The Neotron dev team, consisting of makers Jonathan Pallant and Kaspar Emanuel, have created a custom PCB to carry our new favorite microcontroller—the Raspberry Pi Pico. The system is designed to resemble a retro-style computer you might find in the ’80s, albeit with a micro-ATX form factor.
The best Raspberry Pi projects don’t just draw inspiration from others, they add value and utilize the board to its fullest potential. The Neotron Pico is based off the team’s existing project, the Neotron 32, another ARM-based retro-style system using the same OS but the Pico adds a new dimension with room for expansion and a cheaper price point. The PCB was designed using KiCad, a free and open source electronics design application, and in the render we can see the Raspberry Pi Pico at the rear of the board, along with ports for PS/2 peripherals, sound, video and a DC barrel jack for power. An unpopulated SD card reader is also present to the right of the VGA connector, if the tracks exist on the board then adding an card reader should be relatively simple.
According to the project documentation, the board is able to output 12-bit Super VGA video using PIO state machines on the Pico. An SPI-to-GPIO expander is used to offer a total of eight IRQs and SPI chip-selects. Users can install up to eight peripherals or expansion slots.
Software-wise the board runs Neotron OS. This OS was written in Rust and is very similar to MS-DOS. You can read more about the PCB in detail and explore the code used in this project on the official Neotron Pico GitHub page.
Chinese processor developer Loongson Technology this week announced that it had developed its own CPU instruction set architecture (ISA), Loongson Architecture (LoongArch) that has nothing to do with architectures designed outside of China. Surprisingly, the first processors based on the new architecture have already been taped out and will be released commercially this year.
For many years Loongson’s processors relied on different versions of the company’s LoongISA architecture, which were subsets of the MIPS64 architecture. This approach allowed the company to maintain compatibility with software developed for MIPS64 (which includes software for supercomputers) and also introduce its own extensions to boost performance in modern applications.
By contrast, LoongArch is said to feature almost 2,000 of proprietary instructions. Meanwhile, the company said that it had removed outdated instructions not suitable for modern hardware designs to ensure low power consumption and simpler designs. In addition to the base instruction set, LoongArch features binary conversion extension instructions (LBT), vector processing extension instructions (LSX), advanced vector processing extension instructions (LASX), and virtualization extension instructions (LVZ), reports PC Watch.
Apparently, the first CPUs to use the LoongArch are Loongson’s quad-core 3A5000 for client PCs and 16-core 3C5000 for multiprocessor servers. Previously Loongson called these processors ‘MIPS64-compatible’, so they can execute programs originally developed for previous-generation Loongson processors that relied on a superset of the MIPS64 architecture. The Loongson 3A5000 is set to ship in the first half of 2021, whereas the 3C5000 is projected to be available towards the end of the year, according to a previous report.
Loongson Technology has released its LoongArch infrastructure instruction system manual to some interested parties for evaluation, but is yet to publish it for a broader audience of software developers. Also, the LoongArch is currently evaluated by the Chinese IP agency.
China has been striving for semiconductor self-sufficiency for years now and even created its Made in China 2025 program that set the time-frame by which this self-sufficiency is set to be achieved. Analysts are skeptical that China will be self-sufficient by 2025 as far as semiconductors are concerned, but the country is moving towards its goal.
A proprietary CPU ISA is certainly a step towards self-sufficiency as Loongson no longer has to rely on Arm, MIPS, x86, RISC-V or other Western processor architectures. However, only time will tell whether the company can actually develop a competitive ecosystem for its LoongArch.
It is noteworthy that Loongson Technology has once announced plans to transit to open-source RISC-V, so if LoongArch fails, the company will have a plan B.
Apple has officially announced its “Spring Loaded” event for April 20th, its first major product announcement of 2021.
Unlike a lot of Apple’s events, its spring events tend to be a bit more scattershot: one year might see high-end iPads, another a more education-focused event, or a launch of a comprehensive service strategy. This year, rumors are pointing to a refreshed iPad Pro lineup, potentially with Apple’s first Mini LED panels — which would bring a big jump forward for the company’s tablet displays. But we could also see new AirPods, the company’s long-rumored AirTag trackers, a new iPad Mini, and more.
The proceeding should kick off at 1PM ET on Tuesday, but if you’re looking for an early preview, here’s what you can probably expect to show up.
iPad Pro
It’s been over a year since Apple’s last refresh of the iPad Pro, and the 2020 model — a fairly iterative update to the 2019 version — is starting to get a little long in the tooth, especially compared to the beefed-up specs on Apple’s latest iPhones and M1 Macs.
Like last year, Apple is expected to launch both 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models; but the larger iPad Pro is expected to make a big switch in screen technology to debut Apple’s first Mini LED display. Additional rumors indicate that supply of the Mini LED panels might be hard to come by, that stock of the larger model may be limited at launch, or that Apple might delay the release of the 12.9-inch version until availability is better.
A report from Bloomberg sheds more light on what to expect, too: while the overall design of the two tablets is expected to stay largely the same as last year’s model, Apple is expected to swap out the A12Z chip for a newer processor that’s said to be on par with its more recent M1 chipset. The new iPads are also said to upgrade to a Thunderbolt port (with faster data speeds and a wider peripheral selection than the standard USB-C port) and feature upgraded cameras.
Apple could also potentially have a new Apple Pencil accessory in the works to go with the new iPad Pros. Images of a new, glossy version of the stylus have been circulating on Twitter, and the “spring forward” teaser could imply that Apple might offer a spring-loaded tip, similar to what Wacom offers on its pens.
AirTags
One of Apple’s worst-kept secrets in years, Apple’s Tile-like AirTags have been rumored to make an appearance at nearly every Apple event and announcement since early 2019. Said to be small, circular tags with Bluetooth and ultra-wideband radio chips, AirTags would rely on Apple’s existing Find My app and network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs to allow users to track and find missing objects (similar to how users can currently track lost phones).
