The cute, portable, and banana yellow $179 Playdate console is now shipping to its first batch of preorder customers, so we're now free to review the quirkiest gaming system in years. Thanks to chip shortages and general manufacturing chaos, buying Playdate is much less fun than using it. If you preordered the system in July 2021 after reading my hands-on preview , great. If you waited for a proper review like this one, however, expect a backorder queue of no fewer than eight months. (At least Panic says it will make as many Playdates as people want to buy, instead of pulling an NES Classic and limiting production .) To those who ran with my previous optimism about Playdate's squat form factor, quirky games, and unique crank control system , I am happy to report that I didn't lead you astray—so long as you heeded my specific bias. As I wrote in July: I'm partial to experimental, quick-fire indie fare, which the Playdate is clearly tailored toward. This most often … [Read more...] about Review: Playdate earns its $179 price tag with cute design, memorable games [Updated]
Lenovo yoga 2 in 1 review
Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 with up to 12 days of battery backup launched, priced at Rs 2,499
Dizo, the brand under Realme TechLife ecosystem, has expanded its smartwatch lineup with the launch of Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 . The smartwatch is capable of monitoring body temperature and it comes equipped with SpO2 and heart rate monitor. Price and availability The Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 comes with a price tag of Rs 2,499 and it comes in Lake Blue and Magic Grey colour options. The smartwatch can be purchased online from Realme.com and Amazon India website. The device will also be available on offline stores starting May 22. Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 smartwatch Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 sports a 1.69-inch colour touchscreen display with 240x280 pixel resolution. The device comes with 110+ watch faces and it comes equipped with a heart rate sensor and SpO2 monitor. Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 comes with Bluetooth 5.1 support and is compatible with Android and iOS operating systems. The device can be used with the Realme Fit companion app. … [Read more...] about Realme TechLife Watch SZ100 with up to 12 days of battery backup launched, priced at Rs 2,499
Asus’ ROG Flow X16 is a big, powerful 2-in-1 gaming laptop
Asus has added a 16-inch option to its clever (and generally good) ROG Flow lineup. It’s called the Flow X16, and it seems like a 2-in-1 beast for multimedia and even some high-end gaming. While the 13.4-inch X13 and Z13 tablets could do some gaming, they weren’t capable of playing games smoothly at high settings — at least not without the pricey, powerful XG Mobile external GPU-meets-docking station. The X16, on the other hand, seems like a solid gaming laptop in its own right given that it can be configured with up to AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HS and Nvidia’s RTX 3070 Ti (100W maximum graphics power). It also supports up to 64GB of fast DDR5 RAM clocked at 4,800MHz. There’s an option for a Mini LED glass-covered touchscreen that has up to 1,100 nits at peak brightness, 100 percent DCI-P3 gamut coverage, and support for VESA’s DisplayHDR 1000 standard. As if those specs weren’t impressive enough for a gaming laptop, this lineup can be equipped with QHD displays at 165Hz refresh rate … [Read more...] about Asus’ ROG Flow X16 is a big, powerful 2-in-1 gaming laptop
Over half of US properties face at least some wildfire risk
More than half of all homes, 56 percent, in the contiguous 48 states face at least some wildfire risk in the next few decades, according to a first-of-its-kind report published today by the nonprofit research organization First Street Foundation. First Street gave each address in the continental US a rating between one to 10, with one representing close to no risk and 10 representing a 36 percent or more likelihood that a property could be caught up in a wildfire sometime during the next three decades. More than 20 million properties across the continental US are threatened by at least “moderate” wildfire risk. Those homes have up to a 6 percent chance of being in a blaze at some point over a 30-year timespan, the typical timeframe for a home mortgage. Even a 1 percent chance of being in a wildfire is worth taking seriously. In comparison, the federal government considers an area with a 1 percent chance of flooding in a given year as a “ Special Flood Hazard Area ” on … [Read more...] about Over half of US properties face at least some wildfire risk
The Best Ergonomic Mice of 2022
Table of Contents What to Look For in an Ergonomic Mouse in 2022 Best Ergonomic Mouse Overall: Logitech MX Master 3 Best Vertical Ergonomic Mouse: Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse Best Budget Ergonomic Mouse: Anker AK-UBA Wireless Vertical Mouse Best Ergonomic Gaming Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. PRO X3 Best Ergonomic Trackball Mouse: Logitech ERGO M575 Best Ultralight Ergonomic Mouse: Glorious Model O Wireless Mouse What to Look For in an Ergonomic Mouse in 2022 Finding the right ergonomic mouse isn’t an easy task. If you’re coming from a traditional mouse, you’ll need to navigate a multitude of unfamiliar terms, wild-looking designs, and put up with a few trade-offs. But if you’re experiencing wrist, hand, or arm pain—or simply spend prolonged hours in front of a computer screen—the benefits of an ergonomic mouse far outweigh the cons. Although you’ll stumble upon some variations, there are three popular types of ergonomic mice—vertical, trackball, and … [Read more...] about The Best Ergonomic Mice of 2022
