Technology

After numerous reports of data loss when upgrading to Windows 10 Build 1809 (also known as the October Update), Microsoft has paused its rollout. While the update hadn’t been pushed out to all users yet, many have already updated either as Windows Insiders or by manually downloading the update. Problems …

In August, AMD announced a new 32-core and 16-core Threadripper, revamping its top-end product line and further distancing the performance gaps between itself and Intel. Now the company is extending that product family with new 24-core and 12-core products, along with a new memory access mode that should reduce some …

Update: Sharp-eyed readers confirmed something I’d missed — Intel’s slides do note that 9th Generation CPUs are protected at the same level as Intel’s Whiskey Lake. Original story below. After months of leaks, Intel is finally taking the lid off its 9th Generation CPU family. The new series of CPUs …

Last week, Bloomberg published a bombshell story about a supply-side hardware hack that allowed a Chinese manufacturer to insert hardware modifications no larger than a grain of rice on to SuperMicro motherboards, compromising their security and allowing the machines to phone home data even when supposedly secured. This type of …

Everyone in the enthusiast community knows that manufacturer-provided benchmarks must be taken with a grain of salt. One could write a book on the various ways that companies tend to shade the truth to paint their own products in a positive light. Some of these practices are defensible, at least …

As we’ve written before, adding zoom capability — especially telephoto — is one of the final frontiers phone photography needs to address. Digital zoom, no matter how cleverly implemented, has not been able to replicate the quality of a good optical zoom. So phone makers have started adding a second, …

Facebook is a social network, but that hasn’t stopped Zuckerberg and company from trying to muscle into other markets over the years. The only success it had with that comes from buying established companies like Oculus. Now, it’s trying to get a foothold in the burgeoning smart display market on …

For the last few years, improved cameras have been among the top reasons people upgrade their phones. That makes photo and video capability a key battleground between industry heavyweights. Each, in turn, showcases glamorous photos with gushing hyperbole about its latest camera tech. Today was Google’s turn, with its launch …

If we’ve learned anything from 2018, it’s that Google is really bad at keeping secrets. The company just had its annual hardware unveiling, and all three of its new devices leaked repeatedly in the lead-up to the event. No matter, we have all the official details and availability info now. …

Google has been trying to gain a foothold in social networking for years, going all the way back to the tragically flawed Google Buzz in 2010. A year later, it launched Google+ with the aim of taking on Facebook. Now, the dream is over. Following a security audit and reassessment …