AirTags would also potentially work with recent iPhone models’ U1 chip to allow for AR-based ultra-wideband tracking in local areas — something that Samsung has recently also began to offer with its Galaxy SmartTag Plus.
There have been references to AirTags (or Apple Tags) in iOS code leaks, endless rumors, and even in an official support video that explicitly revealed the “AirTags” name as part of its offline finding feature last year. The only thing left is for Apple to officially announce them.
iPad Mini
Also long overdue for an update is Apple’s oft-neglected iPad Mini, which was last refreshed over two years ago in March 2019. (Given that that update came after a four-year drought for the iPad Mini, a refresh this year would actually be beating par.) The current model features the exact outdated design that Apple’s been using for nearly a decade, with an older A12 processor to boot, so there’s plenty of room for Apple to improve things, too.
Adding fuel to the fire is that both Bloomberg and noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have pointed at a larger iPad Mini (potentially with an 8.5-inch display, which could come from eliminating some of the chunky 2012-era bezels) for 2021.
AirPods 3
A third-generation version of Apple’s AirPods has been rumored for months, set to feature shorter stems and replaceable ear tips, similar to the current AirPods Pro design. The updated AirPods are also said to feature better battery life than their predecessors. Apple has also been rumored to be working on a refreshed AirPods Pro design that would eliminate the earbud stem entirely, but as Bloomberg’s report notes, that redesign is further out — so they’re unlikely to make an appearance here.
Apple TV
The Apple TV 4K sits at a strange place in Apple’s lineup. Released in 2017, it’s one of the oldest Apple products still being sold. At $180, its price has since been lapped by Roku, Amazon, and Google, all of which offer comparable 4K streaming boxes at a fraction of the price.
Apple is rumored to be working on a refreshed model for 2021, which would add a faster processor and a new remote to replace the infamous Siri Remote. Support for HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz refresh rates could also be in the cards. But more than new features, the Apple TV 4K is in dire need of a price cut — something that Apple is historically more reticent to provide.
iOS 14.5
Given the pace of both developer and public betas, it’s all but certain that Apple will officially release iOS 14.5 either at or immediately following the event (especially if it has new iPad hardware). The new software promises to add the ability to more easily unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask through an Apple Watch, new emoji, and Apple’s highly debated App Tracking Transparency feature that has drawn particular ire from Facebook.
MacBooks and iMacs and Mac Pros (oh my!)
After the shockingly great debut of Apple’s first wave of Apple Silicon-powered computers last fall with the M1 MacBook Air, Pro, and Mac Mini, all eyes are on Apple’s next steps in its ARM transition. The company is rumored to be working on plenty of new Macs as it looks to achieve its ambitious goal of switching fully from Intel’s chips within two years. That includes more powerful MacBook Pros that would ditch the Touch Bar, bring back MagSafe and additional ports, and feature an improved M-series chip. A new iMac and a smaller Mac Pro (also featuring M-series chips) are said to be in the works as well.
With WWDC around the corner, though, it’s likely that we won’t hear more about new Mac hardware until then, especially if Apple is planning on debuting more developer and professional-friendly Apple Silicon-powered laptops and desktops.
Something surprising
Of course, with Apple, you never quite know what to expect — which means that there’s always room for a surprise announcement or two at the Spring Loaded event that not even we saw coming. Could Apple tease its long-rumored VR headset? A refreshed iPhone SE? A first look at the Apple Car? Whatever happens, stay tuned to The Verge for all the details.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
The words “Swiss design” conjure images of luxury watch movements and delicately sculpted eyeglasses, not hulking e-bikes with thickly welded frames and face-melting power. Stromer is here to challenge those assumptions and force a rethink of how its Swiss-made electric bikes, with top speeds of 45 km/h (28 mph), can disrupt urban transportation for the benefit of residents. I’ve certainly seen the light after testing a new 2021 edition ST2, Stromer’s first e-bike with a carbon belt drive.
Broadly speaking, US cities have all of the fast e-bikes and no bicycle infrastructure, whereas European cities have all of the protective infrastructure and few fast e-bikes. It’s exceedingly rare to see fast e-bikes known as speed-pedelecs in my Amsterdam home, for example, where half of all new bikes sold are electric, and bicycles outnumber people by a lot.
It’s not that EU bike makers are an effete bunch of cheese-eating milquetoasts; they manufacture slow, underpowered e-bikes to avoid the draconian measures triggered by EU Directive 168/2013. It states that any e-bike that goes faster than 25 km/h (15.5 mph) with a continuous rated power above 250 watts is to be treated the same as a gas-guzzling moped. Makers of s-pedelecs like the Stromer ST2 are subjected to a grueling certification process that then requires owners to hold a moped-class driver’s license, liability insurance, and registration. By contrast, a similarly specced Class 3 e-bike in the US usually requires… nothing, other than a helmet.
To make matters worse, speed pedelecs are banned from riding on the vast majority of the ubiquitous bike lanes that famously protect helmet-less Dutch bicyclists in cities like Amsterdam. Why? Because mopeds are banned, and the law doesn’t differentiate. Fuck that. I wasn’t going to put my life at risk for this review by riding alongside heavy (and dangerous) automobiles just because European regulators can’t get their shit together.
Over the entirety of March, I spent my days fawning over the sophistication of the Stromer ST2 while fuming at lawmakers for holding back s-pedelecs from their full potential as car replacements. While I’ll be reviewing the ST2 on its own merits, it’s nigh impossible to recommend to Europeans without first considering the operational rules by which it’s constrained.
Before diving too deeply into why European rules suck, let’s start with what makes the new Stromer ST2 so good.
The ST2 is Stromer’s all-rounder model in a range of s-pedelecs that run from the entry-level ST1 to the ST5 (there is no ST4), with prices ranging from $4,199 / €4,628 to $11,699 / €11,428 and higher depending on configuration and options. Stromer’s motors range from 670W and 35 Nm of torque to 850W and 48 Nm. All Stromers are pedal-assisted e-bikes without throttles.