How to List Users in Linux
Linux is a multiuser operating system, so creating numerous user accounts is easy. Over time, it’s easy to lose track of which accounts are required. Listing user accounts helps you manage them. User Accounts Advances in technology often bring their own new problems. As soon as computers were able to support multiple users, the need to ring-fence and encapsulate each person’s work from everyone else became apparent. This led to the concept of user accounts . Each user has a named ID and a password. These are the credentials that let them log into their account. Their files are kept in an area that is private to each user. On a busy system, it is easy to lose sight of which accounts you have created, and which are no longer needed. From a security point of view, it is bad practice to keep user accounts that you no longer need to be configured and accessible on your computer. You should remove those users . Even if you don’t have other people using your computer you might … [Read more...] about How to List Users in Linux
pixel buds: Qi certification reveals Pixel Buds Pro charging speed
At I/O 2022, Google announced the much-awaited successor to the Pixel Buds – the Pixel Buds Pro . Google did share quite a few details about its upcoming earbuds, but it also missed out on a few, like how fast will it charge. Well, the upcoming earbuds appeared in a filing in the Wireless Power Consortium , confirming that the Buds Pro will support wireless charging while also revealing the charging speed of upcoming Google earbuds. The certification mentions the charging rate at 2.5W via Qi Wireless charging, the same as the original Pixel Buds from 2020. The wireless charging speed is not the fastest in the segment, but it matches up with the competition and is a little fast compared to the AirPods Pro, which charges wirelessly at 1.7W. In comparison, Sony ’s latest WF-100XM4’s can charge at 5W via Qi Wireless charging. Apart from revealing the charging speed of the Pixel Buds Pro, the certification also mentions the model number of either the buds … [Read more...] about pixel buds: Qi certification reveals Pixel Buds Pro charging speed
tws: Vivo TWS 2 ANC, TWS 2E launched in India: Price, availability and key features
Alongside, the X80 series Vivo also launched two new TWS earbuds in India - the TWS 2 ANC and TWS 2E . The Vivo TWS 2 ANC will be available in India for Rs 5,999, while the Vivo TWS 2E is priced at Rs 3,299. The TWS 2 ANC come equipped with 12.2mm drivers designed by Vivo’s Golden Ears Acoustics Lab, and even the TWS 2E features the same 12.2mm audio driver, promising to deliver a bass-heavy sound output. The only difference between the TWS 2 and TWS 2E is the noise cancellation feature on the latter. The Vivo TWS 2 ANC offers active noise cancellation of up to 40dB. The earbuds offer two profiles — transparent mode and intelligent dynamic noise reduction. Furthermore, the TWS 2 ANC comes with DEEP-HD Ultra-Clear Audio Engine DeepX 2.0 with QHS high-bandwidth technology, which helps modify the Bluetooth protocol to specifically optimise the modulation method to reduce the packet loss during transmission. And even Bluetooth transmission bandwidth is … [Read more...] about tws: Vivo TWS 2 ANC, TWS 2E launched in India: Price, availability and key features
lexar: Lexar announces Ares DDR5 OC RAM for desktop computers
Flash memory maker Lexar has announced its new Lexar Ares DDR5 OC desktop memory. According to the company, the new RAM is specifically designed by keeping PC enthusiasts and gamers in mind. The Lexar Ares DDR5 OC desktop memory supports DDR5 technology designed for the latest Intel Core processors platform and supports Intel XMP 3.02. The memory claims to attain a maximum clock speed of 5200MHz and offers 1.63x bandwidth than the DDR4 RAM. Lexar Ares DDR5 OC RAM : Price and availability The new Lexar Ares DDR5 5200 OC desktop memory will be available in EMEA in 2H, 2022. Lexar Ares DDR5 OC RAM: Features The latest RAM from the company features a sleek aluminium heat spreader to keep the system temperature in check. The memory also comes with on-die ECC, which ensures real-time data error correction for increased stability and reliability while you push the limits. Apart from that, the DDR5 OC RAM comes with a built-in Power Management IC (PMIC), … [Read more...] about lexar: Lexar announces Ares DDR5 OC RAM for desktop computers
Google will start distributing a security-vetted collection of open-source software libraries
Google announced a new initiative Tuesday aimed at securing the open-source software supply chain by curating and distributing a security-vetted collection of open-source packages to Google Cloud customers. The new service, branded Assured Open Source Software, was introduced in a blog post from the company. In the post, Andy Chang, group product manager for security and privacy at Google Cloud, pointed to some of the challenges of securing open-source software and stressed Google’s commitment to open source. “There has been an increasing awareness in the developer community, enterprises, and governments of software supply chain risks,” Chang wrote, citing last year’s major log4j vulnerability as an example. “Google continues to be one of the largest maintainers, contributors, and users of open source and is deeply involved in helping make the open source software ecosystem more secure.” Per Google’s announcement, the Assured Open Source Software service will extend the … [Read more...] about Google will start distributing a security-vetted collection of open-source software libraries