Android has become the largest computing platform in the world, but the version of the OS most people use isn’t ideal for low-power hardware. That’s why Google debuted the “Go edition” of Android back in 2017. With Android 10 now , Google has detailed the changes coming to the Go edition of Android 10. These phones will still be slow compared with a flagship device, but Google . The system-on-a-chip in your smartphone is probably more powerful than the best computers in the world from a few decades ago, but not all phones are created equal. Entry-level devices struggle to run modern Android, and there’s a market for ultra-cheap smartphones in many regions.
One of the topics we’ve returned to repeatedly at ExtremeTech is the difficulty of performance scaling in both CPUs and GPUs. Semiconductor manufacturers across the world are grappling with this problem, as are CPU and GPU designers. To date, there have been no miracle cures or easy solutions to the problem, but companies have turned to a wide range of alternative approaches to help them boost baseline performance, including new types of packaging technology. HBM, chiplets, and even technologies like Intel’s new 3D interconnect, Foveros, are all part of a broad industry effort to find new ways to connect chips rather than focusing solely on making chips smaller.
The modern office is once again changing, as new curved displays slowly make their way into a cubicle near you. These new displays typically offer high-quality panels with an excellent range of features that make them compelling options for multitaskers and professional image editors. is one of many new monitors attempting to compete in this evolving market that offers a simple-yet-solid feature set and a highly competitive price point. Design and Features HP’s 34F display utilizes a curved 34-inch IPS panel with a native resolution of 3,440×1,440. Although the panel is curved, the monitor looks entirely flat from the side and has a relatively small footprint.
Last week, Activision and Infinity Ward said that the majority of post-release DLC content for the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would launch at the same time for all platforms. Sony’s PS4, however, was to receive an unspecified “exciting Day 1 advantage.” Sony gamers, as it happens, will actually receive a Day 1 to Day 364 advantage — and Xbox and PC gamers aren’t very happy about it. The game’s Spec Ops Survival mode will be reserved for PS4 players until October 2020. Spec Ops missions are a feature that has appeared in previous CoD titles before being removed in the more recent editions of the game.
Numerous technology powerhouses are investing in game streaming services, not the least of which is Microsoft. The company has shown off its xCloud game streaming a few times, including . Now, it’s gearing up for the first wave of beta players, and you can . As with other game streaming platforms, xCloud will render games on servers in the cloud. The video of that gameplay streams down to your phone, laptop, TV, or other devices. Your controller inputs go back up to the server, allowing you to play the game. Several companies have tried and failed to combat latency and bandwidth issues that plague game streaming, but the technology is finally getting there.
Today is the last day take advantage of Dell’s current semi-annual clearance sale. As part of this sale, you can get one of Dell’s Vostro 15 laptops that comes equipped with one of Intel’s new 10th Gen Core i5 processors with a $494 discount. Dell upgraded this laptop with one of Intel’s new 10th generation Core i5-10210U processors that has four CPU cores clocked at 1.6GHz. The system also comes with a fast NVMe SSD storage device and a 1080p display, which makes it well suited for just about any type of work or any non-gaming activity.
For years, Boston Dynamics’ only commercial product has been vaguely unsettling videos of robots moving in realistic ways. That changes today. No, the robots aren’t getting less creepy. Boston Dynamics has a real commercial product: Spot. This quadrupedal robot is , but it could expand to general sales eventually. We’ve seen Spot (originally known as SpotMini) show up in various video demonstrations. You’ve , and now you might see it work. Boston Dynamics isn’t entirely certain what sort of work Spot will do, but that’s why it’s starting with a limited sales program. It wants to work closely with early adopters to evaluate Spot’s usefulness in the real world.
Today, Venus and Earth don’t have a lot in common other than being about the same size and orbiting the same star. Venus has crushing atmospheric pressure and a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead. However, Venus . New simulations from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies show how that change may have taken place. Venus is potentially in the habitable zone of the sun (opinions differ), so it could have liquid water on the surface. It doesn’t, though. Scientists have speculated that Venus’ water would have vaporized as it grew hotter thanks to a runaway greenhouse effect.
For years, the sorry state of lithium-ion batteries made electric vehicles impractical. Batteries are still imperfect, but they’re a viable way to power cars for the first time in history. Tesla is at the forefront of this change, and the company may be . A new scientific paper lends credence to a claim CEO Elon Musk made several months back. Researchers from Dalhousie University say they’re close to creating a lithium-ion battery that can run a car for over 1 million miles. Owners of current Tesla vehicles can expect to get about 500,000 miles out of their batteries before there’s a serious problem.