The ST2 starts at $5,699 / €6,128 and is fitted with a 750-watt Stromer CYRO Drive IG motor mounted on the rear hub. It produces a modest 40 Nm of torque to accelerate the bike up to 45 km/h (28 mph) from a standstill as safely and effortlessly as possible. A torque sensor ensures that power is delivered just as soon it detects a harder press on the pedal. The Gates Carbon belt drive linked to an internal five-gear hub propels the sturdy aluminum-framed bike forward on 27.5-inch wheels sporting high volume Cycl-e ST tires custom-designed by Pirelli.
My ST2 with the large-sized sport frame options came standard with fenders, a kickstand, and a mini rack; it did not come with the optional front and rear suspension. It weighs just shy of 33 kgs (72 pounds), which is undeniably heavy for an e-bike. But that mass makes the ride feel rock solid at top speed, without any worrisome wobble or flex when riding over bumps.
Safety is also boosted by custom front and rear hydraulic disc brakes, an electric horn, daytime running lights, and a Roxim Z4E Pro headlight that can produce between 600 and 900 lumens at night. (A dazzling 1600-lumen option is available.) There’s also an integrated brake light around back. The required rearview mirror is useful to see overtaking motorists on roads, but it makes the bike quite wide. This resulted in a few slapped car mirrors before I got a feel for the added width. Fortunately, the mirror folds to make it a bit easier to walk the bike through narrow hallways.
The keyless battery makes a pleasant “thunk” when ejected after a touchscreen and button combo.
My ST2 review bike came fitted with a 48V, 618Wh removable battery rated for up to 120 km or 75 miles, though I’d estimate real-world range for an aggressive rider like me is about half that. I managed just shy of 50 km (31 miles) with 10 percent charge remaining, according to the Stromer app, before deciding to top up. The ST2 has a customizable regenerative braking feature to make the most of the battery. That flat terrain I tested on didn’t benefit from the extended range allowed by the recuperation that’s possible on long steep declines.
I did about half of my testing while illegally riding on bicycle lanes because responsible individuals can regulate their speed for the slower flow of congested city riding. If a powerful Ferrari can share city roads with slower Hyundais, then certainly a powerful e-bike can share a dedicated lane with traditional bicyclists. Putting the ST2 into low-power mode makes this easy. My riding was an even mix of max power (setting 3) at max speed (up to 47 km/h, according to the integrated display) when commuting outside the city center, and lazy 20 to 30 km/h jaunts at low power (setting 1) around town. A beefier battery with a stated range of up to 180 km (110 miles) is also available.
The + and – buttons on the left grip make it easy to toggle between the three power modes, while the right grip is home to the shifter. The excellent 5-Speed Sturmey Archer shifter is smooth and reliable and conveniently works from a standstill.
The display washes out even on an overcast day.“,”image_left”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22445516/DSC_4195.jpeg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:4928,”bottom_right_y”:3264},”bounds”:[0,0,4928,3264],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4928,”height”:3264},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22445516,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”image_right”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22445517/DSC_4196.jpeg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:4928,”bottom_right_y”:3264},”bounds”:[0,0,4928,3264],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4928,”height”:3264},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22445517,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”credit”:null}” data-cid=”apps/imageslider-1618567556_3085_133009″>
The display washes out even on an overcast day.
The touchscreen display integrated into the top tube is the interface to a bike OS that’s overwrought, in my opinion, though some might like having access to every configuration option (and there are a lot) right on the bike. I do not, especially not when all that overhead makes the bike take 20 seconds just to boot, an eternity if you’re in a hurry. My bike was also configured to boot into a lock screen that was frustratingly slow to respond to the five taps required to enter my secret passcode. The display also easily washes out in sunlight.
In my experience, it’s rare to make any changes once a bike is set up to your liking, meaning it’s best to offload more advanced features to an app. I prefer simple displays that boot fast and serve as a simple dashboard for basics like power setting and battery remaining. Stromer’s app is already very complete, offering lots of ride statistics and bike diagnostics in addition to options to tune the ride to your preferred balance of speed, torque, and agility. (I rode exclusively with the default “standard” setting.) The Stromer OMNI app is one of the best e-bike apps I’ve used.
The ST2 is as high-tech as they come, fitted with Bluetooth to auto-lock / unlock the bike when in range, GPS tracking, and 3G data for over-the-air software updates. An anti-theft mode shuts off the motor and starts blaring the horn to scare off thieves.
S-pedelecs can nearly reach the 50 km/h speed limit of most European cities, which is why they’re often pitched as true car replacements. Traditional e-bikes can already replace car commutes for many, but their top speed of 25 km/h means you’ll have to accept an extended travel time (while getting outside for some exercise). To test this theory, I “raced” a friend to a golf course to the north of Amsterdam; he in his new Tesla Model 3, me on the Stromer ST2 with a six-club pencil bag slung over my shoulder. His 30-minute trip took me just 27 minutes, and I had to wait 5 minutes for a ferry to arrive. Technically, I cheated by occasionally riding at top speed on deserted bike lanes I wasn’t allowed to use… but should have been.
Now, about EU directive 168/2013. As the name implies, it was conceived years before it was fully enacted on January 1st, 2017, which is part of the problem. It failed to anticipate the explosion of electric personal mobility devices we’ve seen over the last four years, especially in countries like the Netherlands where half of all new bicycles sold last year were electric. The directive splits e-bikes into two categories of “type approvals”: type L1e-A includes electric cargo bikes like the Carqon, while type L1e-B includes s-pedelecs like the Stromer ST2 and gasoline-powered mopeds. Any e-bike maxing out at 25 km/h and 250 watts of continuous power is exempt from the directive and treated exactly like a regular bicycle.
Type L1e-B vehicles are limited to a maximum speed of 45 km/h and maximum continuous rated power of 4,000 watts. It requires mopeds and s-pedelecs to be fitted with a rearview mirror, horn, brake light, and prominent license plate; while the owner must be at least 16 years of age, wear a moped-rated helmet, possess a moped (type AM) driver’s license, be covered by liability insurance, and pay to have the vehicle registered.
