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Time, money, and the new vaccination push

In the US, COVID-19 vaccines are free, but it turns out that money is still a big barrier to vaccination. See, even though the vaccines don’t cost a thing, it still takes time to go and get a shot and potentially recover from any side effects. For working adults, that may mean taking time off… Read more

China’s Setting up a Hotline for Snitching on Cryptocurrency Miners

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) It’s about to get even harder to mine cryptocurrency in China. The Financial Times reports that the Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission (IMDRC) plans to set up a hotline for reporting suspected mining operations. The report arrived shortly after Reuters reported that China banned financial institutions from offering “clients… Read more

How Ford’s F-150 Lightning stacks up against the Tesla Cybertruck and Hummer EV

Ford has revealed its first all-electric F-150, the Lightning, and on paper it looks like a really compelling truck. It’s priced aggressively for an electric vehicle, has plenty of power, and looks to be more capable at towing and hauling than the cheapest gas-powered F-150s. But Ford’s not alone in developing an electric pickup truck… Read more

Acer Swift 3X review: not quite swift enough

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Yep, this is a Swift. It has all the features that characterize Acer’s Swift line: a thin body, a lustrous Acer logo, a chassis so light it’s hard to believe you’re holding a laptop and not an… Read more

Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini can’t play lossless Apple Music, either

Today, we learned that Apple’s ultra-premium $550 AirPods Max headphones aren’t ready for the new lossless audio catalog coming to Apple Music next month — and they’re not alone. Apple confirms to The Verge that the HomePod and HomePod mini won’t support lossless audio, either. (MacRumors confirmed the same thing with sources earlier this afternoon.)… Read more

Intel Optane Memory H20 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Running Optane and Flash in Harmony

Our Verdict Blending Optane memory and QLC flash, Intel’s Optane Memory H20 is an innovative M.2 NVMe SSD that delivers a unique caching experience. It is ultra-responsive to most consumer workloads, especially repetitive tasks. For + Optane caching improves system responsiveness + Rivals high-end NVMe SSDs in light and mixed workloads Against – Low endurance… Read more

COVID Resurgence in Taiwan Raises Concerns Over TSMC’s Production

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) A new coronavirus outbreak in Taiwan has raised concerns over TSMC’s ability to maintain production levels, DigiTimes reported today, especially as the chances of city-wide lockdowns being imposed rise alongside the number of new cases. Taiwan handled COVID-19 better than most—The Guardian said it reported 1,000 cases and 12 deaths… Read more

Dyson Airwrap styler review: Because you’re worth it

(Pocket-lint) – Dyson has its fingers in several pies, from vacuum cleaners to hair care, all of which are pricey but deliver near-perfect results. The Dyson Supersonic might be the most expensive hair dryer on the market, for example, but having used that for a several years we’d not want to use anything else –… Read more

Best French press coffee makers 2021: Simple and clean coffee plungers

(Pocket-lint) – Coffee is a daily need for so many of us, so it’s a good idea to get the best coffee machine you can so you can maximize that morning brew experience. The classic French press coffee maker uses a simple mechanism to provide a fantastic cup of coffee. A long container that includes… Read more

A security researcher found Wi-Fi vulnerabilities that have existed since the beginning

The security researcher who discovered the Krack Wi-Fi vulnerability has discovered a slew of other flaws with the wireless protocol most of us use to power our online lives (via Gizmodo). The vulnerabilities relate to how Wi-Fi handles large chunks of data, with some being related to the Wi-Fi standard itself, and some being related… Read more

New HTC Vive Pro 2 VR Headset Taps AMD, Nvidia for Display Stream Compression

Home News (Image credit: HTC) HTC kicked off its Vivecon 2021 virtual event with a big announcement. During the opening keynote today, the company revealed a pair of near-5K resolution VR headsets, the HTC Vive Pro 2, which connects to a PC, and a standalone product called the HTC Vive Focus 3. HTC said these… Read more

Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition

Our Verdict The new Atom’s headline ability is headphone playback, but don’t underestimate its value as a preamplifier. It’s a classy and versatile addition to Naim’s Uniti range. For Top-notch streaming Great headphone stage Also a great smart preamp Against No HDMI ARC input Sound+Image mag review (Image credit: Future) This review originally appeared in… Read more

Bose gets into hearing aid business with new FDA-cleared SoundControl hearing aids

Bose announced today that it will begin selling direct-to-consumer SoundControl hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss on May 18th. They’ll cost $849.95 and will be sold directly by Bose in five states — Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas — before they’re available nationally. The hearing aids are meant… Read more

Meet the real Alexa: voice actor reportedly responsible for Amazon’s AI assistant revealed

Amazon’s Alexa has a voice familiar to millions: calm, warm, and measured. But like most synthetic speech, its tones have a human origin. There was someone whose voice had to be recorded, analyzed, and algorithmically reproduced to create Alexa as we know it now. Amazon has never revealed who this “original Alexa” is, but journalist… Read more

Supermicro Jams Two Ice Lake Xeon Sockets Into Upcoming ATX Motherboards

Home News (Image credit: Anandtech) Thanks to Anandtech, we have information on two new Supermicro motherboards designed for Intel’s new Ice Lake Xeon Scalable CPUs: the 12DPL-NT6 and X12DPL-i6. The boards feature dual LGA4189 sockets — for a max potential configuration of 80 CPU cores all squished into a standard ATX form factor. The stand-out… Read more