Audi has revealed the interior of its next EV, the Q4 E-Tron, which serves up mostly modern SUV vibes and features a few new technologies making their way into Audi’s vehicles.
The centerpiece of what Audi debuted on Tuesday is a new augmented reality heads-up display in front of the driver, which offers a wider field of view and more accurate and advanced animations. Some examples Audi gave of it in use are:
the AR system placing a red line over a lane marker to let a driver know when they’re drifting too far to one side;
an animation that tracks the car ahead when using adaptive cruise control;
turn-by-turn navigation that places a bright blue arrow in the driver’s field of view.
Audi says this new AR system pulls in more than 1,000 “signals” from sensors all over the Q4 E-Tron to figure out exactly where to place these AR elements — and to keep them in place, even if you are driving over a bumpy surface — which is somewhat reassuring. It’s one thing when there’s a heads-up display that’s small and only shows relatively static information like the car’s current speed. As soon as the field of view is increased and you start messing around with dynamic graphics, it becomes really important to make those elements look like they’re actually adhering to the real world, or else things could get distracting — or worse, disorienting — really quickly.
Exactly how well Audi pulled this off, though, is unclear. The company only showed off a few simulated animations of the AR display in action. We’ll have to wait for the full reveal of the Q4 E-Tron in April, and really until people start driving the SUV, to get a sense of what it’s truly like.
The Q4 E-Tron also features — as an option — the biggest touchscreen Audi’s ever put in one of its vehicles, which measures 11.6 inches diagonally. The standard touchscreen is the more common 10.1-inch size found in Audi’s recent cars, and there’s a 10.25-inch driver display behind the steering wheel as well.
That Q4 E-Tron’s steering wheel is new, too, and Audi has traded physical buttons out for backlit touch-sensitive ones. There’s haptic feedback to simulate the feel of pressing a button, and some of them can be swiped to scroll through lists on the driver display. Despite all this, though, the Q4 E-Tron’s cockpit is still adorned with physical buttons in a way that some EVs aren’t.
The German luxury carmaker also showed off a camouflaged version of the Q4 E-Tron’s exterior, which is slated for a full unveiling in April, and released a few other basic specifications about the SUV.
The Q4 E-Tron is the third in Audi’s new all-electric lineup of vehicles, but it will be the first to be powered by parent company Volkswagen’s modular “MEB” platform. That same platform is what underpins the VW ID lineup of electric vehicles, as well as the forthcoming Sportback version of the Q4 E-Tron SUV.
Audi shared Tuesday that the Q4 E-Tron will be 4,590mm (15.1 feet) long, 1,865mm (6.1 feet) wide, and 1,613mm (5.3 feet) tall, which the company says puts it in the “larger compact SUV segment.” In more practical terms, it’s just a bit smaller overall than the original E-Tron and the Tesla Model Y and is quite close in size to its cousin, the VW ID 4.
While Audi has not released a range estimate since the Q4 E-Tron concept debuted in 2019, the smaller size and the use of the MEB platform will likely mean the SUV won’t be nearly as heavy as the original E-Tron, which weighed about as much as a Tesla Model X. That should help the Q4 E-Tron beat its predecessor’s serviceable mile range figure. (Audi had originally promised the Q4 E-Tron would get around 80 miles on a full charge, though we’ll see where the final estimate winds up later this year.)
Despite its stature, Audi says the Q4 E-Tron has a wheelbase that’s more comparable to medium-sized SUVs and interior space that’s more in line with a full-size SUV — which is accomplished by moving a lot of the technology into the MEB platform that makes up the floor of the SUV.
All of this should set Audi up for relative success with the Q4 E-Tron. It’s a more approachable size and is built on what looks increasingly like a solid platform from Volkswagen, though the SUV will still feature plenty of Audi styling and technology all its own. (That’s a good thing when considering the trouble VW has had with its own software in the ID 4 and the smaller ID 3 in Europe.) Audi sold around 47,000 electric cars in 2020 with the E-Tron SUV and E-Tron Sportback, accounting for nearly 3 percent of all of the company’s sales. The Q4 E-Tron will undoubtedly keep pushing those numbers higher, though it is still just one of a number of electric vehicles coming to the German brand’s lineup in the next few years.