Critics like the European Light Electric Vehicle Advocacy group LEVA-EU argue that because it was designed primarily for mopeds with combustion engines, the current type L1e-B approval process is unnecessarily complex and burdensome for bike makers. S-pedelec manufacturers are required to comply with 1,036 pages of text, much of which is about moped safety and emission concerns that simply don’t apply to speed pedelecs. The result is higher costs passed onto consumers and curtailed adoption and innovation because… why would any company bother?
Because Europe is Europe, there’s often variance in how regulations are set into law in each member country. While I complain about s-pedelec access to bike paths in Amsterdam, at least some bike lanes still allow them, unlike other European countries. Conversely, Belgium gives owners the choice to ride their s-pedelecs on any bike path or any road with a maximum speed limit of 50 km/h. It’s policy is informed by an effusive in-country study from 2019:
The speed pedelec has the potential to be a sustainable alternative for cars with internal combustion engines for commuting purposes. For the Belgian case, commuting with a speed pedelec can solve problems regarding congestion and air pollution.
At the close of 2020, Stromer bikes registered in Belgium (4,061) were more than double that of my Dutch home (1,558), according to Bike Europe. And despite being the market leader for s-pedelecs throughout Europe, Stromer produced just 12,417 s-pedelecs in 2020, which is the same number of slow e-bikes Amsterdam-based VanMoof makes in a month. European S-pedelec demand is clearly being stifled.
So, what’s to be done?
The good news here is that the European Commission seems keen to address the regulations that currently govern e-bikes. In October, the EC asked TRL, a UK-based mobility researcher, to initiate a review of the EU’s type approval process required by EU directive 168/2013. TRL recently concluded its findings and recommended that s-pedelecs be moved out of the L1e-B moped category and into the far less restrictive L1e-A category. L1e-A type approvals currently cover 1,000-watt e-cargo bikes capped at 25 km/h and some vehicles with throttles.
It’s a positive sign but still “unfortunate” for s-pedelecs from the perspective of LEVA-EU. The advocacy group has been pushing for an entirely new set of vehicle regulations for zero-emission vehicles like e-bikes, standing scooters, and electric skateboards based upon weight and speed only, not maximum continuous power. LEVA-EU believes that vehicles with similar levels of kinetic energy should be subjected to similar rules. It would therefore distinguish between vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 or 30 km/h and those capable of 45 or 50 km/h, instead of trying to bend the current regulations dictated by Directive 168/2013 (and the related Machinery Directive) to the realities of modern transportation. While the TRL did recommend to “create a dedicated approval process for PMD [personal mobility devices] separate from Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 and the Machinery Directive,” it capped this at a max speed of either 25 or 30 km/h, thus excluding s-pedelecs from the PMD category.
The EC isn’t bound by TRL’s recommendations so we’ll have to wait until 2022 for it to reveal its legislative proposal. Even then, any proposal would have to be negotiated with the member states; a process that could go on for years before new legislation is enacted.
As much as I’d love to call for revolution and demand that urban commuters act on the moral obligation to disobey the unjust laws governing s-pedelecs in Europe, I can’t really apply the logic I used for a short-term review to long-term ownership — especially not with ST2 prices starting at $5,699 / €6,128.
If you’re in the US, then no problem. But anyone in Europe interested in owning the ST2 or any speed pedelec that falls under the current L1e-B type designation had better do their homework. Not only do you need to factor in local laws that might differ from EU rules, but also the costs to register and insure yourself for such a nascent and confusing transportation category.
The Stromer ST2 is easily the most sophisticated and thrilling e-bike I’ve ridden since I began reviewing the category back in 2016. It also did the rarest of things by letting me glimpse a better future that’s just out of reach.
S-pedelecs could help accelerate European initiatives to green our cities and reclaim all of that space allocated to idling cars. But that won’t happen until EU regulators first remove the barriers to adoption and then create incentives to get city-dwellers out of their cars, even the electric ones, and onto bikes like the Stromer ST2.
OnwardMobility is about to release its first BlackBerry smartphone with 5G support and a physical keyboard. Take a look at the first concept photos.
The Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry is at the beginning of a new era. Last year, the Chinese licensee TCL announced that it would stop selling BlackBerry phones. The 4 year license agreement had come to an end. Obviously, this raised many questions about the future of the Blackberry brand. It soon became clear that the American company OnwardMobility has taken over the license rights.
OnwardMobility issued a press release stating; “In the first half of 2021, we will release a 5G BlackBerry Android smartphone with physical keyboard in North America and Europe.” For the design and manufacture of the BlackBerry smartphones, the company started an exclusive partnership with Android smartphone maker FIH Mobile Limited, a subsidiary of Foxconn.
Last month, the financial newspaper Nikkei Asia published an interview with Peter Franklin, the CEO of OnwardMobility (and former Microsoft employee). The publication revealed that the new BlackBerry smartphone will not only include 5G support and a physical keyboard, OnwardMobility also intends to integrate a “top-of-the-line camera”. This is somewhat remarkable, as the camera has never been a real spearhead for the BlackBerry business smartphones.
Of course, OnwardMobility will also pay extra attention to data protection and privacy. For this, the help of an external cybersecurity company is called in. More details will be revealed in the coming months, Franklin reported.
BlackBerry Key 3 with triple camera
Based on all the information available to date, graphic designer Jermaine Smit, aka Concept Creator, in collaboration with LetsGoDigital, has designed a BlackBerry 5G smartphone with a physical keyboard. It is the BlackBerry Key 3, the successor to the BlackBerry Key 2 – released by TCL in 2018.
Where its predecessor still had a dual camera, the Key 3 designed by Jermaine is equipped with a triple camera. The distinctive design with curved display and a narrow bezel for the front camera has remained intact – as shown in the following YouTube video.
