Intel has finally figured out its long-standing desktop CPU instability issues, hopefully patches in August

The first reports of instability issues with the 13th-gen Intel desktop CPUs started popping up in late 2022, mere months after the models came out. Those issues persisted, and over time, users reported dealing with unexpected and sudden crashes on PCs equipped with the company’s 14th-gen CPUs, as well. Now, Intel has announced that it Read more about Intel has finally figured out its long-standing desktop CPU instability issues, hopefully patches in August[…]

Nvidia’s third-party RTX 40-series GPUs are losing performance over time thanks to rubbish factory-installed thermal paste

Modern graphics cards use lots of power and all of it is turned into heat. So if you’re paying many hundreds of dollars for a powerful GPU, you’d expect no expense to be spared on the cooling system. It turns out that for many Nvidia RTX 40-series vendors, the expense is being spared and cheap, Read more about Nvidia’s third-party RTX 40-series GPUs are losing performance over time thanks to rubbish factory-installed thermal paste[…]

Are Intel’s i9-13900k’s and -14900k’s Crashing at a Higher Rate?

“Intel’s problems with unstable 13th-gen and 14th-gen high-end CPUs appear to run deeper than we thought,” writes TechRadar, “and a new YouTube video diving into these gremlins will do little to calm any fears that buyers of Raptor Lake Core i9 processors (and its subsequent refresh) have.” Level1Techs is the YouTuber in question, who has Read more about Are Intel’s i9-13900k’s and -14900k’s Crashing at a Higher Rate?[…]

ASUS promises to fix it’s broken support

ASUS has suddenly agreed “to overhaul its customer support and warranty systems,” writes the hardware review site Gamers Nexus — after a three–videoseries on its YouTube channel documented bad and “potentially illegal” handling of customer warranties for the channel’s 2.2 million viewers. The Verge highlights ASUS’s biggest change: If you’ve ever been denied a warranty Read more about ASUS promises to fix it’s broken support[…]

Finnish startup Flow claims it can 100x any CPU’s power with its companion chip

A Finnish startup called Flow Computing is making one of the wildest claims ever heard in silicon engineering: by adding its proprietary companion chip, any CPU can instantly double its performance, increasing to as much as 100x with software tweaks. If it works, it could help the industry keep up with the insatiable compute demand Read more about Finnish startup Flow claims it can 100x any CPU’s power with its companion chip[…]

Sonos releases new but hugely broken, incomplete app causing shitstorm

Sonos launched a new version of its app this week, altering the software experience that tens of millions of users rely on to control the company’s premium home wireless home speaker systems. Turns out, people really hate it! The response from users on Reddit, on audio forums, and on social media has been almost total Read more about Sonos releases new but hugely broken, incomplete app causing shitstorm[…]

a spanner and screwdriver in the shape of a skull and crossbones flag

EU’s new right-to-repair rules force companies to repair out-of-warranty devices

Devices sold in Europe already offer minimum two-year warranties, but the new rules impose additional requirements. If a device is repaired under warranty, the customer must be given a choice between a replacement or a repair. If they choose the latter, the warranty is to be extended by a year. Once it expires, companies are Read more about EU’s new right-to-repair rules force companies to repair out-of-warranty devices[…]

It’s Not Just You, Google Pixels Are Glitching Right Now

[…] As reported by Android Authority, more and more users are complaining about their Pixel phones not working as, well, phones. Users will miss phone calls entirely, and only notice after they see the call went directly to voicemail, while text messages don’t appear as they’re received, but rather pop in all at once in Read more about It’s Not Just You, Google Pixels Are Glitching Right Now[…]

NASA Tests Out 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine!

One promising technology is the Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE), which relies on one or more detonations that continuously travel around an annular channel. In a recent hot fire test at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the agency achieved a new benchmark in developing RDE technology. On September 27th, engineers successfully tested a Read more about NASA Tests Out 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine![…]

EU Parliament adopts Right to Repair law with broad support

[…] At the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, the right to repair was adopted with 590 votes in favour. The legislative file, first presented by the EU Commission in March, aims to support the European Green Deal targets by increasing incentives for a circular economy, such as making repair a more attractive option than replacement Read more about EU Parliament adopts Right to Repair law with broad support[…]

Particle Accelerator can now be built on a Chip

Particle accelerators range in size from a room to a city. However, now scientists are looking closer at chip-sized electron accelerators, a new study finds. Potential near-term applications for the technology include radiation therapy for zapping skin cancer and, longer-term, new kinds of laser and light sources. Particle accelerators generally propel particles within metal tubes Read more about Particle Accelerator can now be built on a Chip[…]

IBM chip speeds up AI by combining processing and memory in the core

  Their massive NorthPole processor chip eliminates the need to frequently access external memory, and so performs tasks such as image recognition faster than existing architectures do — while consuming vastly less power. “Its energy efficiency is just mind-blowing,” says Damien Querlioz, a nanoelectronics researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay in Palaiseau. The work, published Read more about IBM chip speeds up AI by combining processing and memory in the core[…]

