NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is finally here, and it’s clear the no-compromise design comes with the steep price tag to match. The new flagship GPU is now available at an official price of $1,999. That’s $500 more than the ‘base’ RTX 3090, and closer to the price of line-blurring GPUs like the old $2,499 Titan RTX. And don’t be surprised if you pay more thanks to ongoing shortages — we’re already seeing more expensive cards at retailers.

There’s some justification for the steep price, at least. The RTX 3090 Ti effectively fulfills Ampere’s potential with a full 84 Streaming Multiprocessors enabled instead of 82, higher clock speeds (1.67GHz base and 1.86GHz boost) and 24GB of second-generation, higher-clocked GDDR6X memory with a wider 21Gbps of bandwidth. This consumes a massive 450W of thermal design power (the regular 3090 ‘only’ uses 350W), but you’ll know that your game or editing app will run as smoothly as possible with today’s technology.

The issue, as you might guess, is the word “today’s.” You’re spending two grand on what’s very clearly the swan song for NVIDIA’s RTX 30 series graphics chips. The company already confirmed at GTC 2021 that its upcoming Ampere Next architecture (likely the basis for the RTX 40 series) is due later in 2022. You’re spending a lot of money on a GPU that could feel outdated in a matter of months. The RTX 3090 Ti is for well-heeled gamers and creators who can’t (or don’t want to) wait to upgrade.

Don’t expect to see new flags in your phone’s emoji any time soon. The Unicode Consortium has warned it will “no longer accept proposals” for flag emoji, regardless of category. They’re more trouble than they’re worth, the organization said, whether it’s the inherent politics or the value they bring.

The Consortium noted that flag additions tend to “emphasize the exclusion of others.” If the emoji team added regional flags for one country, for instance, it would highlight the lack of regional flags for other countries. Moreover, Unicode can’t remove a character once added — while it can update emoji, it’s hesitant to add a flag that might not last long.

Usage was also a major concern. Flags are “by far” the least-used emoji, Unicode said, and aren’t even used that often in social media bios. The Consortium is trying to limit the number of emoji it adds each year, and there isn’t much incentive to add flags that won’t see widespread adoption. In some cases, such as for additional LGBTQ flags, the outfit also believed its standard was “not an effective mechanism” for recognition and was expanding heart colors to help people take pride in their identities without using flags.

This doesn’t mean you’ll never see flags again. Flags are automatically recommended for any country with a Unicode region code (that is, recognized by the United Nations). For now, though, the flags you see will be fixed unless there are significant political upheavals.

Source: Engadget – Unicode won’t accept any new flag emoji

When Soundboks released its Gen 3 portable loudspeaker, I was happy it wasn’t any larger than its predecessors. It was on the edge of being truly portable as it was. Now, the company aims to deliver the same signature output capability in a new, smaller package. The Soundboks Go ($699) is about half the size of the Gen 3, resembling more of a chubby briefcase than an end table, and it continues to offer the incredible battery life and connectivity that have become synonymous with the brand. As a bonus, the company is also launching Direkt, an in-app platform that will offer live stream sets from DJs and artists across the globe to Soundboks users.

The Soundboks Go measures 18 x 12 x 10-inches and weighs about 20 pounds. There’s a convenient carry handle on top, but you can also opt for the $59 shoulder strap accessory. The speaker is composed of one 10-inch woofer and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter enclosed in an ABS and polycarbonate cabinet and protective grill. Inside, the system relies on two 72W class D amplifiers to drive the audio output and its effective frequency range of 40Hz – 20kHz. Where the Gen 3 had generous input (and output) possibilities, the Go has slimmed the options down to a single 3.5mm aux input.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity will likely be the primary audio source for most casual users and just like the previous model, the Soundboks Go will support TeamUp using SKAA wireless technology to communicate with up to three other nearby Soundboks Gen 3 or Go speakers.

The speaker is built for the outdoors with a rugged silicone rubber bumper around the edges and an IP65 rating – dust-tight and resistant to powerful jets of water but not meant to be submerged.

Battery life appears to be stellar with up to 80 hours at medium volume and around 10 hours at full blast, with 3.5-hours to fully recharge. Like previous models, the battery is removable and swappable if you bring a backup. Plus, you can continuously charge while playing if you have an outlet handy.

The Soundboks app offers a custom EQ, as well as preset sound profiles for extra bass, power and indoor listening. Starting in April, iOS users will get to enjoy the new Direkt live streaming platform as part of the app experience. Every Friday and Saturday night you’ll be able to access live sets from clubs and studios in Copenhagen, Barcelona, London, Los Angeles and more. The streams will be available for 24 hours so users across the globe can all enjoy them.