Unfortunately, as yet, few details are known about the specifications of this new device. We are also still in the dark about the model name. Since it will be OnwardMobility’s first BlackBerry smartphone, no comparison material is available either. Naturally, the company will try to honor the strengths of BlackBerry, in order to be able to offer the business user a valuable Android alternative.
However, it is still unknown what this will look like in practice – apart from the fact that a physical keyboard is chosen, in order to increase productivity. This will certainly be a feature that many loyal BlackBerry users will appreciate. It will also be the brand’s first 5G phone.
Three-and-a-half months have now passed from 2021. If the company manages to stick to its initial schedule, the new BlackBerry phone will be officially announced for the American and European markets within three months from now. In time, the device will also be released in Asia. As yet, no information is known about the pricing.
BlackBerry over the years
BlackBerry was very popular among business users for years and was able to distinguish itself from other brands with its own software and the implementation of a physical keyboard. Due to increasing competition, the Canadian manufacturer decided to stop producing BlackBerry smartphones in 2016, after which the focus shifted to intelligent security software and services.
TCL took over the license for the production and sale of BlackBerry smartphones. Due to disappointing results, TCL decided not to renew the agreement after a period of four years.
OnwardMobility, on the other hand, still sees plenty of opportunities for the characteristic BlackBerry brand. Partnered with FIH Mobile Limited, the company is committed to reviving BlackBerry. In the coming period we will undoubtedly hear more about the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone.
Note to editors : The product images in this publication are created in collaboration with Jermaine Smit, aka Concept Creator. These 3D renders are for illustrative purposes only, this product is not for sale. The images are copyright protected. Feel free to use these materials on your own website, please be so respectful to include a source link into your publication.
Ilse is a Dutch journalist and joined LetsGoDigital more than 15 years ago. She is highly educated and speaks four languages. Ilse is a true tech-girl and loves to write about the future of consumer electronics. She has a special interest for smartphones, digital cameras, gaming and VR.
Patriot’s Viper VP4300 is a high-end PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD with all the features and performance you could want from an enthusiast-grade SSD, but you’ll pay a premium for the privilege.
For
+ Included heatsink and graphene label
+ Appealing aesthetics
+ AES 256-bit hardware encryption
+ Large hybrid SLC cache
+ High endurance
+ 5-year warranty
Against
– Pricing
– Lacks software package
– High idle power consumption
Features and Specifications
Patriot’s Viper VP4300 pumps out fast sequential speeds of up to 7.4 / 6.8 GBps read/write and features wicked good looks, making it a top contender for our best SSDs list. Whether you’re loading up the latest Call of Duty update or scrubbing 4K or 8K content, Patriot’s Viper VP4300 delivers responsive performance. And with two optional cooling solutions included, it will keep cool and look cool during the most strenuous tasks you can throw its way.
When PCIe 4.0 SSDs first hit the market, they all had one formula in common — they came powered by a Phison E16 SSD controller that was merely a repurposed PCIe 3.0 design modified to work with the PCIe 4.0 interface, and then paired with BiCS4 flash. This pairing improved the end-user experience, but it lacked the oomph we now see from new clean-sheet controller designs that leverage the speedy PCIe 4.0 interface, like the Phison E18 and the controllers with the latest Samsung and WD SSDs.
Patriot’s Viper VP4300 now joins the list of new drives with completely new controllers. This SSD slithers its way onto our test bench with a new Rainer controller designed by InnoGrit. This new PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD controller comes paired with a healthy helping of Micron’s 96-Layer TLC flash to serve up fast performance.
The Viper VP4300 also comes with many of the features we expect from a high-end NVMe SSD, and even some we don’t. Patriot even throws in two cooling solutions – a sleek-looking 4mm thick aluminum heatsink and an ultra-thin graphene label for tighter-tolerance installations, like in notebooks. Add in the VP4300’s high endurance ratings, which even outstrip the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850, and it appears to be a very competitive drive. Let’s put it to the test.
Specifications
Product
Viper VP4300 1TB
Viper VP4300 2TB
Pricing
$ 254.99
$ 499.99
Capacity (User / Raw)
1024GB / 1024GB
2048GB / 2048GB
Form Factor
M.2 2280
M.2 2280
Interface / Protocol
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4
Controller
InnoGrit IG5236
InnoGrit IG5236
DRAM
DDR4
DDR4
Memory
Micron 96L TLC
Micron 96L TLC
Sequential Read
7,400 MBps
7,400 MBps
Sequential Write
6,800 MBps
6,800 MBps
Random Read
800,000 IOPS
800,000 IOPS
Random Write
800,000 IOPS
800,000 IOPS
Security
AES 256-bit encryption
AES 256-bit encryption
Endurance (TBW)
1,000 TB
2,000 TB
Part Number
VP4300-1TBM28H
VP4300-2TBM28H
Warranty
5-Years
5-Years
Patriot’s Viper VP4300 comes in just two capacities of 1TB and 2TB. Each is rated to deliver speeds of up to 7.4 / 6.8 GBps of sequential read/write throughput and sustain up to 800,000 random read/write IOPS. Priced at $255 for the 1TB model and $500 for the 2TB, the Viper VP4300 launches with high pricing that exceeds both the WD Black SN850 and Samsung 980 Pro.
The Viper VP4300 carries very robust endurance ratings, though. The 1TB model is rated to endure up to 1,000 TB of writes within its five-year warranty period, while the 2TB is rated for up to 2,000 TB. The VP4300 has very little factory overprovisioning, roughly 7% of the SSD’s capacity is dedicated to the task, and it uses InnoGrit’s Proprietary 4K LDPC ECC along with end-to-end data path protection to ensure reliable performance within the lifespan of the product.
A Closer Look
Image 1 of 4
Image 2 of 4
Image 3 of 4
Image 4 of 4
Patriot’s Viper VP4300 comes in an M.2 2280 double-sided form factor and includes two optional thermal solutions (“heatshield options,” as they refer to them) to choose from. You can either install the slim yet aggressive-looking aluminum heatsink that measures roughly 72 x 22 x 4 mm, or you can use the very thin graphene sticker for installation into tighter spaces, like notebooks.
