personalcomputing
Latest
Valve pushes developers to consider controller support in Steam games
Valve is encouraging Steam game developers to add controller support to their titles by offering stats on the top gamepads.
Mozilla brings its VPN to Mac and Linux
You can use the service on up to five devices with a $5/month subscription.
Samsung's fingerprint-secured T7 Touch SSD drops to $160 for 1TB
It's the lowest price we've seen to date for the external storage device.
Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Fold is available for pre-order starting at $2,499
The company says it's 'the world’s first foldable PC.'
How to buy a laptop for your kid (or revive an old one)
By Andrew Cunningham and Kimber Streams This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full blog how to buy a laptop for your kid—or revive an old one. With millions of kids home from school and parents juggling childcare and working from home, many families are finding they don't have enough computers to go around. Due to sudden demand and supply-chain issues, new laptops, including many of our picks, are in short supply. So what should you do if you need a laptop for your kid right now? Whether you need a computer for your child to use for schoolwork and distance learning, entertainment, or a combination, you have a few options. We'll walk you through updating an old computer that has been sitting in a closet for years, and we have advice on how to shop for a decent laptop even if you can't find our picks in stock anywhere. We'll go through four different scenarios—the newer the computer you're trying to revive, the easier it will be to reuse that machine, but even eight- or nine-year-old computers can still be useful if you're just trying to get by. If you do have an old computer collecting dust but don't know how old it is, do a Google search for the manufacturer name plus "serial number look up." The manufacturer's support site may let you enter the serial number (often in the fine print somewhere on the computer) and show you its model name and number, when it was made, and what operating system was originally installed on it.
Safari flaw let intruders hijack cameras on iPhones and Macs
If you're working on a Mac at home or reconnecting with friends on an iPhone, you'll want to be sure you have the latest security updates. Security researcher Ryan Pickren has detailed recently patched Safari vulnerabilities that allowed intruders to hijack the cameras and microphones on iOS and macOS devices. A maliciously crafted website could trick Safari into believing the page had the same camera and mic permissions as one you'd already cleared, such as Skype. The attacker just needed a combination of specially-made web addresses with scripts to perform a "bait-and-switch."
Microsoft Edge becomes the second most popular desktop web browser
Microsoft's gamble on a Chromium-based Edge browser appears to have paid off, at least in the short term. Bleeping Computer noted that Edge is now the second most popular desktop web browser based on usage, with NetMarketShare giving the software nearly 7.6 percent of the market in March, eclipsing a declining Mozilla Firefox with almost 7.2 percent. Edge is still far behind Chrome's 68.5 percent, but that's no mean feat for a browser that wasn't even three months old.
E3 will return June 15th, 2021
The Entertainment Software Association may have cancelled E3 2020 due to COVID-19, but it's still committed to holding an event next year. The organization has announced that E3 will return between June 15th and June 17th, 2021. It characterized the future expo as a "reimagined" event, although that's the language it used for its since-scrapped 2020 gathering. It won't be surprising if the 2021 event is really a look at what you might have seen this year, just with a different mix of games.
ESPN2 will air 12 hours of esports coverage on April 5th
TV networks are already trying to fill the void in sports coverage left by the COVID-19 pandemic, but ESPN is going all-out. The broadcaster's ESPN2 channel is airing a 12-hour ESPN Esports Day on April 5th starting at 12PM Eastern, and there will be some high-profile live events in the mix. The highlight may be the second F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix at 3PM, when racers (including some current Formula 1 drivers) will compete online in a digital version of Australia's Albert Park. The marathon will also represent Rocket League's debut on ESPN television (it was only streamed before) with the Season 8 World Championship's Grand Finals broadcasting live at 4:30PM.
