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Intel's 11th Generation Core Processors Leaked (Rocket Lake)

CPU-Z test results promise Rocket Lake a clearly higher current IPC, but recent leaks suggest that the Core i3 series and lower-end models will be based on the current Comet Lake architecture.

Intel is catching up with AMD by releasing new ones . next-generation Core processors from the beginning of the year. The new processors will be compatible with the existing 400 motherboards, but new 10900 are expected to be released alongside them. series motherboards.

Processors known by the Rocket Lake-S codename use new Cypress Cove cores, i.e. nanometer versions of Sunny Cove cores, but according to the latest leaks, all . generation processors are not Rocket Lakes. According to the leak from China, only the Core i5 series and faster would be based on the Rocket Lake architecture, while the Core i3, Pentium and Celerons would be the Comet Lake Refresh architecture.

New test results with Rocket Lake Engineering Sample versions have also leaked to the Internet. Known under the nickname HXL, Twitter has tweeted CPU-Z results run on an ES processor labeled QV1J. According to HXL, this is the Core i9 – 11900 model from the Engineering Sample, which has a basic clock frequency of 1.8 GHz and a maximum Turbo clock frequency of 4.4 GHz with one core and 3.8 GHz with all cores. In the CPU-Z, the processor gets 583 points on one and 5262 points on all cores.

The OneRaichu nickname, in turn, has tweeted an image of another Rocket Lake Engineering Sample with a maximum Boost clock frequency of one core 100 MHz higher 4 , 5 GHz and all cores 400 MHz higher than 4.1 GHz. The processor gets 3 points in the CPU-Z with one core 597 and 3 points for all cores 5686. According to Raichu, the processor gets a Cinebench R 20 test with a single core 561 and for all cores 5214 points, and R 23 – test on a single core 1444 points, but there is no pictorial evidence of these

As a comparison, the Core i9 – 10900 K, which operates at a maximum clock frequency of 5.3 GHz, gets a fair amount of on the single core CPU-Z points

Sources: HXL @ Twitter, OneRaichu @ Twitter, Jiandao, Hardware.nl

Review: NuPrime Omnia WR 1 streaming small, handy and nice

RenÃ © van Es | 11 January 2021

| NuPrime

RESUME â ???? The good thing is that nothing goes wrong; not in the high, middle or low. The lack of disturbing things, lack of a skewed frequency balance or digital turmoil means that hearing can easily live with the limitations of a monitor speaker at an affordable amplifier and streamer. ”

PLUS POINTS Very complete Very good price / quality Complete app in Dutch iOS and Android Re-sample in multi zone Can be upgraded with separate power supply Installation is simple MINUSES Simple wall plug as power supply Small housing, so small display

Sometimes you just want to be able to enjoy your music without spending too much money. Streaming is the most appropriate way, because it gives access to music services, internet radio, your own stored music collection, Bluetooth or even a source such as a CD player. Being able to enjoy it does not always have to be in the most spectacular way, â ???? goodâ ???? is sometimes â ?? good enoughâ ??. In the living room as a stream â ???? there ?? ???? is done, in a study where measures forced many people to sit for hours, in front of the kids, the kitchen or any other place in the house where music belongs. A small and handy device that will fulfill many wishes is the NuPrime Omnia WR-1 from â ?? ¬ 379, -. Streamer, DAC, even (analog) preamplifier in one. Neatly finished, separate power supply, mini display, an app for iOS and Android, what more could a person want?

NuPrime Omnia WR-1 The Omnia WR-1 can be used with Wi-Fi and wired ethernet. The latter is always my preference for a stable connection and fast registration, Wi-Fi functions excellently as later turned out. Each WR-1 can be paired with 7 brothers for multi-zone playback. The front of the Omnia WR-1 shows an eyelet for the included remote control, a bright side-small OLED display and a single controller. Two antenna connections at the rear, line-out via RCA, coax S / PDIF out, Toslink in, analog in, USB for playing USB sticks, ethernet and a combined S / PDIF out – USB 5V power supply input. With the latter port, the Omnia WR-1 can either connect to a computer, possibly DAC or the separate power supply. The funny and handy thing about the WR-1 is that it can work both analog and digital and works as a preamplifier. You build a system with two active speakers, or as in my case with a modest PrimaLuna tube power amplifier that is in the cabinet for these kinds of purposes. There is nothing in the way of using a NuPrime output stage instead, a NAD, Rotel, Cambridge Audio, if necessary a QUAD . Small, matching and attractive monitor speakers are available for purchase. Rather without stands than a column model. Don’t get too far, the Omnia WR-1 is not a high end solution, but a high quality solution for the price, but now I’m getting ahead of myself.

