimed to make ...Read more...

Multi-process support for Firefox is coming, and Mozilla has announced changes to the browser's plug-in underpinnings with an eye on that multi-process future. The company is introducing a new add-on development API called WebExtensions, which it says will allow for the development of more secure, cross-compatible browser add-ons. It's also requiring that all add-ons be reviewed and signed before they can be used with Firefox.WebExtensions is Blink-compatible, which should allow developers to port their Chrome, Safari, or Opera extensions quickly. WebExtensions will also make use of permissions. Plug-ins will have to announce what features and data they need access to, ...Read more...

Multi-process support for Firefox is coming, and Mozilla has announced changes to the browser's plug-in underpinnings with an eye on that multi-process future. The company is introducing a new add-on development API called WebExtensions, which it says will allow for the development of more secure, cross-compatible browser add-ons. It's also requiring that all add-ons be reviewed and signed before they can be used with Firefox.WebExtensions is Blink-compatible, which should allow developers to port their Chrome, Safari, or Opera extensions quickly. WebExtensions will also make use of permissions. Plug-ins will have to announce what features and data they need access to, ...Read more...

Anybody who's ever used a cell phone, tablet, or laptop with a rechargeable battery wants more—more battery life and more usable charging cycles. Owners would also prefer that the batteries powering their devices not catch fire. MIT researchers working in conjunction with the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts say they've solved all three issues with this one weird trick a practical solid-state electrolyte. The very nitty-gritty details have been published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Nature Materials.MIT visiting professor of materials science and engineering Gerbrand Ceder says using a solid-state electrolyte, rather than the liquids that today's rechargeable batteries use, is a "game changer." According to Ceder, ...Read more...

Eight is Enough

Psst. Hey kid, wanna grab some deals? It's Friday, take a look at the selection in my trenchcoat. Let's start with graphics cards. We have two whoppers this week:And today we have something different—goodies for your ...Read more...

Samsung has launched an aggressive marketing campaign called the Ultimate Test Drive, which lets iPhone owners borrow one of its Galaxy phones—the S6 edge, S6 edge+, or Note 5—for a full month, with no obligation, for a single George Washington. Seems like the company has Apple dead in its crosshairs. Maybe it has something to do with that 36% year-on-year iPhone sales climb. ...Read more...

Like most Android phones, the OnePlus 2 shipped vulnerable to Stagefright attacks. The company has corrected that issue in an over-the-air (OTA) firmware update, which also includes some other goodies. Here's the full change log:According to OnePlus, the update is rolling out in India first, and it may take some time to get to other regions. If you're in a hurry, and if you actually have ...Read more...

If you're in the Kansas City area and have some free time this evening, consider coming out to our TR meetup this evening. We'll be at Stuey McBrew's Tavern & Tables in Lee's Summit starting at 7:00pm.As expected, my noggin is full of Skylake architecture info, so we'll surely talk about that some—and about whatever else ...Read more...

It looks like BlackBerry may be soon making yet another comeback attempt. Noted hardware sleuth Evan Blass, also known as @evleaks, has posted what appear to be GIFs of a new Android-powered BlackBerry phone with a slide-out keyboard. An Android device would be a first for the company, although this isn't the first time it's flirted with parts of Google's operating system, at least.In case there was any ...Read more...

Need something to do with a Z170 motherboard's numerous PCIe lanes? Asus' USB 3.1 UPD (for USB Power Delivery) Panel could be a useful addition to a case. ...Read more...

The third Trine game has been officially released. Dubbed Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power, the new game in the gorgeous-looking puzzle platformer series now features 3D gameplay, which should make for some extra-puzzling moments. Here's the release trailer:...Read more...

That rumor of Batman: Arkham Knight not being patched until fall is looking pretty accurate. In an update posted on the game's Steam Community page, Warner Bros. Interactive shared news of the next patch for the game, which it expects to release "in the next few weeks." The company also explained which improvements are supposed to be in the patch:Those are some nice changes, especially the increased framerate caps (although we'd still like to see them removed entirely). It also seems like ...Read more...

Eight is Enough