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
Like the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850, the Viper VP4300 leverages a high-end PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD controller and NAND flash to match. Codenamed Rainer, InnoGrit’s IG5236 is a multi-core NVMe 1.4-compliant SSD controller with a DRAM-based architecture.
Two 8Gb SK hynix DDR4 DRAM chips are present on the PCB, one on each side, that accelerate FTL accesses to ensure responsive performance. The controller is fabbed on TSMC’s 12nm FinFET process and uses multiple consumer-oriented power management techniques to maintain its cool and perform efficiently, too.
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
Patriot paired the controller with Crucial’s fast 512Gb 96-Layer TLC flash. The controller interfaces with this flash over eight NAND channels at speeds of up to 1,200 MTps, and there are 32 NAND dies spread among the four NAND packages. The flash has a quad-plane architecture for a high level of parallelism per die, and it’s also quite robust and efficient thanks to the unique application of CuA (circuitry under array) design and tile groups.
The PS5 got its first major software update yesterday – but it seems Sony forgot to mention the new “HDR: On When Supported” setting, reports FlatpanelsHD. Perhaps because it works well for games but not apps…
Let’s rewind for a moment. Sony designed the PS5 to output all content in High Dynamic Range (HDR) when connected to an HDR TV. HDR delivers higher contrast and therefore a wider colour and brightness range than Standard Dynamic Range (SDR).
Problem was, any games, movies and TV shows in SDR were all automatically upconverted to HDR, making them appear very different from how they were intended to look.
The PS5 April Update addresses this issue by allowing the PS5 to match the output of a game or video to either SDR or HDR, according to how it’s flagged. “It appears to work well for games,” FlatpanelsHD says. “PS5 automatically switches to SDR output when opening games like Crash Bandicoot or WRC9, and it automatically switches to HDR output when opening HDR-compatible games like Astro’s Playroom or Spider-Man.”
And apps? Not so much. The same publication claims that support is “inconsistent”, and that the Apple TV app and Netflix app both continue to run in “forced HDR mode” on PS5. The YouTube app also failed to work properly, while Disney+ delivered a blank picture when the new setting was enabled.
Want to try it for yourself? You’ll need to manually activate “HDR: On When Supported” in the PlayStation settings menu. Head to ‘Screen and Video’, ‘Video Output’, and finally ‘HDR’ and you should see the new setting the in ‘off’ position.
The new software brings a host of (more successful) upgrades including support for USB storage, a fix for the Samsung 4K 120Hz HDR issue and cross-generational Share Play mode, which lets you pass a virtual controller to a friend with a PS4 or PS5.
MORE:
Looking for a console? Here’s where to buy a PS5
Level-up your living room: How to get the best sound from your PS5
Nvidia has released a new feature for its GeForce Experience software that helps users of creative applications make sure they’re getting the best performance out of their GPUs. GeForce Experience can now tell you whether you have the best settings enabled for more than 30 creative apps including DaVinci Resolve, Adobe’s Lightroom and Illustrator, and Autodesk’s AutoCAD. If certain GPU features aren’t active, you can turn them on from within GeForce Experience itself “with a single button press.”
For example, DaVinci Resolve users can automatically optimize settings for GPU acceleration in various modes, which may or may not have been switched on already. The idea is that GeForce Experience can now be a central hub for creative apps that helps you maximize performance. Nvidia isn’t doing anything specific here to actually improve how the apps work — though it is also releasing a new Studio Driver today for creative software — this is just a convenient way to make sure that you’ve set them up in the best way possible.
GeForce Experience is an application for Nvidia GPU owners that’s usually associated with gaming-related functionality. For example, Nvidia releases “Game Ready Drivers” through GeForce Experience that optimizes new games for its GPUs, and the application can serve as a launcher for those games.
With this move, the software is further expanding its focus to encompass creative users as well, which is an area that Nvidia continues to concentrate on. Earlier today the company announced that its RTX-powered audio noise removal feature would be directly integrated into Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), the popular streaming software.
Parallels has released a new version of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization software that features full native support for Mac computers equipped with either Apple M1 or Intel processors. The program allows users to run Windows 10 Arm Insider Preview as well as various Linux distributions on systems running the M1 SoC at native speeds.
Running Windows on Apple’s Mac computers may not be a priority for most of their owners, but there are still quite a lot of users who need to run Windows applications from time to time. Since the latest Apple MacBook Air/Pro 13 and MacMini are based on the Arm-powered M1 SoC, it’s impossible to install regular Windows 10 as the second OS on them. Furthermore, unlike other programs for Mac, virtualization machines did not run well on M1-based Macs via the Rosetta layer, so Parallels had to redesign its Parallels Desktop to make it run on an Apple’s M1 SoC natively.
Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 supports all the capabilities that that users of PDM are used to on Apple M1 systems, including coherence mode, shared profile, and touch bar controls, just to name a few.
In addition to Windows 10 for Arm, Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 also supports guest operating systems on M1 Macs,including Linux distributives Ubuntu 20.04, Kali Linux 2021.1, Debian 10.7, and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2.
To ensure flawless operation of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtual machine, Parallel used help of more than 100,000 Mac M1 users who ran Microsoft’s Windows 10 on Arm Insider Preview along with various software from PowerBI to Visual Studio and from SQL server to Meta Trader. In addition, engineers from Parallels did not forget games and ensured that titles like Rocket League, Among Us, Roblox, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Sam & Max Save the World worked well on Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 and Apple M1-powered systems.
Right now, Parallels Desktop for Mac 16.5 is good enough to launch it commercially, according to the company.
There are some interesting findings about performance of Apple M1 and Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac:
An M1-based Mac running Parallels Desktop 16.5 and Windows 10 Arm consumes 2.5 times less energy than a 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air.