For a bit at a glance what is possible with the Omnia WR-1:

Online music via Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, TuneIn and more Own download music via DNLA from a NAS to 24bit/192 kHz PCM Re-stream from an analog or digital source AirPlay with which even Roon becomes available Bluetoot h Optical in to 24bit/192 kHz Coax Out Fixed to 16bit/44. 1kHz USB Pen drive up to 32 GB of music EQ settings for loudness (3 positions), plus rock, pop, jazz and classical presets Online updates Own App for iOS and Android Weighing well 250 gram! Dimensions without antenna of 14, 5cm B x 10, 5cm D x 3.5cm H Accessories in the box: power supply, USB cable, RCA-RCA and 3.5mm-RCA cable, AB and two antennas

Play Now An exhaustive description of the display quality is with â ?? ¬ 379, – not an issue, not even for such a complete streamer / DAC / preamplifier that mainly only has to lose against my competitive combination v an â ?? ¬ 8. 000, -. Or against the better DACs and streamers within the NuPrime family. But like everyone else, you too want to know how the Omnia WR-1 plays in practice. NPO Radio 4 creates a stereo image that not only goes wide, but even completely separates from the speakers. A quality that is quite good for streaming radio, but still lags behind my once-loved FM quality. Speech is perfectly intelligible and crystal clear. The intonation and character of the voice are widely discussed. The Omnia WR-1 is already perfectly usable for this radio application, according to the first conclusion.

The most recognizable and my regular benchmark is playing via Roon software. That is why I am going to play music from my own storage and let the Onmnia-WR1 flow in via AirPlay. Understandable via AirPlay, making a real Roon endpoint is a bridge too far and for addicted Roon users the Omnia WR-1 will at most be an extra music point. Music ranging from Ana Vidovic’s classically played acoustic guitar, which is surprisingly well reproduced, to jazz. Even though the streamer does not show the ambience that surrounds the guitar, as can be perceived on a precious system, nothing stands in the way of listening to the virtuoso playing with fascination. The stereo image is too flat to portray the recording space.

Carla Bruni in a live concert shows how much pleasure the lady has in singing and playing. The reproduction is clear, cheerful, playful and complete. Miles Davis is blowing loosely, the bass heavy behind him, I know that from this recording, percussion stays a bit far away. You can’t have it all for â ?? ¬ 450, -. But there is still hope for those who think the Omnia WR-1 is not enough. NuPrime makes a very nice Ethernet switch under the name Omnia SW-8 and an LPS – 205 power supply. On the LPS – 205 a second 5 Volt output is available for an Omnia WR-1 (just like on the Silent Angel Forester F1). That takes the Omnia WR-1 to a higher level, as Katie Melua lets you listen to her CD â ???? In winterâ ????. But yes, there is a cost attached to it that far exceeds the price of the WR-1. Worth the effort? Yes, I think so, but only when the WR-1 is going to be used in a serious setup and not for the nursery. Or you should want to give the youngsters some audio sense while doing their homework.

Just do it The Omnia WR-1 has already appealed to me during a visit to Da Capo High End where the WR-1 was paired with a NuPrime IDA-8 amplifier and Scansonic MB-1B’s reproducers. Then I already wrote: â ???? The good thing is that nothing goes wrong; not in the high, middle or low. The lack of disturbing things, lack of a skewed frequency balance or digital turmoil means that hearing can easily live with the limitations of a monitor loudspeaker on an affordable amplifier and streamer.â ????

In different setups at home, the Omnia WR-1 has to compete against heavyweights, which skews the comparison. A comparison with a Bluesound Node 2i is fairer. Then the WR-1 provides considerable counterplay and is a cheaper option, albeit with a less attractive app, but a complete app that you can do everything with. Things like re-streaming from a digital or analog source in multi-zone, volume control with remote control, in the app or with a rotary knob, give the WR-1 a head start in that area. An LPS – 205 power sets the WR-1 to at least Bluesound level.

What is and remains important is the display quality and there is nothing wrong with that at this price level. The small NuPrime Omnia WR-1 turns out to be a sweetheart in daily use.

NuPrime Omnia WR-1

â ?? ¬ 379, – | www.dimex.nl

Review: Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Supply Optimizer

Fake, snake oil, scam, money beating, the well-known terms are flying around when someone starts talking about a Furutech NCF Clear Line, with which the display can be optimized simply plug the black thing into a wall socket. Before you quit now, a short test was simply playing music for my wife (who doesn’t like all those antics), plugging the NCF Clear Line in and out of the wall socket and asking: â ???? ?a????. I should leave it alone, she said.

But what is it?

Furutech has been working with Nano CrystalÂ² Formula, abbreviated to NCF for some time. The material, according to the manufacturer, has the property of producing negative ions to eliminate static electricity and it converts thermal energy into harmless infrared radiation. Combine it with ceramic nanoparticles and carbon powder to form crystals that dampen electrically and mechanically. Furutech uses it in plugs, sockets, cable lifts and more, but now NCF is very easy to get at home: with the Clear Line.

The NCF Clear Line contributes to a cleaner mains voltage, does not replace mains filters, it is an extra. You simply plug the black plug into the wall socket where the power for the audio system comes from, or into a junction box. If necessary elsewhere in the room. In video application, the NCF Clear Line is also recommended for a more defined image. It will not be due to the chosen material; rhodium on the contact pins, and further consisting of Alpha Process copper from Furutech. Nylon and glass fiber in a carbon fiber housing, cryogenic treatment, demagnetization and stainless steel screws.

The NCF Clear Line naturally includes NCF, as well as a pair of? (Alpha) -OCC coils, the copper enamelled and sealed in an airtight area. The coils are not connected to the phase and neutral of the plug. Internally, four layers of carbon fiber with NCF have been used. In short, for 260 euros you will get the necessary high-quality material from Furutech, which has in any case been thought about on paper.