Pre-orders for the new Soundboks Go ($699) start today and the expected release date is April 26th.

Source: Engadget – The Soundboks Go offers loudspeaker sound in a more portable package

As the weather warms up, it’s time for aspiring pit masters to dust off their aprons and meat probes before heading outside for some low-and-slow cooking. Pellet grills have become a popular choice for backyard cooks as they offer the flavor of food cooked over wood with a much more convenient fuel source. However, you still have to go outside to use one, and unless you have a screened-in porch or shelter of some kind, cooking in the rain is no fun. And if you live in an apartment, chances are you can’t have a grill in the first place. FirstBuild, a product innovation lab backed by GE Appliances, has built Arden: an indoor smoker that burns wood pellets and “eliminates” the smoke so it’s safe to use in your kitchen.

Like an outdoor pellet grill, the Arden has a hopper for the fuel and burns it to produce smoke to flavor foods. The difference here is this countertop unit has a separate heating element that helps to regulate the temperature so it’s not solely relying on burning pellets to cook. FirstBuild says the Arden circulates smoke around the chamber before a “game-changing smoke-elimination technology” uses “a catalyst” to get rid of it. The company explains that the small appliance doesn’t have a filter you need to clean or replace, it just expels carbon dioxide and water vapor out of the back. Details are scarce on exactly what happens during that process, but it’s clear the thing doesn’t emit any smoke during a cook.

FirstBuild is using smoke elimination tech here that was built for the Monogram Smart Hearth Oven. That appliance is an in-wall electric unit that’s designed to mimic the performance of wood-fired brick ovens used in restaurants for pizza, baking and roasting. The company says the idea for a smoker was first implemented in an old GE fridge that had been converted to a BBQ cooker. In order to bring the device indoors to escape the weather, FirstBuild team outfitted it with the smoke trapping tech from the Hearth Oven. 

The company says the smoker generated a ton of interest from its community so it asked if people would buy one and how big it needed to be. The first answer was a resounding “yes,” and the second was that it needed to fit on the counter like other kitchen appliances. Unlike the old refrigerator, the Arden is a moveable unit, so you can stash it somewhere else when its not in use — unless you really want to dedicate counter space to showing it off. Despite easy moving, it’s still quite a large thing to have out all of the time.

The Arden is about the size of a mini fridge with enough capacity for two racks of ribs, a small brisket or “an average-sized” pork butt. The device can also accommodate a whole chicken standing up on a rack or beer can. Three removable shelves allow you to fit things as needed, but based on FirstBuild’s videos, you’ll need to cut racks of ribs in half to make them fit. Cook times remain the same as outdoor smokers, so you’re looking at three to five hours for ribs and up to 12 hours for a pork butt, for example. The Arden cooks at temperatures between 185-300 degrees Fahrenheit and it allows you to use a meat probe to monitor internal temp. It can also hold foods at a certain temperature once they’re done cooking in case you can’t get to them immediately. 

Since the Arden has separate heat sources for the pellets and the main heat setting, FirstBuild says the device offers more accurate overall temperature. The company says this smoker also uses a lot less pellets since they smolder for flavor instead of burning to heat an entire grill. While barbecuers seem to be impressed by the smoker flavor the Arden prototypes impart, Mad Scientist BBQ’s Jeremy Yoder noted that it’s not as “complex” in the overall profile. 

TikTok users will soon have even more ways to make their videos stand out from the crowd. The service has announced the TikTok Library, which will grant creators access to more entertainment-based content. You’ll be able to find GIFs, clips from your favorite TV shows, memes and other content, which you can slot into your TikToks.

Although there are already ways to insert GIFs from Giphy into TikTok videos, it should be easier to do that once you have access to the library. Until now, Giphy GIFs have been available as Stickers and via the Green Screen effect. At the outset, the TikTok Library will also include Giphy Clips, which are essentially GIFs with audio. The initial collection will feature reaction clips, quotes, famous faces and “iconic moments,” which may or may not include certain award show incidents.

TikTok will start testing the Library in some markets on Android today and on iOS next week. It plans to expand the tool to more people in the coming weeks.

Once the feature is available, you’ll be able to access it by tapping the new Library icon on the sidebar. After you find something you want to add to your video, you can trim it to a specific length and then keep building your TikTok from the shoot page.

Source: Engadget – TikTok users will soon have an easier way to add popular GIFs