An Apple M1 machine running Parallels Desktop 16.5 and Windows 10 Arm performs 30% better in Geekbench 5 than a MacBookPro with Intel Core i9-8950HK in the same conditions.
Apple M1’s integrated GPU appears to be 60% faster than AMD’s Radeon Pro 555X discrete graphics processor in DirectX 11 applications when running Windows using the Parallels Desktop 16.5.
“Apple’s M1 chip is a significant breakthrough for Mac users,” said Nick Dobrovolskiy, Parallels Senior Vice President of Engineering and Support. “The transition has been smooth for most Mac applications, thanks to Rosetta technology. However, virtual machines are an exception and thus Parallels engineers implemented native virtualization support for the Mac with M1 chip. This enables our users to enjoy the best Windows-on-Mac experience available.”
Today Nvidia dropped a new GeForce Experience driver update, version 3.22, and a new Game Ready Driver, version 466.11. Both driver updates are so feature-focused that there are more features added than bugs fixed. Making this patch cycle the most exciting update we’ve seen from Nvidia drivers in a while.
Nvidia’s AI Noise Removal Comes to OBS Studio
With the 466.11 driver, Nvidia’s popular AI Noise removal feature — which can be found in RTX Broadcast, is now coming to OBS Studio. Now you will be able to cancel out background noise using Nvidia’s software directly through OBS when you are streaming or recording. All you need is Nvidia Broadcast Audio Effects SDK, the 466.11 GeForce driver (or newer), and the latest test build of OBS Studio, version 27.
Once you have all three installed, you can use Nvidia’s noise removal software by right-clicking an audio source in the audio mixer and selecting the filters menu.
Nvidia Reflex Gets Faster When CPU Limited
Another update to the 466.11 driveris added performance with Nvidia’s Reflex technology under CPU-bound scenarios. More specifically, Nvidia says this update helps reduce system latency in CPU-bound situations where the render submission thread is the limiting factor.
So if you are in a situation where you have one of the best graphics cards, like an RTX 3080, but a slow processor that is bottlenecking your system, you’ll see a performance improvement with the new Reflex optimizations.
But beware, this optimization only activates when you run Nvidia Reflex in “Boost” mode. Some games like Call of Duty Cold War don’t enable boost mode by default, so be sure its checked in your Reflex supported title.
Nvidia future notes that all Nvidia Reflex supported titles have been updated to support the new optimization, including Valorant.
GeForce Experience Gets Major Updates
In the latest GeForce Experience 3.22 update, official support for one-click automatic GPU overclocking and performance OSD are now available.
Several months back, Nvidia introduced these features to GeForce Experience users in a beta format. The tools allow you to monitor things such as your GPU temperature, clock speed and memory consumption, more directly from the app.
With the GeForce Experience app, you also get one-click automatic GPU overclocking, where the application will automatically overclock and automatically stress test your GPU, giving you an easy way to get extra performance from your graphics card.
In 3.22 Nvidia has expanded it’s game optimizations area to support productivity apps as well, including Davinci Resolve. This means that GeForce Experience can automatically optimize settings inside productivity applications to best suit your GPU, similar to how the app can automatically adjust graphics detail in video games.
Other Updates
In the new graphics driver update, you also get DLSS and RTX support for Mortar shell, support for six new G-Sync Compatible displays from LG and MSI, and four bug fixes including the following:
1. Supreme Commander (1 & 2) should no longer experience low FPS.
2. RAW files should no longer show up black in Adobe Lightroom.
3. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 VR should no longer stutter when hardware accelerated GPU scheduling is disabled.
4. Some displays should no longer show incorrect color levels after booting into Windows.
Founded in 2020, Pulsar is a gaming peripherals company based in Korea. The right-handed ergonomic Xlite is their first gaming mouse and all about getting the weight as low as possible. Aside from the rib-shaped holes, the Xlite does without RGB lighting, a dedicated CPI button, and even without much of the bottom shell to achieve a weight of just 48 g, which is doubly impressive given it is by no means small. Equipped with PixArt’s PAW3370 sensor capable of 20,000 CPI, Omron switches for the main buttons, pure PTFE mouse feet, and a particularly flexible paracord-like cable, no compromises have been made in terms of performance. Pulsar also includes additional mouse feet, grip tape, and a micro-bungee in the box. The usual customization options are provided in software.
The FBI partnered with an Australian security firm called Azimuth Security to gain access to an iPhone linked to the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, a new report from The Washington Post reveals. Before now, the methods the FBI used to get into the iPhone were kept secret. It was only clear that Apple wasn’t involved, as the company had refused to build a backdoor into the phone, kicking off a legal battle that only ended after the FBI successfully hacked the phone.
The phone at the center of the fight was seized after its owner, Syed Rizwan Farook, perpetrated an attack that killed 14 people. The FBI attempted to get into the phone but was unable to due to the iOS 9 feature that would erase the phone after a certain number of failed password attempts. Apple attempted to help the FBI in other ways but refused to build a passcode bypass system for the bureau, saying that such a backdoor would permanently decrease the security of its phones.
After the FBI announced that it had gained access to the phone, there were concerns that Apple’s security could have been deeply compromised. But according to The Washington Post, the exploit was simple: Azimuth basically found a way to guess the passcode as many times as it wanted without erasing the phone, allowing the bureau to get into the phone in a matter of hours.
The technical details of how the auto-erase feature was bypassed are fascinating. The actual hacking was reportedly done by two Azimuth employees who gained access to the phone by exploiting a vulnerability in an upstream software module written by Mozilla. That code was reportedly used by Apple in iPhones to enable the use of accessories with the Lightning port. Once the hackers gained initial access, they were able to chain together two more exploits, which gave them full control over the main processor, allowing them to run their own code.
After they had this power, they were able to write and test software that guessed every passcode combination, ignoring any other systems that would lock out or erase the phone. The exploit chain, from Lightning port to processor control, was named Condor. As with many exploits, though, it didn’t last long. Mozilla reportedly fixed the Lightning port exploit a month or two later as part of a standard update, which was then adopted by the companies using the code, including Apple.