Furutech’s claims are tough:

Improved display and stereo image Improved resolution and signal to noise ratio Improved three-dimensional and more intense image rendering And all that in one thing with a length of 88, 4mm, and 39, 5mm thick. The weight of the NCF Clear Line is 69 grams. He must respond 24 hours, said Furutech.

My set has a number of tweaks, such as two Acoustic System Resonators, a Bybee Quantum Signal Enhancer, Harmonix tapes around a number of cables and here and there some bags of tourmaline sand. Tweaks bought after reviews because they are proven to work. Not shocking, but clearly audible as an improvement. Other tweaks are return to sender because they were sometimes too expensive in relation to the improvement, or did little to nothing and sometimes even managed to negatively influence the display. I do not consider a large net filter as a tweak, rather a must have given the net pollution, so I just count that under hardware.

Cables aren’t tweaks either; necessary and affects the display. So the NCF Clear Line comes in a fairly tweak-free environment and is allowed to prove whether Furutech’s claims are correct. The listening environment is my living room and the set is above average I can say. That’s the way it should be, for a mini-system from the white goods trade, Furutech’s prices really go a few steps too far.

What does it do? Three tracks were chosen because I through and through, can appreciate and the recording is good to very good. Starting without the NCF Clear Line. I pull the plug from the wall socket. While Radio 5 is streaming I notice that the stereo image changes, the sound changes, as if I stepped back into my system. On the internet Radio 5! I play Anette Askvik and keep finding beautiful music. Plays to my liking. Playing the track a second time but with the NCF Clear Line brings an inexplicable difference. Second voice is better separated, the stereo image becomes further three-dimensional, music simply flows away more. Is more intense, softer and polished without losing drama or experience.

With that grown 3D image, the image shifts somewhat up, very welcome, loosens up from the speakers. Even the low tones get extra definition. My wife heard that correctly, although she could not describe exactly what happened. She perceived it and that is enough for her. Track two is from Allan Taylor with the NCF Clear Line still plugged in. Nice and spacious, deep with definition, beautiful voice that knows how to release completely. If I remove the Clear Line, the image immediately becomes flatter, percussion has partly lost its metallic sound, the music is more boring, simpler. Just as was the case with Anette.

Clear Line quickly reconnected, again the track, hop there is the metal, the guitar jumps forward, the tune out of the band. My brain says it is impossible and yet it happens. Last track is Combattimento with classical work. Recorded in the Waalse Kerk i Amsterdam, it possesses a fine sound balance and layering in the members of the orchestra. Remove the Clear Line and the recording becomes busier, messier, does not bring the soloists to the fore as quickly, the matt shine calls for a cleaning in the form of the Furutech. The fact that especially the stereo image becomes flatter, narrower and limited in height surprises me most of all.

All that in one system, therefore took the plug to another room, different system, same music. With Vivaldi, the result is little different from the first setup. The depth increases so that you look into the orchestra, as it were. Soloists get extra space, the sounds become richer and fuller. Without changing, only the fadedness disappears. A dullness that was previously not noticed because the system has been carefully tuned and built. Askvik has two voices pulled apart, especially in the larger 3D image, revives the piano and brings out the sax extra. In a system where everything is different, mains filter, cables, amplifier, speakers and especially the acoustics, the NCF Clear Line performs exactly as it did before. That gives me confidence in the operation of the device. Allan Taylor to get further confirmation is actually unnecessary. Remove the NCF Clear Line and the voice becomes less intelligible, music becomes cluttered in a flatter stereo image, Taylor â ???? bringsâ ???? no longer read the text but read it aloud. Exaggerated? Certainly, but I would like to show you what I can perceive. Percussion unfortunately no longer has the sound richness of just now.

Is it right? Matters that Furutech claims on paper are they true? Improved display and a better stereo image? Check, especially that 3D stereo image stands out! Improved resolution and signal-to-noise ratio? Yes and no, I don’t hear that signal / noise like that, but the resolution does! Is the TV picture better? I don’t know, to be honest, that depends so much on the recording, and my image is on a different power group than the audio.

With accessories or tweaks if you want, it is often the case that placing it can bring a positive effect, the removal is a lot more painful. Once you get used to it, you can easily observe what disappears along with the tweak. It is just like with a salary, something more is nice but is invisibly merged with the burdens, less salary makes you realize what wealth was previously shared. The Furutech NCF Clear Line has left a very positive impression. I don’t want to miss the accessory anymore, an opinion that my wife shares this time. In fact, I’m thinking of a second one for my other system. Isn’t that a nice recommendation?

Moreover, it is so simple to evaluate the effect; simply plugging in and out of the wall socket and pulling is enough to estimate the NCF Clear Line.

Furutech NCF Clear Line

â ?? ¬ 260 , – | www.x-fi.nl

Cyberpunk 2077 – Next-gen game for next-gen hardware

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The 10 best streaming shows on Netflix for 2020

The year 2020 likely kept many of us inside for most of it, and it looks like that situation may last at least into part of 2021. One of the few positives is that many great movies and TV shows were released on streaming services such as Netflix. The streaming service has made available a plethora of movies and TV shows, some original to Netflix.