Microsoft once envisioned a future full of Cortana-powered fridges, toasters, and thermostats, but it never worked out. Harman Kardon’s Invoke speaker was the first and only Cortana-powered speaker to hit the market, but it’s now receiving an update on Wednesday to disable Microsoft’s digital assistant.
Harman Kardon will push an update to the Invoke speaker tomorrow (spotted by Thurrott) to remove Cortana, after Microsoft announced its plans last year to shut down its digital assistant across multiple devices. “Please note that the Cortana service on the Harman Kardon Invoke will end in the coming months regardless of whether you receive the update,” says Harman Kardon. Cortana is also disappearing on iOS and Android, and even Microsoft’s own Surface Headphones.
Cortana on the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker.Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Microsoft originally had bigger plans for Cortana back in 2016. The software maker outlined a vision for bringing its digital assistant to fridges, toasters, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, but Cortana never really caught on. Even the beautiful Cortana-powered GLAS thermostat is no longer powered by Microsoft’s digital assistant.
Microsoft now sees Cortana’s value in conversational AI and the company is trying to reposition Cortana as a skill that can run anywhere instead of competing with Alexa or Google Assistant. Cortana is increasingly being used to improve Microsoft’s enterprise-focused offerings, after the company separated it from Windows 10 search and silenced the digital assistant during the OS setup process.
(Pocket-lint) – Samsung introduced three different models of the Galaxy S20 in 2020. The models reflected an upgrade of the regular S10, the S10+ and the S10 5G, called the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.
Here’s a look at how these phones stack up to help you work out which one might be the right one for you.
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What’s the same?
Overall look and feel
120Hz Infinity-O display
Core Exynos/Snapdragon hardware and RAM
The Galaxy S20 devices all have a similar overall design with metal core and glass front and back, sporting a central punch hole camera in the display and minimal bezels. All the devices have this Infinity-O display, with curved edges.
Samsung has also put a 120Hz display in all these phones, although naturally, the sizes are all different. That 120Hz display only runs at 1080p however, rather than the full 1440p resolution, which is 60Hz.
On the rear of all the devices is a pronounced camera bump – there’s not even an attempt to blend in the cameras, they are designed to stand out on this generation of phones.
They all have the same core hardware too, either the Samsung Exynos 990 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, depending on the region you buy it in. This comes with 12GB RAM as standard across all three devices, but the Ultra offers a step-up to 16GB.
And that’s about where the similarities end.
What’s different?
Outside of those outlined details, these phones differ in many ways, seeing each slip into a different position. Here’s what’s different.
Build and dimensions
Samsung Galaxy S20: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm, 163g
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm, 186g
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm, 220g
A glance over the dimensions shows the range of sizes these phones come in. While the overall build quality and look of the phones is the same, physically there’s a big range of size options – some 15mm in height.
That is almost the same as the size difference between the Galaxy S21 models released in 2021, which basically update all the S20 models. Generally, however, these phones are bigger than older models, but with smaller bezels. There’s also a healthy difference in weight and this mostly comes down to the battery and the amount of glass used in the build.
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Display
Samsung Galaxy S20: 6.2-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 6.7-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, 120Hz
The Galaxy S20 comes in at 6.2-inches as the smallest of the bunch, running up to a massive 6.9-inches on the S20 Ultra – which makes it a big phone. The Galaxy S20+ sits in the middle at 6.7-inches.
These displays are all AMOLED and they all offer a 120Hz refresh rate – although you’ll only get that refresh rate at Full HD+ and not the highest Quad HD+ resolution. (Full HD+ is the default most Samsung phones, with Quad HD+ an option you have to turn on.) In reality, the only difference is size, because they are all equally capable.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy S20: 4000mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 4500mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5000mAh
The Galaxy S20 has a 4000mAh battery, while the S20+ has a 4500mAh cell and the S20 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery.
The S20 Ultra sounds like it has a huge battery, but we’ve found the demand on the battery to be quite high, especially when using the camera, so it’s worth reading through reviews to get a full picture of the battery life.
The S20 and the S20+ seem to fair better. These aren’t the most efficient phones in their segment, but we’ve found the Galaxy S20+ and S20 to cope a little better with demand than the Ultra.
