Although we first got a glimpse at Lenovo’s Windows Mixed Reality headset earlier this year, the company is now getting official with the device. Called the Lenovo Explorer, the headset is capable of being plugged into a supported Windows 10 PC, where users will be able to immerse themselves in virtual reality games and apps.
The headset
Source: Hot Hardware – Lenovo Explorer Windows Mixed Reality Headset Arrives In October Priced From 9
Cummins
This week, diesel truck engine company Cummins made an unusual announcement. In addition to several new high-efficiency diesel engines, it also showed off an all-electric truck called the Concept Class 7 Urban Hauler EV. The truck is just a concept at the moment, but it’s coming in the nick of time—just as Tesla is about to announce its own semi EV.
The 18,000-pound tractor cab, built by Roush, comes with a 140kWh battery and is capable of hauling a 22-ton trailer. According to Forbes, Cummins hopes to be able to sell its battery to truck and bus manufacturers by 2019. Forbes says the truck can run for 100 miles and be recharged in an hour, although Cummins is allegedly working on improving the battery so that by 2020, that recharge time is reduced to 20 minutes.
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Source: Ars Technica – Engine maker Cummins shows off all-electric truck, high-efficiency diesels
It’s been a while since last having anything to report on the Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) but that changed with today’s v0.15 release of this Qt5-powered log-in/display manager…
Source: Phoronix – SDDM 0.15 Qt Display Manager Adds Elogind Support, Themed Default Cursor
Like millions of other kids around the world, after seeing the original trilogy, R2-D2 instantly became my favorite Star Wars character. He seemed like the perfect sidekick, but the real Artoo was from a galaxy far, far away from mine, and the toy versions of the little droid were always lifeless clones of the…
Source: Gizmodo – This Is the R2-D2 Robot Toy I’ve Dreamed About Since I Was a Kid
Flashlights and toy lightsaber might do a decent job of making you feel like a Jedi when you’re twelve, and fancy prop reproductions might do the job when you’re adult. But it is all still make believe. You’re not taking on Darth Vader in your living room, you’re waving a toy and making “vrm vrrm” noises. A new…
Source: Gizmodo – I Slayed Star Wars Villains With This New AR Lightsaber Setup
It’s been nearly two years since Sphero introduced its app controlled BB-8, a replica of the cute rolling droid that first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That toy quickly became one of the most coveted by fans of Disney’s franchise, and it…
Source: Engadget – Meet R2-D2 and BB-9E, Sphero’s new ‘Star Wars’ toys
Compared to virtual reality, augmented reality has been slow to take off. Sure, phone-based augmented reality is getting a bit of a boost right now — Apple and Google are certainly investing in it — but there’s still a dearth of commercially-availa…
Source: Engadget – Lenovo’s first augmented reality glasses are a Star Wars exclusive
When Razer redesigned its Blade Pro laptop late last year, it finally had a flagship notebook that lived up to its name. The 17-inch Blade Pro had a gorgeous 4K display, a screaming fast processor, top of the line NVIDIA graphics and even somehow man…
Source: Engadget – Razer’s Blade Pro gaming laptop can now be had for ,700 less
Those familiar with the desktop replacement market (DTR) likely know Razer and what it brings to the table with its Razer Blade Pro laptop. For those that are not, this powerful laptop that could shoehorns in an i7-7820HK CPU with 4c/8t offering speeds to 4.3 GHz when overclocked. It sports a 17.3” 4K UHD IGZO G-SYNC display and comes with a fully appointed GTX 1080. High-end specs in a laptop like this can certainly put a hurting on your wallet with the 4K THX Certified Blade Pro described above fetching $4000 and up. Announced at IFA and filling in the lower price point is Razer’s new Blade Pro Full HD which is targeted towards gamers and creative professionals who need power desktop replacement…without spending $4000.
Just as the name implies, the 17.3″, 120Hz IPS screen sports a 1920×1080 resolution. Not needing to push so many pixels, it comes with a GTX 1060 6GB GPU. While the GTX 1060 isn’t a slouch, I would prefer to see a 120Hz monitor matched up with a faster GPU (GTX 1070 perhaps?) in order to enjoy the faster refresh rate in more games longer. But, the point of this product isn’t top notch performance. There is more of a focus on being a budget gaming laptop/desktop replacement with the Full HD.
