personalcomputing
Latest
Facebook reveals launch dates for latest Oculus games
Facebook's Game Developer Showcase is now in full swing, and we've been given a little more info on exactly what we can expect from games arriving on the Oculus Quest and Rift platform. Following yesterday's announcement that rapper Timbaland has created a music pack for Beat Saber, Facebook has revealed launch dates for a number of hotly-anticipated titles, including B-Team, Lies Beneath and Phantom: Covert Ops, as well as what's in store for Pistol Whip's "Full Throttle" update.
Can you really get work done on a tiny laptop?
I have a dream. Or a delusion? I'm not sure. Either way, there is a gadget I have sought for many years and am yet to find: A pocket-sized laptop that I can get real work done on. In my case, "real work" is mostly writing, basic image editing and -- just to make things complicated -- fairly heavyweight music production.
Apple is adding trackpad support to older iPad models
Apple just introduced a new iPad Pro, but older iPads are set to get a major update as well. On March 24th, Apple is releasing iPadOS 13.4 which includes full mouse and trackpad support for the first time. It'll work on all iPad Pro models, iPad Air 2 and later, the 5th-generation iPad and later, and the iPad mini 4 and later. Basically, if you've bought an iPad in the last four or five years, it should be supported.
Apple's new MacBook Air comes with a Magic Keyboard and costs $999
Apple is upgrading the MacBook Air with better internals, its new more reliable Magic Keyboard and is hacking the price down to $999. The upgraded model also gets double the amount of storage, making it a better machine for folks who want to work on the go. Ever since Apple abandoned its much-derided butterfly keyboard in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, people have wondered when the "Magic Keyboard" would trickle down. The MacBook Air is the second recipient of the new-old scissor switch keyboard, which should remove people's concerns around reliability. The company is using the time to boost the refreshed Air's internals, throwing in new 10th-generation Intel Core chips. The base model will ship with a 1.1GHz dual-core i3 CPU, while an extra $250 will net you a 1.2GHz quad-core i7 chip that, with Turbo Boost, can be pushed to 3.8GHz. Apple says that, numbers aside, the new chip will crank out performance twice as fast as on the previous model. Storage has been doubled, up from 128GB on the base model to 256GB, and users can spec their laptop up to 2TB. That's all solid-state storage, and it will be pricey: The 2TB option will set you back an additional $800 on top of the list price. Thankfully, Apple has finally brought the price of the MacBook Air back below $1,000, with a retail price of $999. That puts some clear water between the lower-power, more portable Air and its more powerful Pro siblings. It's also something that we've argued since 2018, saying that Apple's cluster of similarly-priced machines with wildly different specs was too muddled. Education buyers, meanwhile, can snag the new MacBook Air for $899. It's not just the MacBook Air that's getting some love from the company, but also its oft-forgotten sibling, the Mac Mini. Much like the Air, Apple is doubling the amount of storage on the $799 base model up to 256GB, while the $1,099 configuration now gets 512GB of storage as standard. The new MacBook Air will be available to buy in stores at some point next week, but pre-orders are open today. It's worth saying that, with Apple's stores closed due to coronavirus concerns and issues around the current global crisis, ordering online might be the only way to snag one of these for now.