The big difference in these devices is pushed through the cameras. Firstly, the makeup of the Galaxy S20 and the S20+ are broadly the same – apart from the addition of the time-of-flight sensor in the S20+ – which makes little real difference.
The main cameras are the same – a new 12-megapixel sensor with massive 1.8µm pixels – while both have a 64-megapixel “telephoto” camera. In general, these cameras all perform well, although the telephoto isn’t as sharp out at 10x zoom as the Ultra is. Beyond that, quality starts to drop off on both rapidly.
The setup of the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera is almost completely different. The only thing in common on these cameras is the 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle, with the S20 Ultra sporting a 108-megapixel sensor for the main camera. This is paired with a 48-megapixel telephoto, which is a 10x hybrid optic periscope lens. That combination gives 100x zoom, although that’s mostly a gimmick, as photos at 100x zoom look poor.
Which is the best camera? The S20 Ultra is the best performer for zoom, certainly. But in normal shooting, the S20 and S20+ main camera will often be sharper and richer than the S20 Ultra’s pixel-combined 12-megapixel images. The S20 Ultra, of course, can capture more detail in 108-megapixel mode, but for most, the S20 and S20+ main camera might give better results.
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Prices
S20 Ultra: £1199, $1399.99 (at launch)
S20+: £999, $1199.99 (at launch)
S20: £799 (4G), £899 (5G), $999 (5G) (at launch)
There’s a big difference in the prices of these handsets and that’s broadly reflected in the screen size, but the core power for these phones is pretty much the same. The S20 Ultra is obviously a huge price and it might be that the Galaxy S20+ falls better into your price range for the performance and the features that it offers.
The Galaxy S20 comes in at a cheaper price because it comes as a 4G phone. The models and prices will obviously vary across regions and since launch, prices have dropped significantly, meaning these models are cheaper than the Galaxy S21 models that replaced them.
Conclusion
Samsung’s line-up of Galaxy S20 devices looks to cover all bases. The core experience of these phones will be similar – similar feel, the same software and with the same core hardware, all perform to a similar level.
All have great displays, with the Galaxy S20+ likely to be the sweet spot in terms of size and balance of features. The camera performance is variable, although the S20 Ultra has a natural advantage when it comes to zoom performance.
Ultimately, the S20 Ultra offers a huge amount, but comes at a high cost. We suspect that for those wanting a larger device, the Galaxy S20+ will be all the phone they want.
It’s worth considering, however, that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers similar performance to the Galaxy S20+, but offers better value for money, so might also be worth considering.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ vs S20 FE vs Galaxy S20+: What’s the difference?
(Pocket-lint) – It seems kinda mad that we’ve arrived here, but the Moto G is now up to number 10. It’s no surprise though: as the G series is Motorola’s most successful range and it has consistently delivered great value, simple and reliable phones.
But for 2021, the numbering and naming system has changed – the lower the number, the lower down it sits in the ranks. Therefore the G10 is the entry-level affordable phone in a series that’s long looked a bit crowded.
That causes a bit of a self-administered issue for the Moto G10, however, as it’s no longer the default choice in the range. Why? Because for a little extra money the Moto G30 also exists.
Design
Dimensions: 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.2mm / Weight: 200g
Finishes: Aurora Gray, Iridescent Pearl
Rear positioned fingerprint scanner
Glass front, ribbed plastic back
3.5mm headphone port
Single loudspeaker
microSD expansion
Moto G design has never been all that fancy or premium, which makes sense for a budget phone. Some corners need cutting to get it down to the right price. This generation Motorola has taken on something of an unusual finish with its ribbed back panel (it’s still better-looking than the G30’s odd colour choices though).
That wave pattern you see isn’t just a visual thing, it has texture too. It’s a little weird to begin with, but the texture has its merits. It definitely makes it feel less likely to slip out of your hand, and you’ll never find it randomly slipping off a surface like a completely glossy glass back might.
That’s not the only practical decision made here either. Unlike some more expensive phones, the Moto G10 is equipped with everything you could need. That means you get a 3.5mm headphone port at the top for plugging in your hands-free buds, or wired headphones.
There’s also a microSD card slot for expanding the storage. You might find that useful if you like to keep a physical copy of all your own media offline. And if you have have the 64GB phone, you may just find you fill up the internal storage quite quickly.