Netflix currently offers three plans: Basic ($8.99 / month) lets you watch content on one screen at a time; Standard ($13.99 / month) brings it up to two screens and adds HD content; and Premium ($17.99) offers a total of four screens and Ultra HD content.

Whether you need a new show to binge-watch once The Office leaves Netflix or something for a movie night with your loved ones, here’s a list of 10 movies and TV shows you should check out.

We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, and M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for gaming PCs, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, and VR. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN, and Netflix; some great sci-fi books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing but may change.)

To the Lake

To the Lake

Image: Netflix

A 2019 Russian web TV series acquired by Netflix this year, To the Lake, is based on the Russian novel Vongozero by Yana Vagner and focuses on a group of survivors trying to evade a pandemic. The main character is Sergey, who is tasked with getting his family to a desert island in the middle of an area called Vongozero. Sergey is joined by his new girlfriend, her son, his father, his next-door neighbor’s family, his ex-wife, and his young son.

It’s quite unconventional compared to other shows in the apocalyptic zombie genre because it focuses more on its ensemble cast of diverse characters and adds a ton of tension, especially between Sergey’s new girlfriend and his ex-wife.

#Alive

#Alive

Image: Netflix

#Alive is a 2020 South Korean film that focuses on Joon-woo, a video game live-streamer, as he struggles to survive during — yes — a zombie apocalypse. For most of the movie, Joon-woo is barricaded in his parent’s apartment in Seoul. What makes this an intriguing watch is that it accurately depicts some of the same feelings many of us likely had due to the COVID-19 pandemic: fear, uncertainty, isolation, and loneliness.

Tiger King

Tiger King

Image: Netflix

Internet memes aside, Tiger King is one of the more enjoyable Netflix shows to come out of 2020. It’s a documentary miniseries that spans seven episodes and focuses on Joe Exotic, a private zoo owner with over 200 big cats. The miniseries focuses on various points in his life, such as his unsuccessful runs for public office and his feud with big-cat rights activist Carole Baskin.

Love is Blind

Love is Blind

Image: Netflix

This year, Netflix had a ton of dating shows with wild concepts. Love is Blind brings together 30 men and women looking for love. For 10 days, the men and women partake in a blind / speed dating format where they “date” each other while in different “pods.” After those 10 days of dating, the participants need to decide if they want to become engaged or go home single. All these reality TV shows are very much guilty pleasures — at first watch, I got some mad Married at First Sight vibes.

Tuca & Bertie

Tuca & Bertie

Netflix

With BoJack Horseman airing its final episodes in January, there’s a bit of a void for that type of animation. Last year, my best friend recommended that I watch Tuca & Bertie, about two bird women in their 30s with a very Yin and Yang type friendship. I really enjoyed the amount of diversity in the cast and how the show starred two female protagonists, something I find to be a rarity in adult animation TV shows. And so I was really angry when I heard Netflix decided to cancel the series after one season.

Thankfully, the show is getting a second season, thanks to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block, with new episodes slated to premiere next year. You can still watch the first season on Netflix, and if you enjoy shows like BoJack Horseman, I strongly encourage you to go watch Tuca & Bertie as soon as possible. Then ask yourself, “How could Netflix not renew this show?”

The Witcher

The Witcher

Image: Netflix

I got my first experience with The Witcher franchise after playing the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. First, I decided to go back and revisit the first two games in the trilogy. Then I decided to read the books to see what the games were based on. So when I heard that Netflix was going to make a TV show based on the novels, I was very interested — and the fact that Henry Cavill would play Geralt of Rivia put me totally on board.

The first season aired roughly a year ago, and I really liked it. I am not going to claim the show is better than Game of Thrones because that is an unfair comparison. And I will warn you that the first season warrants a second watch because the story, which shuffles timelines, can get a bit confusing. Nevertheless, if you love fantasy TV shows and liked The Witcher novels and / or the games, the TV show is worth a watch.

The Prom

The Prom

Image: Netflix

A movie adaption based on the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name, The Prom follows a group of Broadway actors who travel to a small Indiana town to aid a lesbian student who was banned from going to her high school prom with her girlfriend. The movie is extremely vibrant with a ton of bright colors and glitter and energetic songs. While the story itself seems a bit disjointed, the acting and songs kept me entertained throughout.

The Big Flower Fight

The Big Flower Fight

Image: Netflix

What happens when you take The Great British Bake Off and switch cooking with floral design? You get The Big Flower Fight, of course. This oddly satisfying reality competition pits artists, florists, and landscapers against each other as they try to build giant sculptures out of plants. I like watching cooking competitions like MasterChef, and I was won over by the idea of a competition to make beautiful sculptures.

The Crown

The Crown

Image: Netflix

As a history buff, I am overly critical whenever I watch movies or TV shows inspired by historical events. While The Crown takes a lot of liberties with what actually happened during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, I can’t stop watching this show. To be honest, I am not following it because of its historical accuracy, but because of the incredible cinematography and superb acting from the cast members.

Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved Mysteries

Image: Netflix

I grew up watching a bunch of crime-focused shows like Snapped and Unsolved Mysteries. They would keep me up all night while I played detective — and now, as an adult, I keep coming back to them. Originally a series released on NBC in the late 1980s, Unsolved Mysteries has breathed new life to a well-loved trope on the streaming giant’s platform. The 2020 reboot spans six episodes, with each episode focusing on a different cold case.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 direct from China – Same processor cheaper?

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AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for 150 euros – Processor for a pittance from China

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If your Cyberpunk 2077 save file becomes too big, it might get corrupted

I can barely go anywhere on the internet without seeing yet another wild, hilarious, or downright odd bug from Cyberpunk 2077. It’s a buggy game, and developer CD Projekt Red has already released two hotfixes to try and shore up some of the problems. One issue that’s starting to pop up, though, isn’t funny at all: some players are reporting that their Cyberpunk 2077 save files are becoming corrupted if they exceed a certain file size (via Eurogamer).

If your Cyberpunk 2077 save is corrupted, you’ll apparently see this prompt when you try and load up the game: “saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded.” Here’s what it looks like:

The prompt shown for corrupted saves in Cyberpunk 2077.

Image: GOG.com support document

While it’s not clear what might be causing save files to be corrupted, it seems it can happen when the saves reach 8MB in size. Crossing that 8MB threshold is when the save file corrupted for one Redditor, in their testing. There are also multiple people on CD Projekt Red’s forums reporting that their 8MB+ save files are corrupted.

In a GOG.com support document about the corrupted saves prompt, CD Projekt Red says that “unfortunately the save is damaged and can’t be recovered.” To avoid seeing the prompt, the company recommends using an older save and to “keep a lower amount of items and crafting materials.”

Theoretically, if your Cyberpunk 2077 save file is larger than 8MB, you’ve invested dozens of hours into the game and collected a lot of items. If I had a corrupted save in part because I picked up too much stuff (in a game that’s littered with stuff to pick up), I know I’d be extremely disappointed.

CD Projekt Red says in the save file size limit “might be increased in one of the future patches” in the GOG.com support document. But even if that increase happens, the save files that are currently corrupted will remain so, the document says. If you are experiencing corrupted saves, a moderator on CD Projekt Red’s official Cyberpunk 2077 forums has offered some suggestions on how to load backup saves that you can try.

The studio has promised to release two large patches for Cyberpunk 2077 next year: one in January and one in February. Perhaps the company will make changes in those patches to help prevent files from becoming corrupted. CD Projekt Red didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

Parcel delivery in favor of the inner cities? Trade rejects proposal

In the middle of the Christmas business, an initiative from the CDU causes a stir. The idea: a fee for parcels that online retailers send to their customers. This is intended to finance a “city center fund” that will benefit stationary retail. This has been particularly hard hit by the corona pandemic with the shop closings. The coalition partner SPD supports the proposal. The FDP and especially the retail sector itself are not very enthusiastic.

“Pact for lively inner cities” The position paper “Pact for lively inner cities” from the CDU / CSU parliamentary group comes from the deputy chairman Andreas Jung and the local political spokesman Christian Haase. They advocate introducing a package fee for online trading, “the amount of which is proportional to the order value”.

“The fee is collected from and from the online retailer With the income from this, the online trade will share in the costs of communal infrastructures used by it “, it says in the list of demands, which is available to the German press agency. Previously, the Welt am Sonntag reported about it.

Jung and Haase justify the suggested levy, for which they do not give any specific figures, with the “imbalance compared to the stationary retail trade”, which could be eliminated as a result. The traders with the shops in the streets are already contributing significantly to the municipal budget with their taxes. The two CDU politicians want to use the money raised “in full to strengthen a diverse retail trade in lively inner cities”.

Product safety and tax payments for products from the Far East Objection comes immediately from Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE). In relation to international online trading, the main thing is fair competition. “This does not require new taxes on parcels, but better controls to ensure that our local regulations for product safety and tax payments are also complied with for deliveries from the Far East,” said HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth.

“A package tax would also affect many domestic online retailers who are correct and punctual taxpayers,” argued Genth. “In addition, that would be a disservice to the third of stationary retailers who have built up an online business.” These companies have already increased their online sales significantly and also used large Internet platforms. “The future of retail lies in the combination of online and stationary on-site,” summarized Genth. It doesn’t help to play the sales channels off against each other.

“No substitute for fairer taxation of the Internet giants” For the opposition FDP a package tax would be “a new bureaucracy monster”. Rather, it is more important to give the retail sector “a clear and reliable opening perspective for the next year,” said FDP parliamentary group vice-president Michael Theurer. During the shutdown, all retailers across Germany should be allowed to pick up goods, he demanded.

For the SPD, parliamentary group vice-president Achim Post commented positively on the union proposal: “A kind of corona delivery of online Retailers like Amazon can be a building block for more justice in the crisis and provide concrete support to local retailers. ” Such an additional taxation of the online trade could “not be a substitute for a fundamentally fairer taxation of the Internet giants”. Their power threatens to grow further during the crisis.

Low-wage mail order workers In the boom in Internet sales, concerns about the situation of employees are also growing. Since 2008 the number of employees in the mail order business has increased from 60.022 on 161.331 in March 2020 almost tripled. According to the Federal Employment Agency, the median income of those fully employed in the mail order business last year was 2. 663 gross per month – and thus by 738 euros lower than across all industries. This emerges from a response from the Federal Agency to a request from the left in the Bundestag.