Available system memory also starts out at 16GB(2x8GB) 2400MHz (4K model uses 2667MHz) DDR4 expandable to 32GB (2x16GB). A unique feature to the Full HD model is having actual SODIMM slots and the ability to upgrade the ram. The 4K version has soldered in 32GB; no upgrade is possible there. Storage options also change between the two models with the Full HD’s base offering a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD (expandable to 2TB M.2 PCIe). They also do not offer RAID options. Instead of storage drives all compromised of M.2 PCIe drives, the Full HD favors a slower, cheaper, but higher capacity 2TB mechanical drive (expandable to 4TB HDD). See more details in the specifications table.
Some other differences between these two come in the form of weight reduction from 7.8 to 6.8 lbs as well as the Full HD model using a 70 Wh battery with the same 165W AC Adapter from the Blade 14, instead of the 99 Wh battery and 230W AC Adapter combo in the more expensive Blade Pro. Another cost saving change was the Full HD model losing the mechanical keyboard and going with a membrane based keyboard, which is the same one found in the Blade 14.
Dimensions of both laptops remain the same since its the same chassis with different underpinnings (and design cues). Connectivity is also the same with three USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port for high-bandwidth/advanced connectivity, HDMI 2.0 (VR Ready), SDXC card reader, and the Killer DoubleShot Pro network technology employing a Killer E2400 Gbe, as well as the Killer Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2×2:2 with Bluetooth 4.1). Like the Blade 14, the FHD Blade Pro also supports the Razer Core for eGFX, if necessary.
See both the 4K and Full HD model specification comparison in the table below.
| Razer Blade Pro | ||
| Model | 4K | Full HD |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-7820HK 4C/8T 2.9-3.9 GHz 8MB Cache 45W TDP |
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4C/8T 2.8-3.8 GHz 6MB Cache 45W TDP |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1080 8GB 2560 CUDA Cores 1556 – 1733 (Boost) MHz |
NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB 1280 CUDA Cores |
| Memory | 32GB 2667MHz DDR4 Soldered | 16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 SODIMM |
| Display | 17.3″ 3840×2160 60 Hz w/G-SYNC | 17.3″ 1920×1080 120 Hz IPS |
| Storage | 512GB (2 x 256GB) M.2 PCIe SSD 1TB (2 x 512GB) M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB (2 x 1TB) M.2 PCIe SSD |
256GB M.2 PCIe SSD (Expandable to 2TB M.2 PCIe SSD) 2TB HDD |
| I/O | 3 x USB 3.0 Ports 1 x Thunderbolt 3 1 x HDMI 2.0 SDXC Card Slot 1 x Headset Jack 1 x Killer E2400 Ethernet (10/100/1000Mbps) |
|
| Dimensions | 22.5mm x 424mm x 281mm (HxWxD) 0.88″ x 16.7″ x 11″ (HxWxD) |
|
| Weight | 3.54 kg / 7.8 lbs | 3.07 kg / 6.8 lbs |
| Battery | 99 Wh, 250W AC Adapter | 70 Wh, 165W AC Adapter |
| Wireless | Killer Wireless-AC 1535 2×2:2 with Bluetooth 4.1 |
|
| Price | $3999.99+ | $2299.99+ |
Base price on the Full HD machine with the 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD is $2299.99. The cost will go up when increasing capacity on the SSD and/or HDD. Availability of the Razer Blade Pro Full HD will be Worldwide in Q4 2017.
At IFA, Razer also announced a companion product to their 17″ laptops introducing the Razer Rogue Backpack 17.3″. From the looks of it, not much has changed outside of the size and ability to carry larger laptops. Its smaller siblings offered a tear and water-resistant exterior, a TPU padded scratch proof interior protecting the laptop, and a dedicated compartment for the laptop itself. The backpack is a frameless design with heavily padded shoulder straps and back panel. Razer says the Rogue backpack is engineered to evenly distribute the weight of heavier loads over the back while the chest strap is said to prevent fatigue.
Pricing and availability were for the 17.3″ backpack were not released at the time of publication. The smaller 15.6″ is $99.99 through the Razer website so I would expect the larger model to cost a bit more.
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Source: AnandTech – Razer Reveals New Blade Pro: GTX 1060 Graphics, Full HD, Lower Price Point
SanDisk just unveiled a 400GB microSD card, which it claims is the world’s biggest. Really, it was only a matter of time until something of this stature arrived. Especially, now that we’re capturing every aspect of our daily lives in glorious 4K, in…
Source: Engadget – SanDisk crams 400GB into a microSD card
An anonymous reader shares an article: LinkedIn’s 2017 U.S. State of Salary report is out, and tech is on top as the most lucrative career. Computer science majors are paid the most, with a median salary of $92,300. Software and IT services is the highest paid industry, with a median total compensation of $104,700.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Tech is the Most Lucrative Career: LinkedIn Study
With the soon-to-be-released LLVM 5.0 there is the initial AMD Zen scheduler model for the compiler to benefit Ryzen / EPYC processors. But now already hitting the LLVM development code for LLVM 6.0 is a revised scheduler model…
Source: Phoronix – Updated AMD Zen Scheduler Model Lands For LLVM 6.0
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist and author of the New York Times bestselling book, My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha. Her flagship column, “Ask a Clean Person,” debuted in 2011. Here on Offspring, we’re launching a new iteration of it, focusing on parenting…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Remove Odors From Hand-Me-Down Clothes
Lenovo has a few new convertibles and detachables that it announced today at IFA, including two new Yoga devices and a new addition to the Miix family. Starting with the convertibles, we have the new flagship Yoga 920, which features a 13-inch form-factor.
