Skip to main content

Latest by J. Martindale

google dark fiber network darkfiber

Google’s Dark Fiber plan bucks trends, leases fiber lines from other networks

Google is looking to expand its fiber optic offerings to more people than ever, by utilising unused dark fiber networks that run under many U.S. cities.
amd beats nvidia ashes of the singularity

AMD could steal the performance crown in DirectX12

AMD is looking more and more likely to have an advantage in DirectX12, as benchmarks in Stardock's new game give it an impressive performance lead.
micron 3d nand ssds increased capacity solid state hard drive

Zotac’s first salvo in the SSD market is quite a bombshell

Zotac's new Sonix PCIE SSD promises high-performance in a good looking package, though storage options are limited.
journalist hacked mid flight inflight

Apple vs FBI shown in different light as journalist hacked mid-flight

The Apple vs. FBI case took a different turn for one journalist, when he was hacked mid-flight due to weakened in-flight security.
will you have to empty your house enjoy vr eranvr

Does the rise of virtual reality means kissing your guest room goodbye?

With the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive arriving in the hands of consumers within the next couple of months, we ask the question, will VR need an empty room?
A battleground in Ashes of the Singularity.

Ashes of Singularity, the only DirectX 12 benchmark currently available, gets an upgrade

The second version of the Ashes of Singularity benchmark is now available and it has a number of new features for AMD GPU owners to enjoy.
survey finds favorite mechanical keyboard feature pok3r2

Cherry-brand switches and compact design top mechanical keyboard must-have list

Do you need RGB backlighting? Topre switches? A compact design? Find out what the most popular features for a mechanical keyboard are here.

Using a wireless mouse or keyboard? They can be hijacked from up to 100 yards away

If you use a wireless keyboard or mouse from major manufacturers like Dell and Logitech, you could be vulnerable to the MouseJack hack.
rift pre order in 2016 oculus 6 2

Updated: Oculus cancels numerous Rift pre-orders in apparent attempt to stop scalping

Did you pre-order the Oculus Rift CV1? It might be worth checking your emails, as Oculus is cancelling some and there are a few false positives.
steamos gains support for vulkan graphics api if you have nvidia hardware talos

Nvidia-powered SteamOS machines gain support for shiny new Vulkan graphics API

SteamOS should operate that bit better when using Nvidia hardware now thanks to the added support for the low-level Vulkan API.
2015 need for speed reboot system specifications nfs

Need for Speed will push your PC hard at high detail

With the PC port of 2015's Need for Speed reboot launching in just a couple of weeks' time, EA has released its recommended and minimum specifications.
acer h277hu monitor us launch h227 05

Acer brings H277HU USB Type-C monitor to the U.S.

Acer has debuted a new 27-inch 1,440p display in the United States, adding another USB Type-C monitor to the large display market.
tomb raider reboot alicia vikander lara croft square enix featured

Now you can stream Lara Croft from the cloud, with a Nvidia Shield

Nvidia's Shield platform is getting a bunch of Square games to add its supporting library, now you can stream the 2013 reboot straight from the cloud.
skype build 2016 mobile smartphone ios android

Group up your friends with Skype video-calling on iOS and Android

Now you can Skype with your entire extended family, as Microsoft has made group video calls on the platform available on iOS and Android.
samsung ssd polaris samsung750s

Samsung’s 750 Evo solid state drives raise the bar on hard drive value

Samsung's new 750 EVO SSDs have the potential to upseat a lot of the long-standing economy drives in the SSD market with a low price and high performance.
nvidia and amd hardware game bundles ubisoft the division online rpg shooter

Buying a GTX 970 or AMD 390? Both are now available with free games.

AMD and Nvidia have both introduced new graphics card bundles, which give away Hitman and The Division with their respective graphics cards.
nexdock laptop shell for smartphones raises 300k

NexDock second-screen offers an interesting take on the future of computing

The NexDock crowdfunding campaign has some very interesting points to make, but in the near future, it offers a solid exterior display for your phone.
Sony VAIO quits

Toshiba, Fujitsu and Vaio could form PC supergroup

Vaio, Toshiba and Fujitsu could well be set to bundle their resources together to create a much more competitive personal computing supergroup.
uwp preview xbox one  windows 10 greatest games lineup

Scalebound, Gears of War 4 might be ported to PC too

If you bought your Xbox One for its exclusives, Microsoft might not have your back any more, as it's rumored to be porting more games to Windows.
windows 10 insiders will get their hands on microsoft edge extensions this month feature

Microsoft’s Edge browser to get much-needed boost in next Windows 10 build

Microsoft's next Redstone releases will see the Edge browser updated with new features to make it a true contender in the browser space.
istaging

See your home in VR before calling in the decorators

iStaging's new application lets you try out what your home might look like with new furniture and a fresh coat of paint in virtual reality.
three ways kim jong un couldve threatened south korea tech savvy way 7

Kim Jong Un photo shows him cosied up to even more Apple hardware

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shown up next to a MacBook, which isn't the first time we've seen him using Apple hardware.
man typing computer

Terrorists will evade encryption backdoor net according to new study

Encryption backdoors are a waste of time, according to a new study, because there are too many different hardware and software alternatives.
senate surveillance reauthorization 2017

Senate votes to permanently ban taxing anyone for going online

The U.S. Senate has voted to permanently make the practice of taxing citizens for accessing the Internet or its related services illegal.
microsoft bleeds ie users to google chrome on top by mid year internet explorer

Microsoft looks to kill old IE versions with latest patch snub

The latest patch for Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Edge browsers has left older versions unprotected, dropping them from extended support.
microsoft

Microsoft: Android compatibility works, 74 OEMs now pre-installing apps

Microsoft is pleased as punch with its Android-compatible applications, as it's managed to get as many as 74 OEMs to pre-install them.
hitman 2016

Can your PC run Hitman? Find out here

If your PC is up to date and kitted out to the nines, you probably don't need to worry about the specs for Hitman, but for everyone else, here's the list.
messaging everywhere will not be part of windows 10 anniversary edition update interface mobile

Microsoft expands Insider rings with new ‘release preview’ builds

The Windows Insider program now has a third ring, the Release Preview, which offers app and driver updates as well.
fbi device encryption hinders crime solving

FBI anti-extremism site targets teens, but misses the mark

The FBI has launched a new anti-extremism website aimed at teens, but in doing so it makes strange choices that reference the '90s more than anything.
hp plans to bring freesync its affordable amd laptops later this year hewlett packard computer manufacturer

HP plans to bring FreeSync to its affordable AMD laptops later this year

HP is looking to kill off screen-tearing once and for all on its laptops, by offering them with FreeSync compatible displays later this year.
democrats sit in live stream joint session of congress

Congressional bill could make it illegal to ban encryption

Even though two state-level bills have been proposed to block the sale of encryption-enabled devices, one Congressional bill may block them in turn.
aocs u2879vf serves up 4k and freesync on a budget aocdisplay04

AOC drops the bottom out of 4K market with new $400 display

The price of 4K displays has been crashing down since they were first unveiled, and AOC's next one will support Freesync at a low $400 price point.
obama asks congress for 19 billion to overhaul u s digital defences barack speaking in cairo egypt

Obama asks Congress for $19 billion to overhaul U.S. ‘digital defences’

President Obama has requested $19 billion from congress to help bolster digital defences in the U.S., as well as overhaul its outdated computers.
humble monthly originals games elephant

Humble Bundle now publishing fun and ‘risky’ games as Humble Originals

Humble Bundle is now getting into publishing games. Known as Humble Originals, these experimental games are now available through Humble Monthly.