Every third full-time employee in the mail order business accordingly worked at low wages with less than two thirds of the median salary, i.e. less than two 267 Euro gross per month. The proportion of low-wage employees was almost 000 percentage points higher than for the total number of employees.

The employment relationships that began in the mail order business last year were, according to the Federal Agency, limited to around 60 percent . Across all industries, this was only 40, 7 percent. In addition, almost worked in March 022. 000 Mail order employees as mini-jobbers.

(bme)

Animal Crossing gave me structure in a shapeless year

I broke ground on my Animal Crossing: New Horizons island, Honkland, just three days before the UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the country was going into lockdown. I’d pitched up my tent, and I was just about to deliver a pile of materials to Timmy Nook to help him build the island’s general store.

I was enjoying my first Animal Crossing, but I hadn’t quite hit that point of “getting it” just yet. The menus were slow to navigate, and I wasn’t really sure what I was working toward. Mining the most material out of each of my island rocks involved a convoluted process of digging two holes and then hitting them repeatedly over the course of several seconds. Picking fruit involved first shaking a tree and then picking up each piece individually. It felt deliberately inefficient.

“From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction: you must stay at home,” the prime minister said during his address on March 23rd. “You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say ‘No.’ You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine — and you should do this as little as you can.”

Inside the flat, we tried to make the best of the situation while we effectively had to press pause on our lives. Evenings out were replaced with marathon sessions of Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne. We’d watch films while simultaneously keeping a laptop open, running a Zoom call with friends we hadn’t seen in months. We bought elastic resistance bands and slung gymnastic rings over an old pull-up bar for group workouts on the weekends. And every evening, I booted up Animal Crossing to see what awaited me on Honkland.

The game’s chore-filled early hours were exactly what I needed.

Image: Nintendo

Animal Crossing is a game best played in short bursts because the series has a unique approach to the passage of time. In most games, the time revolves around the player. It starts passing when the game starts and stops. Almost everything happens on your terms. But Animal Crossing takes place in real time, so if it’s the middle of the night on March 23rd in the real world, then it’s going to be the middle of the night on March 23rd in the game. (It’s possible to change your console’s built-in clock to “time travel,” but for me, it ruins the fun.)

The approach makes it difficult to play indefinitely each day. Your island’s rocks eventually stop spitting out materials when you try to mine them, and you run out of fruit to pick from your trees. You can continue to do things like hunt down bugs and fish, but inevitably, you’ll come up against a task that needs to be done tomorrow. It’s a bold design that often forces you to wait, while other games often tempt you into playing just one extra hour. Ordinarily, I would have found the mechanic a little frustrating, but in a lockdown situation where time felt like it was standing still for weeks, it was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t lose track of time playing it for hours; instead, I had to keep a grip on what day of the week it was.

I got to work on my island. I pruned its weeds, moved more villagers in, and started collecting critters to populate my island’s museum. I sold fruit, earned bells (read: money), and spent them on building bridges and ramps to make my island’s rough terrain easier to navigate. It became a little hobby, something to check in with once a day, a little project that built up bit by bit over time.

I have considered myself incredibly lucky over the course of the past 23 months. I’ve thankfully been able to continue working from home, logging on to a computer at the end of my bed each day to chat with colleagues over Slack and conduct interviews over Zoom. Doing my small bit to help this year involved little more than staying at home as much as was physically possible. Animal Crossing made doing that a little bit more bearable.

Multiplayer helped me feel connected.

Image: Nintendo

It was Animal Crossing’s multiplayer elements that I most needed in those first few months of lockdown. It felt like the whole world was playing the game together, as Twitter and Reddit filled up with screenshots of people’s islands as well as requests to collaborate. At work, we set up a dedicated Slack channel to share our island’s turnip prices. Ordinarily, you can earn a small profit by buying and selling turnips on your own island, but you can make millions if you work as a team with other players, converging on another player’s island when it’s offering an especially good price for turnips on any given day.

It’s strange how, in a year when so much history was continuously happening, time felt like it stood still for weeks on end. Five days of working in my bedroom, two days of relaxing in my living room. Rinse, repeat. People joke about time passing weirdly on the internet, when events that feel like they happened years ago actually took place just last week. This year, that weird sense of internet time seeped out into the real world. Without leaving my flat for anything more than a quick shop, it was hard to feel present in global events, no matter how important and life-changing they were for so many.

As the months went on and the internet’s interest in the game waned, a steady stream of new features and in-game events gave me a reason to keep visiting Honkland. Nintendo added hedgerows and diving and new characters like Redd, a huckster who occasionally visits your island with “artwork” to sell. Celebrations like Halloween were marked with in-game events that relied on playing the game on the right day to see their content. Between big events and new feature additions, every month saw the arrival of new bugs and fish, a gentle trickle of collectibles to find before they migrated away.

It was important to have something to do, but this year especially, it was important to me to feel like time was actually passing. Like many other people, I didn’t go on a summer holiday this year, and I didn’t attend any Halloween parties. I didn’t have a morning cycling commute to enjoy the country’s summer or to see its trees gradually turn an autumnal orange. Instead, checking in on Honkland each month gave me those small reminders that the seasons were still changing.