So what else is there? Well, you’ll find three buttons up the right side. One is the usual power button, and there’s the volume rocker switch, but then curiously there’s also an additional button which – when pressed – will launch Google Assistant. Which is fine, but we can’t imagine it’s used by most people all that much.
As for that fingerprint sensor on the back, usually we laud the appearance of physical scanners because they’re fast and reliable, but that’s not the case with this one. Most times it would take two or three goes before a successful scan, meaning it was often quicker just to type in the multi-digit PIN instead.
The G10’s front is pretty standard too, with its relatively skinny bezel up the sides and the dewdrop-style notch at the top of the display, barely cutting into the available screen real-estate. And while there’s only one loud speaker, placed on the bottom edge, the speaker grille is long enough that we didn’t find it was all that easy to completely block, meaning you can hear it whether you hold the phone in portrait or landscape.
Display
6.5-inch IPS LCD display
720 x 1600 resolution
269 pixels per inch
60Hz refresh rate
Android 11
On to that display and – as with most affordable phones – this one uses a long aspect ratio HD+ resolution panel. That means, specifically, it’s IPS LCD and has 720 x 1600 pixels spread across that 6.5-inch diagonal.
Pocket-lint
Obviously that means it’s not super sharp, but it’s adequate for daily use and won’t leave you squinting. In fact, it’s pleasant enough when inside and watching movies, gaming and browsing the web. It’s not the most vivid panel around though – its dynamic range does suffer, but that’s almost to be expected from an LCD screen on a cheap smartphone such as this.
The one place we did notice it struggle the most was outside in daylight. Trying to frame shots with the camera to shoot in sunlight was difficult. We could barely see what was on the screen, even with the brightness cranked right up.
Performance and battery
Snapdragon 460 processor, 4GB RAM
64GB or 128GB storage
5000mAh battery
If what you’re after in a phone is really solid battery life, we’re happy to report the G10 delivers that – by the bucket load. Even in a phone with a high-end flagship processor and a top-of-the-line display, a 5,000mah capacity battery would be generous. So stick it in a phone with a low power chip and only a HD resolution panel, and you get one of the longest-lasting phones on the market.
Pocket-lint
In testing we’d often get to the end of a second day and still have some juice left over, even after using it for testing the camera and playing a couple of hours of games each day. For most people we think this is a genuine two-day phone. You’ll never have to worry about it dying during the day if you’ve taken it off charge in the morning. It’s pretty epic.
Moto also takes care of battery life long-term too. It has a couple of different tools in the battery settings designed to get the most out of the battery for as long as you own the phone.
Optimised charging learns your usual charging pattern and then using that can predict when you need the battery to be fully charged. So if that is at 7am when your alarm goes off, it’ll charge all the way up to 80 percent, and hang there until it needs to charge the final 20 per cent, in time for you to wake up.
There’s also overcharge protection. So if you’re a really light user and have a habit of just leaving your phone plugged in costantly for days at a time, it will limit the charge to 80 per cent if your phone has been plugged in continuously for three days.
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Being 5,000mAh does mean charging times are a little slow, especially with the charging speeds maxing out at 10W. So it’s definitely one to plug in at night while you sleep. Thankfully, you’ll probably only have to do it once every other night.
As for general performance, this is where the G10 slips up against its slightly more expensive sibling, the G30. The Snapdragon 400 series processor inside isn’t unusable by any means, but it does feel quite slow and laggy a lot of the time. Loading web pages, or backing up photos to Google Photos, seems to take longer than it should, while animations in the general interface appear quite stuttery.
In fact, Google Photos did – on a couple of occasions – just hang and crash, and then failed to upload our photos to the cloud. On a similar note, there were a couple of occasions where a chosen game would just freeze and crash too. It wasn’t just Google Photos getting up to these shenanigans.
The G30 just seems more reliable day-to-day in that regard, which is why we’d recommend that over this phone. It’s not that the G30 is super smooth and fast all the time, it just didn’t leave us hanging as much. Still, for most tasks, the G10 is fine, if unremarkable.
Best smartphones 2021 rated: The top mobile phones available to buy today
By Chris Hall
·
Pocket-lint
As for software, that’s the usual Moto style of having an almost Google Android stock experience with a couple of added extras from Moto. That means all your default apps are Google’s, and you get fun gestures like swiping down on the fingerprint sensor to get your notifications, or a chopping motion to switch on the flashlight.