BMW Ends Heated Seat Subscriptions Because People Hated It

Last year, BMW underwent media and customer hellfire over its decision to offer a monthly subscription for heated seats. While seat heating wasn’t the only option available for subscription, it was the one that seemed to infuriate everyone the most, since it concerned hardware already present in the car from the factory. After months of Read more about BMW Ends Heated Seat Subscriptions Because People Hated It[…]

Magic Leap 1 Vaporware Headsets Will Cease To Function After 2024

Magic Leap 1 AR headsets will “cease to function” from 31 December 2024, the company announced. Magic Leap sent an email to all customers containing the following: As such, we are announcing that Magic Leap 1 end of life date will be December 31, 2024.  Magic Leap 1 is no longer available for purchase, but Read more about Magic Leap 1 Vaporware Headsets Will Cease To Function After 2024[…]

SanDisk Extreme SSDs Are ‘Worthless,’ Multiple Lawsuits Against WD Say – wipe your data

Last week we wrote about a lawsuit against Western Digital that alleged that the firm’s solid state drive didn’t live up to its marketing promises. More lawsuits have been filed against the company since. ArsTechnica: On Thursday, two more lawsuits were filed against Western Digital over its SanDisk Extreme series and My Passport portable SSDs. Read more about SanDisk Extreme SSDs Are ‘Worthless,’ Multiple Lawsuits Against WD Say – wipe your data[…]

Water-soluble circuit boards could cut carbon footprints by 60 percent

German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies AG announced that it’s producing a printed circuit board (PCB) that dissolves in water. Sourced from UK startup Jiva Materials, the plant-based Soluboard could provide a new avenue for the tech industry to reduce e-waste as companies scramble to meet climate goals by 2030. Jiva’s biodegradable PCB is made from Read more about Water-soluble circuit boards could cut carbon footprints by 60 percent[…]

100x Faster Than Wi-Fi: Light-Based Networking Standard Released

Today, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has added 802.11bb as a standard for light-based wireless communications. The publishing of the standard has been welcomed by global Li-Fi businesses, as it will help speed the rollout and adoption of the  data-transmission technology standard. Advantages of using light rather than radio frequencies (RF) are Read more about 100x Faster Than Wi-Fi: Light-Based Networking Standard Released[…]

How Hardware Testing Got Plugged Into A Continuous Integration Framework

The concept of Continuous Integration (CI) is a powerful tool in software development, and it’s not every day we get a look at how someone integrated automated hardware testing into their system. [Michael Orenstein] brought to our attention the Hardware CI Arena, a framework for doing exactly that across a variety of host OSes and microcontroller Read more about How Hardware Testing Got Plugged Into A Continuous Integration Framework[…]

“Clearly predatory”: Western Digital sparks panic, anger for age-shaming HDDs, making it impossible to repair RAID pools

When should you be concerned about a NAS hard drive failing? Multiple factors are at play, so many might turn to various SMART (self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology) data. When it comes to how long the drive has been active, there are backup companies like Backblaze using hard drives that are nearly 8 years old. Read more about “Clearly predatory”: Western Digital sparks panic, anger for age-shaming HDDs, making it impossible to repair RAID pools[…]

US judge grants final approval to Apple’s $50m broken ‘butterfly’ keyboard settlement

A US federal court this week gave final approval to the $50 million class-action settlement Apple came to last July resolving claims the company knew about and concealed the unreliable nature of keyboards on MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers released between 2015 and 2019. Per Reuters (via 9to5Mac), Judge Edward Davila on Thursday Read more about US judge grants final approval to Apple’s $50m broken ‘butterfly’ keyboard settlement[…]

HP Can’t Fix Bricked Printers After Faulty Firmware Update which bricked non HP-ink cartridges

Last week the Telegraph reported that a recent firmware update to HP printers “prevents customers from using any cartridges other than those fitted with an HP chip, which are often more expensive. If the customer tries to use a non-HP ink cartridge, the printer will refuse to print.” Some HP “Officejet” printers can disable this Read more about HP Can’t Fix Bricked Printers After Faulty Firmware Update which bricked non HP-ink cartridges[…]

HP disables customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from cheaper rivals

Hewlett-Packard, or HP, has sparked fury after issuing a recent “firmware” update which blocks customers from using cheaper, non-HP ink cartridges in its printers. Customers’ devices were remotely updated in line with new terms which mean their printers will not work unless they are fitted with approved ink cartridges. It prevents customers from using any Read more about HP disables customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from cheaper rivals[…]

Samsung to pay out $303M for memory patent infringement to Netlist.

Samsung Electronics has been stung for more than $303 million in a patent infringement case brought by US memory company Netlist. Netlist, headquartered in Irvine, California, styles itself as a provider of high-performance modular memory subsystems. The company initially filed a complaint that Samsung had infringed on three of its patents, later amended to six Read more about Samsung to pay out $303M for memory patent infringement to Netlist.[…]

Chips Act: Council and European Parliament strike provisional deal

The Council and the European Parliament have reached today a provisional political agreement on the regulation to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, better known as the ‘Chips Act’. The deal is expected to create the conditions for the development of an industrial base that can double the EU’s global market share in semiconductors from 10% to Read more about Chips Act: Council and European Parliament strike provisional deal[…]