The Yoga 920’s 13.9-inch display can be configured with either a Full HD (1920×1080)
Source: Hot Hardware – Lenovo’s Miix 520 Tablet Joins Yoga 920 Convertible Flexing 8th Gen Kaby Lake-R Muscle
Alphabet’s smart home division, Nest, has an all-new smart thermostat. The Nest Thermostat E takes a cost-cutting pass on the smart thermostat guts and software, sticks it in a plastic case, and lowers the price to $169. Most of the functionality and features survive, but without the super-premium stainless steel body of the regular Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest is willing to cut the price from the usual $250.
Just because it’s plastic doesn’t mean Nest hasn’t obsessed over the design. The all-new look uses a frosted glass display and a white body, which aims to look less “techy” and blend into the wall. The motion-sensing tech—which the thermostat uses to detect if someone is home—has been integrated into a new “Nest pill” located on the front of the thermostat. The app for the Nest Thermostat E gets a similar frosted look.
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Source: Ars Technica – New Nest Thermostat swaps stainless steel for plastic, lowers price to 9
Deadspin Why Your Team Sucks 2017: Houston Texans | Jezebel Benji Madden Wishes Cameron Diaz Happy Birthday on Instagram, People Rejoices | Splinter Georgia Cop Tells Scared White Woman During Traffic Stop: ‘We Only Kill Black People’ | The Root NBC in ‘Total Panic’ After Megyn Kelly’s New Show Scores Really High With…
Source: LifeHacker – Deadspin Why Your Team Sucks 2017: Houston Texans | Jezebel Benji Madden Wishes Cameron Diaz Happy B
SanDisk has pulled off the microSD card equivalent of a tiny car filled with an endless supply of clowns with its latest microSD card. Somehow SanDisk has managed to cram 400GB of storage into a tiny microSD card the size of a thumbnail. The new offering is currently the world’s highest capacity microSD card for use in mobile devices.
If
Source: Hot Hardware – SanDisk’s 400GB microSD Is Big On Storage, Tiny In Stature
The prices of Tesla’s top-of-the-range vehicles dropped overnight thanks to efficiency improvements in the way the brand’s 100 kWh batteries are made. Better efficiency means lower production costs, and Tesla is passing its savings straight on to you…
Source: Engadget – Tesla drops the price of its most expensive EVs
A couple from South Carolina is suing Amazon after receiving eclipse glasses that they claim were defective: Corey Payne and his fiancee, Kayla Harris, used them to view the eclipse on August 21 but later developed vision impairment, including blurriness and distorted vision. They are seeking to represent other customers who never received a warning from Amazon and suffered similar injuries from the company’s alleged negligence.
Starting on August 10, Amazon said it began to email customers to issue a recall of potentially hazardous solar eclipse glasses it was unable to verify as having been manufactured by reputable companies. Amazon did not disclose the scale of the recall or a list of affected vendors. Payne and Harris said they did not receive notice of the recall. They are seeking to represent other customers who never received a warning from Amazon and suffered similar injuries from the company’s alleged negligence.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Amazon Hit with Lawsuit over Eclipse Glasses
Gamers are begging Bungie to fix or remove aim assist from Destiny 2. Apparently, it’s super aggressive, giving controllers a huge advantage over mouse and keyboard: gamepad users can simply spray fire in a player’s general direction and get a kill every time. One streamer has documented his experience of adding aim assist to M/KB with XIM4.
It’s certainly really weird to even consider that gamepad owners would have an advantage over mouse & keyboard players in a FPS on PC, but there it is. We can certainly understand how annoying and unskillful this can be, and we’re hoping that Bungie tone down the aim assist in the general release of the PC version. We weren’t personally planning on touching PvP with a giant drill-shaped bargepole anyway, but this certainly would’ve made the experience even more humiliating for us.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Destiny 2 PC Beta Players Up in Arms over Gamepad Controller Aim Assist