Kazakhstan: Browser manufacturers block insecure state certificate

Browser manufacturer Mozilla has teamed up with Google, Apple and Microsoft to jointly block a root certificate from the government of Kazakhstan. With this certificate for web browsers, the country wants to redirect, decrypt and monitor the encrypted Internet data traffic of its citizens. It is the second time that the four browser manufacturers have excluded such a government certificate from use in the Central Asian country.

HTTPS data redirected At the beginning of December, the Kazakh government wanted all Internet users in the capital Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) to have the official (but insecure) root for numerous popular websites – to use the certificate of the country that had to be installed in the browser for this. The ban affected websites such as Twitter and Google and had to be implemented by the country’s Internet service providers. This would have diverted and read out HTTPS data traffic – in fact a man-in-the-middle attack. In addition, unnoticed manipulation of the content would have been possible.

On Friday, however, the four browser manufacturers got together and banned the certificate from their browsers as unsafe. Chrome, Edge, Mozilla and Safari no longer accept it, reports ZDnet. Those who installed the certificate will now see an error message in the browser instead of a website indicating that the certificate is not trustworthy. Mozilla also has a bug tracker entry for this.

Already three attempts to obtain a government monitoring certificate This is Kazakhstan’s third attempt to monitor the country’s Internet traffic. Already 2015 and 2019 the government wanted a Root Certificate Authority (Root-CA) from Mozilla as a be included in the browser in a trustworthy manner. The Mozilla Foundation refused. 2019 Citizens should also install a TLS certificate in order to access certain websites. This was also blocked by the most important browser manufacturers back then.

This measure is justified with “protection” against hackers and fraudsters who are allegedly targeting the Internet in Kazakhstan – against which a browser certificate does nothing, of course can, especially not if it actually undermines secured HTTPS traffic. In addition, it was already said 2019, the government wants to prevent citizens from “viewing illegal content”.

(tiw)

LG UltraGear 27GN950 – Ahead of its time

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Flashback: the social networking phones built for Facebook and other such oddities

Phones are tools for communication. The early ones only supported one-to-one calls (and were wired to the wall), but the Internet bred a number of social networks, which popularized the idea of sharing everything with large groups of people. Friends, family, coworkers, even strangers, you could post messages and photos for all of them to view (and like).

Being Internet-based also meant that the social networks were primarily used from PC browsers, desktop PCs at that. You can’t bring those to a party or on vacation and post photos of your experiences as they happen. You need a social networking-enabled mobile phone for that.

HTC’s multiple Facebook phones

Facebook established itself as the main social network after dispatching MySpace. The network made the jump from Web to native app with a version for the iPhone 3G in 2008 and followed that with its first Android app in 2009. There were apps for Symbian S60, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry too.

Still, Zuckerburg and co. felt they can reach a wider audience if there was a phone built specifically for social network use. So, Facebook tapped HTC as an ODM to built two phones in 2011.

The HTC ChaCha was a phone for people who write lengthy posts on Facebook

The HTC ChaCha was the more interesting of the two, featuring a hardware QWERTY below the 2.6” landscape display. This was a phone designed for those who are better at expressing themselves through text. And they would preferably do that on Facebook, as the dedicated button on the bottom suggests.

They didn’t have to, though, as the phone supported SMS, email and all kinds of chat clients. HTC’s Sense UI was just perfect for the phone – the custom phonebook app brought calls, messages, emails and even social networking updates under one roof. The ChaCha was a capable communications hub, even if you didn’t use Facebook.

Facebook widget • The awesome Sense phonebook supported messages and even online galleries

The HTC Salsa was the second phone. It came with the same software and mostly the same hardware (including the 800MHz single-core CPU with 512MB of RAM). But instead of an old-school design with a hardware keyboard, the Salsa went the full-touch route. Well, it still had a dedicated Facebook button on the bottom, but other than that it was all touch.

The HTC Salsa was more of the same instead you would use the on-screen keyboard

ChaCha’s 5MP camera may have been less than perfect, but that was okay – that phone was all about texting. With its larger 3.4” display you’d think that the Salsa will be the more media and camera-oriented device, but that wasn’t the case.

For starters, the screens on both phones had the same 480 x 320 px resolution (3:2) and the smaller diagonal meant that the ChaCha screen was sharper. Also, the Salsa used the same 5MP camera, which barely managed to record 720x480px videos at 24fps.

The phone book also displayed status updates, plus Facebook and Flickr photo galleries

Of the two, the ChaCha was the better phone. The QWERTY keyboard and ladscape display made it stand out, the Salsa was just another HTC phone. And Sense UI had a good handle on social networking, even without the extra Facebook stuff.

The HTC First was built around the Facebook Home launcher

Unfortunately, it’s the Salsa that got a sequel. Well, sort of – the HTC First was an attempt to push a Facebook-designed launcher more than anything. Facebook Home as it was called turned the Android phone into a portal to the social network with other apps taking a step back.

The lockscreen was turned into a slideshow of status updates and photos from your Facebook contacts. You could give a post a thumbs up or leave a comment as soon as you see something interesting. There was a circular button (showing your profile photo), which could be swiped to access one of three functions – messaging, app launcher and app switcher.