As for camera quality, the quad system is lead by a 48-megapixel primary camera, which is joined by an 8MP ultra-wide, and pair of low-resolution depth and macro sensors.
Stick to the main sensor and you’ll be mostly fine. In good daylight pictures will be sharp, colourful and feature decent depth. It’s not flagship level, naturally, but it’s good enough for social media use.
The ultra-wide is just ok. It often struggles to focus though, and often leaves colours looking unnatural, completely different to the main sensor.
The macro lens can be useful for close-ups at times, but results are not consistent, and being a low resolution sensor means details aren’t that great either.
So the G10 is yet another case of a budget phone having more cameras than it knows what to do with. Ignore the depth, macro and wide-angle and you’ve got a solid main camera – but that’s hardly selling itself to the “quad camera” standard, is it?
Verdict
The G10 might be the first entry-level Moto G we don’t unequivocally recommend as an easy purchase. There’s nothing wrong with it, per se – indeed, the battery life, software and practical design make it more than good enough for most people – but there’s the Moto G30 to consider.
Our experience with the G30 was just better, especially when it comes down to daily performance, so if you can afford the little extra then we’d recommend opting for that one.
With all that said, the Moto G10 offers great battery life, so if you don’t need anything too taxing then it’s still a decent option considering its asking price.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Moto G30
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If you have the ability to stump up a little more cash, the G30 is the more sensible choice in Moto’s new G-series range. It has a smoother overall experience and is still great value for money.
Read the review
Pocket-lint
Redmi Note 10 Pro
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Few phones at this price point are as accomplished as the Redmi Note 10 Pro. It’s more expensive than the G10, but it’s more than worth it, if you can cope with inferior software.
Dell is refreshing its 15-inch gaming notebook, the Dell G15, with a new design and refreshed specs. Today’s announcement is for China, where the laptop is available now, and will come to the rest of the world “later,” likely this year.
The company is being surprisingly coy on specs for a laptop that is actually going on sale today, albeit in a single market. What we do know is that Dell will offer three options, going up to 115W of
TDP
and Nvidia’s Ampere (RTX 3000) graphics. No specific processor details were made available. The 15.6-inch display will go up to 360 Hz, which should help in quick twitch esports, and uses low-blue light hardware, meeting German TuV standards.
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(Image credit: Dell)
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(Image credit: Dell)
The new G15 has a more aggressive, angular design that comes in four new colorways: dark shadow grey, obsidian black, “spector green with speckles” and “phantom grey with speckles,” which seem to suggest somewhat glittery exteriors. Dell missed an opportunity to call it “specktor green,” but oh well.
With that new design comes an upgraded cooling system, which Dell says came from its higher-end gaming line, Alienware. A four-zone RGB keyboard is optional and uses the same AlienFX software as its Alienware counterparts. Photos show USB Type-A ports, a drop-jaw Ethernet port, headphone jack and an HDMI output.
No prices were immediately announced, and Dell has made no suggestions as to whether the specifications coming to the rest of the world will be the same as the ones in China.
Dell has launched its new G15 gaming laptop, which will be available first in China before coming to other regions around the world. The laptop’s industrial design is all-new, though the most notable feature might be the paint job.
Yep, those are paint flecks you see in the photos. Dell says the new G15 uses “low-VOC waterborne paint for a durable and environmentally conscious design;” it’s available in colorways including Spector Green with Speckles, Phantom Grey with Speckles, Dark Shadow Grey, and Obsidian Black. Our advice: go with the speckles.
We don’t have full specs for the new G15 just yet, but it can be outfitted with Nvidia RTX 3000-series graphics and has “three performance options ranging up to 115W of TDP.” The display is a 15.6-inch panel with a refresh rate of up to 360Hz. Dell says the G15’s thermals have been improved thanks to a design based on Alienware technology, and there’s an optional 4-zone RGB keyboard that makes use of AlienFX software for customization.
The new G15 will go on sale in China today, and global availability is set to follow at some point in April. We’ve asked Dell for further details.