The Morning After: 'Westworld' remembers that TV can be fun
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Now that Movies Anywhere has supplanted Ultraviolet as the digital video locker of choice, it's apparently time to start adding some features. The formerly Disney branded setup is much smoother to operate than the old locker system, and it now has announced a closed beta for Screen Pass. That's a feature that enables you to share up to three films per month with other users. It's a nice thing to have among friends and encourages more people to sign up for the service just to get tossed a few free movies from people they know. The only thing that bothers me is that, at least right now, its implementation falls short of what Ultraviolet was doing a decade ago. An overlooked part of the old service worked like this: "Ultraviolet also allows consumers to share their entire Ultraviolet digital library with other members on their account, and they can even watch the same title simultaneously from different locations." Vudu even launched its own variation with Share My Movies, which let others stream or download movies for viewing on almost any screen. So far, the Movies Anywhere version works on much less than an entire library -- and with more restrictions. There's no downloading, and according to the FAQ, you can only send movies if you've redeemed a code or bought something via a participating retailer in the past six months. If it's easier for people to use then that's good, but on its face, it appears less functional than what it replaces. That's not the kind of progress I was hoping for. -- Richard
Every HTC Vive Cosmos Elite will come with a copy of 'Half-Life: Alyx'
If you're waiting to take delivery of the new VIVE Cosmos Elite which ships today, you're in for a heck of a surprise. HTC has announced that the new headset will come with a free copy of Valve's hotly-anticipated VR exclusive Half-Life: Alyx. You'll receive a redemption code in-box that will unlock the game when it launches on March 23rd.
Overwatch League sets its new online-only schedule for spring
After three sets of Overwatch League cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak, Blizzard is trying to make the best of a bad situation. The company has released the updated Overwatch League March and April schedule. And as you can imagine, it eliminates the need for teams to travel.
'Call of Duty: Warzone' adds a solo mode
You didn't have to wait long to get some added variety in Call of Duty: Warzone. Infinity Ward and Raven have introduced a Solos mode that (surprise!) asks you to survive the battle royale shooter without help. You still have a chance to come back to the fight through the gulag duel system and self-revive kits, but there'll be no one around to buy a revival if either of those methods fails. You could technically play by yourself before by turning off team autofill, but you obviously couldn't hold other players to that standard.
Timbaland created a music pack for 'Beat Saber'
Beat Saber has its share of popular music, but her'e something new: a big-name artist making music with the VR rhythm game in mind. Rap star and producer Timbaland has created a five-song music pack for Beat Saber with collaborations tat include Common Strangers, Karra, Kaydence, Bruno Martini, Nash Overstreet, Sid Tipton and Wavezswavesz. The pack will be available for $8 ($2 per song) on March 26th, and they'll be available through Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify if you'd rather not play just to listen to them.
Apple accidentally listed four new iPad Pro models on its website
An iPad Pro refresh could be imminent if what appears to be an accidental leak on Apple's part is any indication. Over on its Chinese website, the company temporarily listed four new iPad Pro models in a support document. Canadian Apple blog iPhone in Canada was the first website to spot and screenshot the manual before Apple updated it to remove any references to the new tablets.
Health experts explain how we should be cleaning our gadgets
The coronavirus has disrupted our lives in ways both large and small. Multiple organizations have cancelled conferences and events, and various municipalities have instructed residents to practice social distancing and to stay home whenever possible. If there was any kind of upside it's that we're all suddenly a lot more conscious of personal hygiene. Health authorities have advised the public to practice good sanitation practices, such as washing hands with soap, refraining from touching our face and coughing into our elbows. Another way to maintain good hygiene? Keeping our gadgets clean.
Helicopters come to 'Fortnite'
Helipads have been mysteriously popping up all over the Fortnite map since the start of the season, so today's new vehicle announcement doesn't come as too much of a surprise. In keeping with this season's spy theme, Fortnite has added helicopters. Or to give them their correct name, Choppas.
The Morning After: What's inside the Xbox Series X?