The lockscreen showed status updates • standard Android 4.2 Jelly Bean underneath • Chat heads

The Home launcher and the Facebook app also enabled the then-new and exciting “chat heads” feature. But equally interesting was what was removed – this phone ran plain Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and you could switch off the Home launcher. But you’d get no Sense UI and not even any AT&T bloatware (this was an AT&T exclusive phone).

Motorola CLIQ/DEXT

The Motorola CLIQ (aka DEXT in Europe) was an early take on a social networking-focused phone, which launched in 2009. It had a slide-out QWERTY and a relatively large 3.1” display that went into landscape orientation when the keyboard was out.

The Motorola CLIQ (aka DEXT in Europe) also had a QWERTY keyboard and SNS-focused software

Like with the HTCs above, it was the maker’s customized Android UI that was the “special sauce”. In this case that was Motoblur, which required you create an account with Motorola. This allowed its servers to collate information from an impressive number of services.

Motoblur on the CLIQ supported the following: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Photobucket, Picasa, last.fm and other services. It also featured a generic email client with Exchange support, so business folk could use it too.

Motoblur’s supported every messaging channel and social network you can think of

Even better, there was an API that would allow third-party apps to hook in and add their own messages and photos to the feed, so that the CLIQ can keep pace with the fast-changing world of Internet services and networks.

Three’s INQ1 and Skypephone

By now you’re probably thinking that all social networking phones were smartphones. That’s not the case – the INQ1 is a curious (if ill-fated) example to the contrary). On the surface it was a classic slider featurephone that launched on British carrier Three in 2008 at just £80 on a pre-paid contract.

Three’s INQ1 was a social networking feature phone

But there was a lot more to it. It could receive Facebook notifications and post status updates, even upload photos from the 3.2MP camera. Remember that at a time when mobile data wasn’t all that cheap. Plus, it also supported Windows Live Messenger and Skype too (including free voice calls).

With all that, plus a 3G connection, the INQ1 was a surprisingly capable communication machine. Well, if you could live with the 2.2” 240 x 320px screen and standard keypad. At least you could tether your laptop to the phone using a USB cable and use that for browsing and messaging.

This wasn’t the carrier’s first Skype phone, by the way. It released the aptly-named Skypephone in 2007 in collaboration with Skype itself, then followed that with the Skypephone S2 the next year. These were available at just £40 for the original and £60 for the S2 on a pre-paid contract.

Besides Skype, these feature phones also support Facebook, Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Chat and bebo. You may want to write off the Skypephones as gimmicks, but they actually had a really good use case.

Three’s Skypephone – a simple way to call abroad while avoiding hefty phone bills

International calls were expensive over traditional phone networks (over cell networks too), but Skype calls were free. And if you did need to call a landline (or receive calls from one), SkypeIn and SkypeOut support were added with a firmware update.

Next time…

In case you missed it, you should check out our first weird phones from unexpected brands post. In there we covered (among others) the Vodafone 555 Blue, a feature phone for Facebook that had a QWERTY keyboard similar to the ChaCha. In fact, the 555 was the inspiration behind today’s post. You can also read about the Microsoft Kins, a pair of phones that were supposed to thrive on social networking… but somehow ended up being killed off twice.

The Vodafone 555 Blue – a Facebook-connected feature phone with QWERTY keyboard

Anyway, we have another post about weird phones in the works, we just wanted out to get the car-branded and social networking phones out of the way first. We should be back to the regularly-scheduled programming next week. That is unless we get distracted with oddball fashion phones (one particular Prada phone may be of great interest).

Starting Sunday, cable companies can no longer ‘rent’ you the router you already own

Is your internet service provider charging you every month for the cable modem or router that you purchased with your own money? Or, perhaps, have you never bothered to buy those items because you couldn’t escape the fee? That fee will be illegal starting Sunday, December 20th, and you should tell your ISP that you’ll no longer tolerate it, threaten to sue, and/or take advantage of any binding arbitration clause it may have with you.

Last year, Congress passed a law that should have fixed this ridiculous loophole as of June 20th, 2020 — and though the FCC managed to extend the deadline six months by spinning up some bullshit about how cable companies didn’t have the resources to stop charging you money, the law should take full effect tomorrow.

Do note that the actual text of the law still allows some BS to occur. If your ISP sends you a router, you’ll need to return it to avoid charges.

Frontier in particular has been notorious for charging customers $10 a month for their equipment “whether you use it or not” — the company’s words, not mine — but Frontier is clearly aware it won’t be able to do that anymore. Starting this month, the company’s equipment page has changed to remove the part where it talks about the mandatory fee. Here’s an archived copy of the site from last month if you want to compare.

If you can purchase your own cable modem, I suggest you do. Modems will generally pay for themselves in less than a year, and the all-in-one router boxes that ISPs typically provide typically offer worse Wi-Fi coverage than you could easily add to a house yourself, particularly now that mesh Wi-Fi systems are better, cheaper, and easier to use than ever before.

It also doesn’t help that in the US, we pay roughly eight to 17 times more to rent a modem on average that Asia and Europe do, respectively. That’s just one of the ways America’s internet needs to be fixed in 2021.