Modder and YouTuber “VIK-on” completed his project on modifying a Palit RTX 3070 with 16GB of video memory, doubling the card’s VRAM capacity from its original 8GB specification. In his video detailing the mod, VIK-on shows us the installation process of the memory modules, and his experiences using the card.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. We’ve previously covered VIK-on’s memory mod on an RTX 2070, where he upgrades that card from 8GB to 16GB of memory with some success. Things seem to have gone better with the 3070 this round.
Installation Process
(Image credit: YouTube)
VIK-on’s work is no easy process, so don’t expect to have a good experience duplicating his mod back at home with your own card. Especially if you lack the proper equipment.
VIK-on first takes the cooler off the RTX 3070, then applies a heat gun to the card’s VRAM modules and starts increases the temperature to the point where he can pull the modules off the card with little to no resistance.
Next, VIK-on has to change what is known as “straps” on the PCB itself. Basically, these straps are little resistors that need to be changed (re-soldered) depending on the memory module in use, whether that be an 8Gb or a 16Gb chip, or a memory chip from a specific memory maker, like Hynix, Samsung, or Micron.
Finally, he lubricates the PCB points where the VRAM will be installed, then installs the VRAM by heating up the modules when placed on the 3070’s PCB.
Like with the RTX 2070 he modified, the 3070 POSTed just fine, and GPU-Z reveals that the full-fat 16GB of memory is indeed visible and usable to the card.
(Image credit: YouTube)
Driver Problems and a Workaround
Unfortunately, VIK-on ran into what seems to be a driver limitation with the RTX 3070, as the card was very unstable in any 3D application. However, he managed to fix the issue by going into EVGA’s Precision X software and forcing the card to run at its normal frequencies and prevent it from underclocking and undervolting to save power.
Strangely enough, this fix completely resolved any crashing in 3D applications, and the card was fully operational.
Perhaps this bug is a countermeasure from Nvidia to prevent AIB partners from selling 16GB models, since that SKU technically isn’t supposed to exist. More likely, the firmware and drivers simply aren’t tuned to work properly with the different memory configuration. This proves the RTX 3070 core (GA104) can support a 16GB configuration, but this hardware hack isn’t the same as official support from Nvidia.
Hints of a Future RTX 3070 Ti?
A 16GB RTX 3070 would be an interesting configuration to see out in the wild. We’re already seeing AAA games at 4K resolutions reaching the 8GB frame buffer limit, particularly with Ray-Tracing enabled. The 16GB frame buffer could come in handy a few years down the road as games become more and more demanding.
But there’s also the cost, especially during a time where we have a massive VRAM shortage. A 16GB model could be more expensive than it’s worth for most consumers. Presumably, this is why Nvidia dunked the 16GB route and stuck with 8GB of VRAM for the RTX 3070. Rumors of a future 16GB RTX 3070 Ti persist, however, and such a card would make mods like this unnecessary.
For now, it’s cool to see a fully functioning RTX 3070 with double the VRAM. Never underestimate the power of modders.
PNY’s XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB DDR4-3200 C16 memory kit is a good partner for contemporary AMD and Intel processors that natively support DDR4-3200 memory.
For
Acceptable performance
RGB lighting doesn’t require proprietary software
Against
Too expensive
Limited overclocking potential
Nowadays, it feels like the norm that every computer hardware company has a dedicated gaming sub-brand. For PNY, that would be XLR8 Gaming that currently competes in three major hardware markets: memory, gaming graphics cards, and SSDs. In terms of memory, the XLR8 Gaming branding is still a bit wet behind the ears, but the company has started to solidify its lineups. The Epic-X RGB series, in particular, is one of XLR8 Gaming’s latest additions to its memory portfolio.
The Epic-X RGB memory modules come with a black PCB and a matching aluminum heat spreader. The design is as simple as it gets, and that’s not a bad thing. The heat spreaders feature a few diagonal lines and the XLR8 logo in the middle. An RGB lightbar is positioned on top of the memory module to provide some flair. The memory measures 47mm (1.85 inches) tall, so it might get in the way of some CPU air coolers.
PNY didn’t develop a proprietary program to control the Epic-X RGB’s lighting, which will favor users who don’t want to install another piece of software on their system. Instead, PNY is handing the responsibility over to the motherboard. Fear not, because the Epic-X RGB has all its bases covered. The memory’s illumination is compatible with Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome Sync.