In the end, not much happened as a result of the effort. The FBI reportedly didn’t get any useful information from the phone, and the bureau never got to set a legal precedent about whether the government could compel companies to compromise the security of their devices. In 2017, a judge ruled that the FBI didn’t have to reveal how it had gotten into the iPhone, or who had helped it, due to concern that the mystery firm would face cybersecurity attacks as backlash for helping the FBI if its identity was made public.
Parallels is releasing an update to its Desktop virtual machine software that allows M1 Mac owners to install Windows 10 on Arm. Parallels Desktop 16.5 now includes the necessary native support to run the Arm version of Windows on M1 chips, following Apple’s decision not to support Boot Camp on M1 Macs.
The latest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac now allows M1 Mac owners to run Windows 10 on Arm apps or traditional x86 apps side by side with Mac or iOS apps on Big Sur. There will be some app limitations on the Windows 10 on Arm side, thanks to its own app emulation, but Windows 10 on Arm will soon support x64 app emulation, too.
Parallels Desktop maker Corel says its latest update also results in some impressive performance and battery improvements over running the software on Intel-based Macs. According to Corel, the 16.5 update uses up to 250 percent less energy on an M1 Mac, compared to an Intel-based MacBook Air. There’s also a promise of up to 60 percent better DirectX 11 performance and up to 30 percent better overall virtual machine performance running the Arm version of Windows 10 on an M1 Mac instead of a Windows 10 VM on an Intel-based MacBook Pro.
The main drawback is that you’ll need to run a preview version of Windows to make this all work. Microsoft only currently licenses the Arm version of Windows 10 to PC makers, so there’s no official way to buy a copy yet. The software maker does provide a Windows 10 on Arm preview build, which can be downloaded from Microsoft’s Windows Insider website.
Alongside the Windows 10 on Arm support, Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac also supports Linux distros like Ubuntu 20.04, Kali Linux 2021.1, Debian 10.7, and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2.
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), the go-to software for streamers, is getting native support for Nvidia’s excellent noise-removal technology, the graphics card manufacturer announced today. Although it was previously possible to get the same effect by combining OBS with Nvidia’s Broadcast software, you’ll now be able to adjust the background noise-removal feature directly from within OBS. It’s currently available with the beta version of OBS Studio 27 and will be coming in a full release soon.
Nvidia’s noise-removal technology has been around for a little while, first as RTX Voice and then as one of the features built into Nvidia Broadcast. The AI-powered tool can cancel out everything from keyboard clacking to your PC’s loud fans. It’s a great addition to a streamer’s arsenal, helping to filter out distracting background noise so viewers can focus on game audio and a streamer’s commentary.
According to Nvidia’s announcement, you’ll need to download its Broadcast Audio Effects SDK to get the feature to work with the new beta version of OBS Studio 27. You’ll also need the company’s latest game-ready driver. Once you’ve got those downloaded, here’s how Nvidia describes the setup process:
To use the new feature, open OBS, right click on your audio source in the Audio Mixer, select “Filters”, click on the “+” on the lower left of the new Filters window, pick the “Noise Suppression” filter, enter a name, click on the new filter in the list, expand the “Method” dropdown, select “NVIDIA Noise Removal”, tweak the intensity based on how loud your background noises are, then close the Filters window. NVIDIA Noise Removal is now active.
The new integration arrived with Nvidia’s latest game-ready driver, which also adds support for Mortal Shell’s RTX update as well as six new G-Sync-compatible displays.
Ford has a name for its “hands-free” advanced driver assist system (ADAS): BlueCruise. The company said it would begin pushing the feature via an over-the-air software update to select 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E owners later this year.
According to Ford, BlueCruise will allow hands-free driving on “prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones that make up more than 100,000 miles of North American roads.” Yes, Ford is even branding the highway.
BlueCruise is Ford’s answer to General Motors’ Super Cruise, which is considered the gold standard for Level 2 advanced driver assist systems. These systems work in concert with a number of distinct features, like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blindspot detection, pedestrian monitoring, and stop sign detection.
What makes these systems stand apart, though, is the inclusion of an active driver monitoring system in the form of an infrared sensor on the steering column that tracks the drivers’ eyes to make sure they are keeping them on the road.
Not every F-150 and Mach-E will be automatically eligible for the software update. F-150 owners who opted for the $1,595 Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package can purchase BlueCruise for an additional $600. For Mustang Mach-E owners, BlueCruise will come standard on the CA Route 1, Premium, and First Edition variants as part of the $3,200 Comfort and Technology package.
Until then, owners will have access to the second generation of Ford’s ADAS, known as Co-Pilot 360. This includes improved versions of features like lane centering, adaptive cruise control, active park assist, blindspot assist, and more.
Ford is also shifting into high marketing gear for the new feature. The company deployed 10 test vehicles — five F-150s and five Mach-Es — on a 110,000-mile road trip through 37 states and five Canadian provinces to test BlueCruise in a variety of road conditions.
“There are highway intricacies and driving conditions that you simply cannot replicate in a lab,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s chief product platform and operations officer, in a statement. “Sending these vehicles out for real-world driving experience is just one of many ways we ensured that BlueCruise technology offers confidence and convenience for drivers all across the continent.”
Ford said it expects to sell more than 100,000 vehicles equipped with BlueCruise in the first year, based on company sales and take-rate projections.
Car consumers are certainly attracted to more high-tech systems, especially if they can promise a safer, more stress-free driving experience. A survey conducted by Edmunds in late 2017 found that 58 percent of car shoppers would pay an extra $1,000 or more for a vehicle equipped with active safety features.
A lot depends on how these systems are marketed to customers. For example, Tesla has said Autopilot should only be used by attentive drivers with both hands on the wheel. But the feature is designed to assist drivers, not replace them. And it’s far from foolproof: there have been several high-profile incidents in which some drivers have engaged Autopilot, crashed, and died.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.