Tom Warren is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft is getting ready to remove the VPN feature from its Microsoft 365 subscription later this month. Originally designed as a privacy feature, the VPN in Microsoft 365 utilizes the Microsoft… Read more
read more...Microsoft 365 is losing its free VPN feature
By: The Verge
ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research for you
By: The Verge
OpenAI has revealed another new agentic feature for ChatGPT called deep research, which it says can operate autonomously to “plan and execute a multi-step trajectory to find the data it needs, backtracking and reacting to real-time information where necessary.” Instead of simply generating text, it shows a summary of its process in a sidebar, with… Read more
read more...DeepSeek might not be as disruptive as claimed, firm reportedly has 50,000 Nvidia GPUs and spent $1.6 billion on buildouts
By: Tom's Hardware
(Image credit: Nvidia) Chinese startup DeepSeek recently took center stage in the tech world with its startlingly low usage of compute resources for its advanced AI model called R1, a model that is believed to be competitive with Open AI’s o1. However, SemiAnalysis reports that it took DeepSeek $1.6 billion in hardware costs and 50,000… Read more
read more...Intel heralds XeSS passing the 150 games milestone, but only two titles support XeSS 2.0
By: Tom's Hardware
Intel XeSS 150+ games milestone graphic (Image credit: Intel) Intel has posted a celebratory video to its Twitter page highlighting that its XeSS upscaling is now supported in over 150 games. Previously in June, this number (not counting demos and benchmarking software) was just 105, so the number of supported games increased by 50% over… Read more
read more...This 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2024) laptop is only $1,589 at Amazon
By: Tom's Hardware
If you’ve been holding out for an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, now is an excellent time to pick up the 2024 14-inch model. It usually goes for around $1,799 but right now it’s marked down to just $1,589 at Amazon—its lowest price to date. As of writing, we’re not sure for how long it will… Read more
read more...RTX 5090 orders could take up to 16 weeks to fulfill at major UK retailer, shop stops taking pre-orders
By: Tom's Hardware
(Image credit: Nvidia) A supply update from OCUK (Overclockers UK) indicates that users who’ve purchased an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 might need to wait for up to 16 weeks to receive their GPU. Following global RTX 50 sellouts, this news suggests that retailers’ struggles with Blackwell inventory will not be easing up anytime soon. We… Read more
read more...Verbatim pledges ‘stable supply of optical disks’ after Sony Japan’s recordable Blu-ray exit
By: Tom's Hardware
Verbatim and I-O Data have pledged to continue to support the recordable optical media market. In a press release on Verbatim’s Japanese site, the storage brand wrote (machine translation) that it “will respond to the trust of customers through stable supply of optical disks in the Japanese market and continuing sales.” It also signaled that… Read more
read more...Intel Core Ultra 7 255H lands 32% faster than the 155H in PassMark’s single-core benchmark
By: Tom's Hardware
(Image credit: Intel) Intel’s Arrow Lake-based Core Ultra 7 255H appears to have been tested in PassMark, where it outperformed its Meteor Lake equivalent by 32% in single-threaded tests (via x86deadandback at X). Across a wide variety of metrics, the 255H is roughly 15% faster in CPU Mark, which is PassMark’s proprietary metric for gauging… Read more
read more...I tried the tech that makes hands-free smart locks actually work
By: The Verge
Imagine walking up to your front door and it unlocks — even opens — automatically as you approach. It may sound like the stuff of smart home dreams, but it could soon be a reality, thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) technology arriving on smart locks. With its precise, real-time location capabilities, UWB enables a smart lock… Read more
read more...Spider-Man 2 Performance Benchmark Review – 35 GPUs Tested
By: Tech Power Up
Introduction “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” swings onto PC, bringing the next chapter in Sony’s acclaimed superhero game series. Following the success of its predecessors, this highly anticipated sequel expands the open-world action of New York City, allowing players to step into the suits of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they face new threats, including… Read more
read more...RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 may arrive in March to steal AMD’s spotlight — Chaintech hints at higher Average Selling Prices
By: Tom's Hardware
(Image credit: X/wxnod) Nvidia’s budget RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 GPUs are reportedly set to launch next month, per a slide shared by Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Chaintech (via wxnod). Chaintech asserts the RTX 5060 series will follow Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 in March. This claim should be taken with a grain… Read more
read more...Google’s AI Super Bowl ad is wrong about cheese
By: The Verge
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Google just debuted a series of Super Bowl ads showing how small businesses use Gemini AI across all 50 states, but the cheese lovers out there might… Read more
read more...RTX 5090 gets new $25 KryoSheet thermal pad option from Thermal Grizzly
By: Tom's Hardware
Thermal Grizzly has updated its cooling solutions with an all-new 44 x 37mm KryoSheet optimized for the RTX 5090’s GB202 die. The new size costs $24.96 and comes with the KryoSheet and Kapton tape to protect the PCB and capacitors from electrocution. KryoSheet is a thermal paste alternative with a thermal pad to cool a… Read more
read more...Backdoor uncovered in China-made patient monitors — Contec CMS8000 raises questions about healthcare device security
By: Tom's Hardware
(Image credit: https://www.contecmed.com/productinfo/613024.html) The US-based Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency recently released an investigation report involving three firmware versions used in a patient monitoring system called Contec CMS8000, used in hospitals and healthcare facilities. It was discovered that these devices had a backdoor with a hard-coded IP address, allowing the patient data to be transmitted…. Read more
read more...Alienware’s award-winning 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor is now discounted to its lowest price ever
By: Tom's Hardware
Today at Amazon, you can find the Alienware AW3423DWF 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor for one of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen, according to data from Camel Camel Camel. It has a recommended price of $899, but right now, it’s available for just $609. As of this writing, we’re unsure how long this offer… Read more
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