The Morning After: Apple's iPad turns 10
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Engadget's review of the first iPad ten years ago lauded its potential, even if the first version of tablet software couldn't do much for one's productivity. Since then, Apple has slowly gotten around to adding multitasking, external storage management and even mouse and keyboard support, all while maintaining a tight grip on the segment. To remember how that happened, check out Chris Velazco's look back at the iPad killers that missed their shot, as well as Engadget readers' impressions of the first-gen model. Separately, Jessica Conditt recalls one use case that developers have mostly given up on: second-screen gaming. -- Richard
Porsche's virtual race series starts tomorrow with pro drivers at the wheel
It's not just multi-manufacturer racing leagues like NASCAR going digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Porsche is livestreaming its Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition starting on April 4th at 10AM Eastern, when drivers take to a digital version of the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two races in 911 GT3 Cup cars. The iRacing-based series will have 31 drivers, 22 of which are full-time Supercup racers -- the nine others are factory and young professional drivers fielded by big-name sponsors like TAG Heuer and Vodafone.
The forgotten dream of second-screen gaming
The original iPad came out on April 3rd, 2010, at a time when most smartphone manufacturers were making the awkward transition from full QWERTY keyboards to touchscreen-only devices. Apple sold 1 million iPads in that first month, and by the end of 2010, that figure had climbed to 15 million. That same year, the top video games were Fallout: New Vegas, Bayonetta, Red Dead Redemption, Super Meat Boy and StarCraft II. The alpha version of Minecraft was generating some slight buzz.
Deadpool is Fortnite's latest playable crossover cameo
While he's been in the periphery of the game since the start of the current season, Deadpool is finally making his way to Fortnite proper. If you purchased this season's battle pass, you can obtain the skin by finding the mercenary's two hidden pistols (hint: look in the menus). After finding the weapons, head to a phone booth on the island to change outfits.
A sequel to beloved indie game 'Rogue Legacy' is in the works
What at first seemed like a potential April Fool's joke has turned out to be real: almost seven years after the original came out, Cellar Door Games has confirmed it's working on a Rogue Legacy sequel. The indie studio didn't share a release date for Rogue Legacy 2, nor did it say anything about potential platforms. In fact, besides some screenshots showing off a lovely new art style, the only significant tidbit of information we got is that Judson Cowan and A Shell in the Pit will return to score the game's soundtrack.
Get six months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $40 at Newegg
If you play games with your Xbox One frequently, there's a good chance you already have Game Pass Ultimate. Now is an excellent opportunity to top up your subscription at an affordable price. Newegg is offering a total of six months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $40 when you enter the code "EMCDHDE22".
Google donates Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots to California students
To help students keep up with their studies during the coronavirus pandemic, Google will donate 4,000 Chromebooks and 100,000 WiFi hotspots to households in California. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the initiative in a tweet on Wednesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state's Department of Education will distribute the Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots, prioritizing rural communities. Students will have the tools until the end of the school year, giving them at least three months of unlimited high-speed internet access.
Facebook debuts standalone Messenger app on Mac and PC
Today, Facebook is bringing its Messenger app to desktop. You can now access Messenger -- including unlimited and free group video calls -- on MacOS and Windows. The desktop app will sync across mobile, offer notifications for new messages and support Dark Mode and GIFs.
Gigabyte's Aero 17 has a 4K HDR display and Intel's 8-core i9 CPU
Gigabyte has launched its latest lineup of Aero laptops for creators, and its latest 17-inch model has some nice features if you're into HDR. First off, both the new 15- and 17-inch models look considerably more powerful than the last models. They offer up to the latest 10th-gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 8-core laptop processors with boost speeds as high as 5.3 GHz, along with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070/2080 Super graphics.
Razer's Blade 15 packs an 8-core Intel CPU and RTX 2080 Super
Razer has unveiled the 2020 Blade 15 Advanced with more gaming and content creation power, along with one long overdue addition. To start with, the Advanced model is the first Razer Blade with an 8-core CPU, namely the 10th-generation Intel Core i7-10875. That will make it useful for both content creation and gaming, particularly since you can clock it up to 5.1 GHz.
Intel's 10th-gen H-series laptop CPUs reach 5.3GHz
Just like Intel said at CES, it's crossed the 5GHz barrier with its new H-series 10th generation notebook CPUs. And you won't need to shell out for the top-of-the-line Core i9 to do it: The new six and eight-core i7 processors reach up to 5.1Ghz (boost speed) on a single core. But if you want to go all out, the octa-core i9-10980HK hits 5.3GHz -- and it's fully unlocked for overclocking, to boot.
