First announced last year, Microsoft's second-generation Surface Hub now has a price and release schedule—and a couple of new siblings, too. Surface Hub is Microsoft's hardware dedicated to collaboration within meetings. It combines several roles, most notably digital whiteboarding and video conferencing, with Teams, Skype, and OneNote built into a single combined, integrated package. The 50-inch 2S is only vaguely specified: it has a custom-built 3:2 aspect ratio 4K (3840×2560 with 10 bits per pixel) screen with embedded touch sensors that work with both pen and finger. Inside is an 8th-generation Core i5 (Microsoft offered no more specifics than that) with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage; while that may seem miserly, the Surface Hub 2 software is designed so that it doesn't store data locally, so 128GB should be abundant. To support video conferencing, it has an array of eight microphones, front-firing speakers, and a detachable 4K webcam. It will be available in the US from … [Read more...] about 50-inch Surface Hub 2S: $8,999, shipping in June; 85-inch version next year
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Bendgate 2.0: Samsung’s $2,000 foldable phone is already breaking
Samsung's futuristic Galaxy Fold is launching this month, and the device has already made its way to a select group of reviewers and influencers. During the run-up to the device's launch, there were concerns about the durability of the folding display, and now after just a few days with the public, the device is already experiencing problems. There are numerous reports of Samsung's $2,000 device breaking after a single day, sometimes due to poor durability, other times due to user error. Further ReadingSamsung’s foldable phone is finally official—meet the Galaxy FoldFirst up, we have a report from Dieter Bohn at The Verge, who had a piece of debris get under the Galaxy Fold display (possibly through the hinge?) and press up against the back of the display. In addition to causing an unsightly bump in the OLED panel, it eventually pressed against the display enough to break it, killing a few horizontal and vertical rows of pixels. Since the Galaxy Fold folds in half, the … [Read more...] about Bendgate 2.0: Samsung’s $2,000 foldable phone is already breaking
Student used “USB Killer” device to destroy $58,000 worth of college computers
A former student of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, has pled guilty to charges that he destroyed tens of thousands of dollars worth of campus computers using a USB device designed to instantly overwhelm and fry their circuitry. The plea was announced today by the Department of Justice, FBI, and Albany Police Department. Vishwanath Akuthota, the former student, now faces up to 10 years in prison (with up to three years of supervision after release) and a fine totaling up to $250,000. He was arrested and taken into custody in North Carolina on February 22nd, just over a week after he went on a spree of inserting the “USB Killer” device into 66 of Saint Rose’s computers around various locations on campus. Such devices can be easily and freely purchased online and can overload the surge protection in many PCs. Akuthota, 27, apparently made video recordings of himself inserting the malicious USB device into the computers and said “I’m going to … [Read more...] about Student used “USB Killer” device to destroy $58,000 worth of college computers
Pig’s brain made ‘cellularly active’ four hours after DEATH after scientists pumped cocktail of chemicals into it
A DEAD pigs brain had some of its functions restored hours after it had been removed from the animal. Scientists were able to restore some circulation and cellular activity to the brain four hours after the pigs death, challenging long held assumptions about the timing and supposed irreversible nature of brain death. The pigs brain was taken from a meat packing factory to a laboratory where it had a special chemical solution called BrainEx technology circulated through it. During this process many basic cellular functions, which were thought to stop and never return after death, were restored. Senior author of the research Professor Nenad Sestan said: "The intact brain of a large mammal retains a previously underappreciated capacity for restoration of circulation and certain molecular and cellular activities multiple hours after circulatory arrest." However, the researchers did stress that the brain did not give off any signals that were close to implying normal brain function or … [Read more...] about Pig’s brain made ‘cellularly active’ four hours after DEATH after scientists pumped cocktail of chemicals into it
Assassin’s Creed Unity free on PC right now as studio gives £433,000 to Notre Dame rebuilding
UBISOFT is releasing Assassin's Creed Unity for free "in solidarité" with everyone affected by the fire that devastated Paris' Notre Dame cathedral. The French publisher is also giving €500,000 (£433,000) "to help with the restoration and reconstruction". Assassin's Creed Unity is set in Paris at the time of the French Revolution, and it features an "extraordinary recreation" of the cathedral that took almost two years to build. The game will be free because Ubisoft wants "to give everyone the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of Notre-Dame the best way we know how. "Video games can enable us to explore places in ways we never could have otherwise imagined. We hope, with this small gesture, we can provide everyone an opportunity to appreciate our virtual homage to this monumental piece of architecture." The offer is open now, and will be available on Ubisoft's web site until April 25 at 8a.m. Rumours that the game's recreation was accurate enough to be useful … [Read more...] about Assassin’s Creed Unity free on PC right now as studio gives £433,000 to Notre Dame rebuilding