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Monday morning brought a flood of new information about the Xbox Series X. No, Microsoft's reps did not reveal a price or any details on why we should still expect new consoles to launch as planned later this year, but they did toss around a lot of technical terms for us to bury ourselves in as an alternative to dealing with other problems. Whether you're a gamer or not, Xbox Velocity Architecture could represent a significant shift in computing, with SSDs ready to deliver massive amounts of data faster than ever before. For game consoles, that means multiple titles on standby and ready to launch in an instant even after a reboot or system update, but it also reduces the load on the CPU. Microsoft says the DirectStorage tech that underlies the technology and all of its compression/decompression magic is coming to Windows, too, and I can't wait to see it. The Seagate-only-at-launch expansion slot, however, is a bit concerning. Microsoft also explained its use of new HDMI 2.1 features and how the system lowers latency between your controller inputs and every frame that displays on the screen. Using the One S and One X, it worked with the TV industry for several years to promote variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low latency mode (ALLM). Now, a healthy ecosystem of capable Ultra HD screens should be ready and waiting whenever the Series X boxes arrive. -- Richard
Samsung shuts down its PC-to-mobile game streaming on March 27th
We hope you weren't counting on Samsung's PlayGalaxy Link to play your PC games on your phone. Samsung has quietly announced (so quietly that most didn't notice the news in late February) that it's shutting down the game streaming service on March 27th. The Korean tech giant didn't explain why besides "internal policy changes," but it hoped the closure would let it "more effectively focus its resources" toward new products.
There are now 1 billion Windows 10 devices in the wild
Windows 10 is now being used on one billion devices around the world -- that's one in every seven people on the planet. Since 2015, the operating system has made its way onto consoles, laptops and PCs across 200 countries, as exec Yusuf Mehdi notes that the entirety of the Fortune 500 is using Windows 10 devices. According to Microsoft, more businesses are in the process of transitioning to the system, too, so this number is set to increase in the coming months and years.
AMD's efficient Ryzen 9 CPUs target Intel's gaming laptop crown
While AMD is winning over the workstation market, Intel still dominates laptop gaming. However, AMD aims to change that in a hurry with the Ryzen 9 4900HS and 4900H Zen 2 mobile processors, launching soon on laptops like the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14. They pack eight cores and 16 threads, along with up to 8 cores of integrated Vega graphics, and run at overclocked speeds up to 4.4 GHz. Best of all, the 7-nanometer 4900HS chip consumes just 35 watts of power, boosting battery life for gaming and entertainment apps.
Apple hit with record-breaking $1.2 billion antitrust fine in France
Apple has been hit with a record-breaking fine for antitrust practices. French competition authority Autorité de la Concurrence has found Apple and its wholesale distribution partners Ingram Micro and Tech Data guilty of running a cartel for Apple products, and has fined the companies €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), €62.9 million ($70.2 million) and €76.1 million ($85 million) respectively.
'Minecraft' library helps you dodge news media censorship
There are numerous ways to evade censorship of the press, but it's getting increasingly difficult when countries like China and Russia are cracking down on VPNs and similar tools. Reporters Without Borders thinks it has the answer to those mounting obstacles: make the news available in a game that's rarely blocked. The team has worked with BlockWorks and MediaMonks on the Uncensored Library, a Minecraft map that includes articles from journalists and sites whose work is frequently censored for its unflattering truths. You'll find articles from murdered Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi (whose fiancée Hatice Cengiz supports the project), the activist-friendly Russian site Grani.ru and the Egyptian anti-corruption outlet Mada Masr, among others.
Google details what you need to play Stadia games in 4K on the web
Now that you can play Google Stadia games in 4K on the web, you're probably wondering just what you need to see the game streaming service reach its visual potential. The company is happy to help -- although it might be disappointing for some would-be players. It recently posted requirements, and the main demand is a Chromebook or Windows PC that can decode video in Google's preferred VP9 format, a 4K display to match and enough bandwidth to handle the "best visual quality" option. Stadia won't be too picky about the overall power of your computer, then.
Windows 10's built-in Linux kernel will be available to everyone soon
You won't have to be a tester to try Windows 10's new, built-in Linux kernel in the near future. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 will be widely available when Windows 10 version 2004 arrives. You'll have to install it manually for a "few months" until an update adds automatic installs and updates, but that's a small price to pay if you want Linux and Windows to coexist in peace and harmony. It'll be easier to set up, at least -- the kernel will now be delivered through Windows Update instead of forcing you to install an entire Windows image.
