Monthly Archives: July 2018

PC Market Sees Its First Growth Quarter in Six Years

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From a report: Gartner found PC shipments were up globally in Q2 2018, the first quarter of year-over-year global PC shipment growth since the first quarter of 2012. Gartner estimates that worldwide PC shipments grew 1.4 percent to 62.1 million units in Q2 2018. The top five vendors were Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and Acer. Lenovo in particular saw big gains (its highest growth rate since the first quarter of 2015), although that’s largely due in part to the inclusion of units from its joint venture with Fujitsu.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – PC Market Sees Its First Growth Quarter in Six Years

Cooler Master Releases CM310 Gaming Mouse: 10000 DPI Sensor, RGB Illumination, $30

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Cooler Master has announced the release of a new gaming mouse in the CM310. The mouse includes a 10000 DPI gaming grade optical sensor, RGB illumination, and is designed to be ambidextrous.  The new peripheral, according to Cooler Master, is designed as ‘a mouse for gamers of all calibers and is designed to be comfortable, reliable, and doesn’t break the bank‘.



The outside of the mouse is made of a matte black plastic and rubber and includes an RGB illuminated web wheel. A Cooler Master symbol is on top, along with an RGB strip which is wrapped around the entire body. Cooler Master includes five preset RGB modes and effects, but no mention if it can work with motherboard RGB software. Although the mouse is said to be ambidextrous, the side buttons are on the left and for right-handed grip so this may not work as well for lefties who need those buttons. For increased grip, the sides of the mouse, where most users’ thumb and pinky finger rest, are rubberized to prevent slippage in the middle of a game.


 


There are a total of eight buttons on the mouse. The three buttons on top are mapped to DPI changed and profiles for the ability to quickly switch to slower/faster movements on the fly with seven levels (500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, and 10000 DPI). The remaining five buttons are the typical left and right we see on nearly every mouse, the two buttons on the left side along with the web wheel are also clickable.



The device uses a Pixart A3325 sensor, good up to the 10000 DPI mentioned earlier, along with a polling rate of 1000 Hz, a lift-off distance of ~3mm, and uses a 60 inch-per-second tracking speed (3.4 miles per hour). The wired mouse uses a 6-foot USB 2.0 cable to connect to the PC.


















Cooler Master CM310 Gaming Mouse
Product Name / Model # CM310 / CM-310-KKW02
Grip Type Palm & Claw
Material ABS Plastic / Rubber
Color Black
LED Color 16.7M RGB with 5 Modes
Sensor Pixart A3328 (10000 DPI)
CPI / DPI  7 Levels (500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 10000)
Tracking Speed 60 ips
Lift Off Distance < ~3mm
Polling Rate / Acceleration 1000 Hz / 20g
Buttons 8
Connector / Cable Length USB 2.0 / 1.8 Meters (Flexible Rubber)
Dimensions (W x H x D) 5″ x 2.8″ x 1.6″
Weight 100g/135g (without/with cable)
Warranty 2 Years

The Cooler Master CM310 is said to be available today at Newegg/Amazon and carries an MSRP of $30/30€. 


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Source: AnandTech – Cooler Master Releases CM310 Gaming Mouse: 10000 DPI Sensor, RGB Illumination,

Smart TVs are invading privacy and should be investigated, senators say

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Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | moodboard)

Two Democratic US senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate privacy problems related to Internet-connected televisions.

“Many Internet-connected smart TVs are equipped with sophisticated technologies that can track the content users are watching and then use that information to tailor and deliver targeted advertisements to consumers,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter yesterday to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons. “Regrettably, smart TV users may not be aware of the extent to which their televisions are collecting sensitive information about their viewing habits.”

The letter asked the FTC to “launch an investigation into the privacy policies and practices of smart TV manufacturers.” When contacted by Ars, an FTC spokesperson confirmed that the agency received the letter from Markey and Blumenthal, but the FTC offered no further comment.

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Source: Ars Technica – Smart TVs are invading privacy and should be investigated, senators say

Watch Out for These Fake FDA Scam Letters

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If you’ve bought drugs from illegal online pharmacies, you may have plenty of reasons to worry—but a warning letter from the FDA shouldn’t be one of them. The FDA sends nasty letters to illegal pharmacies, not typically to customers. Which means if you receive a letter from the “FDA,” someone’s trying to scam you.

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Source: LifeHacker – Watch Out for These Fake FDA Scam Letters

PC market appears to have grown for the first time since 2012

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Source: Ars Technica – PC market appears to have grown for the first time since 2012

You Should Probably Replace Your Surge Protector, So Save 20% On a Great One

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Belkin’s 12-outlet surge protector is one of our readers’ favorites (and the one I use behind my TV), and Prime members can get it for $14 today, or 20% off. Just note that you won’t see the final price until you get to checkout. Surge protectors actually wear out over time, so if you haven’t replaced yours in awhile,…

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Source: LifeHacker – You Should Probably Replace Your Surge Protector, So Save 20% On a Great One

Modders revamp Super Mario Odyssey on hacked Switch hardware

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Super Mario Odyssey modder TheSunCat takes you through his insanely difficult custom level for the game.

Since a simple method for unlocking most Switch hardware was revealed back in March, much of the hacking community has been focused on developing homebrew software/emulators for the system. But a small community of Super Mario Odyssey fans have been using their expanded Switch access to modify the game with new costumes, gameplay features, and even entirely new levels.

The modifications started a few months ago with simple save file edits that let players overflow the game’s coin counter or unlock all the game’s costumes, including some costumes that have yet to be officially released. From there, hackers started to figure out how to make cosmetic edits to in-game files, leading to mods that replace the power moons with old-school power stars or give Mario a Sonic the Hedgehog outfit, for instance. And why listen to that boring Mario music when you can replace it with “Despacito” (or watch a “Despacito” music video on a screen in Snow Kingdom)?

It wasn’t long before the hackers were digging into the game code to modify the way Super Mario Odyssey plays, too. Hacker Simon Aarons created a mod that lets players run with super speed and “moon jump” to otherwise impossible heights. Others have made mods that let Mario breath indefinitely underwater or play as Bowser in unintended areas of the game.

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Source: Ars Technica – Modders revamp Super Mario Odyssey on hacked Switch hardware

Highlights From The 2018 World Sign Spinning Competition

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This is a highlight reel from the 2018 World Sign Spinning Competition on Freemont Street in Las Vegas. There are a lot of slick moves. Maybe not as attention-getting as my sign spinning moves, but we can’t all be the best. “You flipped your sign into the street and got hit by a car.” And it was all over the evening news! You can’t pay for better advertising.

Keep going for the video.

Source: Geekologie – Highlights From The 2018 World Sign Spinning Competition

Audi’s latest infotainment system is a smarter driving companion

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“Does the glass move or is the haptic feedback tricking my brain?”

Sometimes you have to ask dumb questions. I was 99 percent sure Audi’s updated MMI infotainment system was creating the illusion that the display moved when I pressed it. But, you ha…

Source: Engadget – Audi’s latest infotainment system is a smarter driving companion

Microsoft Calls on Congress To Regulate Face Recognition

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Addressing a growing concern by privacy advocates and users alike over the usage of facial recognition by government bodies, Microsoft urged the US government on Friday to start thinking about what limits should be set on the use of such technologies. From a report: In a blog post, Microsoft also said it is consulting with outside groups to help set its own policies for how it will use and sell such technology. Face recognition can be used for a range of purposes, from reuniting missing kids to mass surveillance. Currently, there are few rules for those using or selling the technology. “The only effective way to manage the use of technology by a government is for the government proactively to manage this use itself,” Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a blog post. “And if there are concerns about how a technology will be deployed more broadly across society, the only way to regulate this broad use is for the government to do so.” For its own part, Smith said Microsoft is going to move slowly on commercial use of face recognition while it explores what its own policies should be.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Microsoft Calls on Congress To Regulate Face Recognition

Get Free Beats Headphones From Apple's 'Back to School' Promo, Even if You Aren't a Student

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Each year, Apple drops a “Back to School” promo that lets “eligible” customers save money on hardware and score a free something—like a pair of Beats headphones—when they make a big purchase. Here’s the thing, though: everyone can actually benefit from the promo, students and non-students alike.

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Source: LifeHacker – Get Free Beats Headphones From Apple’s ‘Back to School’ Promo, Even if You Aren’t a Student

Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered Free For Red Faction Guerrilla Owners

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I don’t know how many of you own Red Faction Guerrilla, but for those of you that do the developer is giving you a free copy of Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered on Steam. I checked my Steam library and I found my nice new shiny edition of Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered. Some of the changes are new high-res textures, better lighting and 4K native support. Go check it out and blow some stuff up! Here’s the announcement trailer if you missed it a few weeks back.



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Source: [H]ardOCP – Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered Free For Red Faction Guerrilla Owners

Roborace Autonomous Hill Climb Run at Goodwood

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Robocar, a completely autonomous car, has completed a hill climb run at the week of Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018. This is an electric car that can move pretty fast. The run looks really clean and the only thing that I notice is it tends to brake early, but this can probably be solved by doing multiple runs. Check out the video of the run to get an idea of how well it did. Thanks cagey.



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Source: [H]ardOCP – Roborace Autonomous Hill Climb Run at Goodwood

Burglar breaks into “escape room” business, panics, and calls 911

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Enlarge (credit: NW Escape Experiences)

A burglar in Vancouver, Washington made four panicked 911 calls after breaking into an “escape room” business last weekend—and having trouble getting out.

Escape rooms are timed challenges that let groups of customers test their wits against a series of intricate puzzles. But NW Escape Experience’s three escape rooms apparently so unnerved accused burglar Rye Wardlaw that he called 911 on himself.

The company offers customers three different rooms to choose from, including the “Kill Room,” described by the Washington Post as “blood-spattered and designed to look like a serial killer’s basement hideout.”

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Source: Ars Technica – Burglar breaks into “escape room” business, panics, and calls 911