The Epic-X RGB memory kit is comprised of two 8GB DDR4 memory modules. They’re built on a 10-layer PCB and feature a single-rank design. Thaiphoon Burner was unable to identify the integrated circuits (ICs) inside the Epic-X RGB. However, given the primary timings, the memory is likely using Hynix C-die chips.
Predictably, the Epic-X RGB runs at DDR4-2133 with 15-15-15-36 timings by default. There’s a single XMP profile that brings the memory up to speed. In this case, it sets the memory modules to DDR4-3200 and the timings to 16-18-18-38. At this frequency, the memory draws 1.35V. For more on timings and frequency considerations, see our PC Memory 101 feature, as well as our How to Shop for RAM story.
Comparison Hardware
Memory Kit
Part Number
Capacity
Data Rate
Primary Timings
Voltage
Warranty
Team Group T-Force Xtreem ARGB
TF10D416G3600HC14CDC01
2 x 8GB
DDR4-3600 (XMP)
14-15-15-35 (2T)
1.45 Volts
Lifetime
Gigabyte Aorus RGB Memory
GP-AR36C18S8K2HU416R
2 x 8GB
DDR4-3600 (XMP)
18-19-19-39 (2T)
1.35 Volts
Lifetime
PNY XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB
MD16GK2D4320016XRGB
2 x 8GB
DDR4-3200 (XMP)
16-18-18-38 (2T)
1.35 Volts
Lifetime
Lexar DDR4-2666
LD4AU008G-R2666U x 2
2 x 8GB
DDR4-2666
19-19-19-43 (2T)
1.20 Volts
Lifetime
Our Intel test system consists of an Intel Core i9-10900K and Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex on 0901 firmware. On the opposite side, the AMD testbed leverages an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and ASRock B550 Taichi with 1.30 firmware. The MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio handles the graphical duties on both platforms.
Intel Performance
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Predictably, the Epic-X RGB didn’t beat the faster memory kits in our RAM benchmarks. Performance was consistent, with the Epic-X kit placing third overall on the application and gaming charts.
AMD Performance
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Things didn’t change on the AMD platform, either. However, the Epic-X RGB did earn some merits since the memory kit was the fastest in the Cinebench R20 and HandBrake x264 conversion tests. The margin of victory was slim, though, at less than 1%.
The Epic-X RGB isn’t the best overclocker that we’ve had in the labs. Nevertheless, we squeezed an extra 400 MHz out of the kit. We could hit DDR4-3600 at 1.45V after we relaxed the timings to 20-20-20-40.
Lowest Stable Timings
Memory Kit
DDR4-2666 (1.45V)
DDR4-3200 (1.45V)
DDR4-3600 (1.45V)
DDR4-3900 (1.45V)
DDR4-4200 (1.45V)
Team Group T-Force Xtreem ARGB
N/A
N/A
13-14-14-35 (2T)
N/A
19-19-19-39 (2T)
Gigabyte Aorus RGB Memory
N/A
N/A
16-19-19-39 (2T)
20-20-20-40 (2T)
N/A
PNY XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB
N/A
15-18-18-38 (2T)
20-20-20-40 (2T)
N/A
N/A
Lexar DDR4-2666
16-21-21-41 (2T)
N/A
N/A
17-22-22-42 (2T)
N/A
Sadly, we didn’t have the same level of luck optimizing the Epic-X RGB at DDR4-3200. Even with a 1.45V DRAM voltage, we could only get the CAS Latency down from 15 to 16 clocks. The other timings wouldn’t yield.
Bottom Line
In this day and age, enthusiasts are pursuing faster and faster memory kits. However, there’s always space for a standard memory kit, and the XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB DDR4-3200 C16 kit could very well find its place with users that want to stick to a processor’s official supported memory frequency. Today’s modern processors, such as AMD’s Zen 2 and Zen 3 processors and Intel’s looming Rocket Lake processors, support DDR4-3200 memory right out of the box. The XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB DDR4-3200 C16 would fit nicely in this situation since you can just enable XMP and never look back.
The XLR8 Gaming Epic-X RGB DDR4-3200 C16 only has a tiny flaw, and that’s pricing. The memory kit retails for $94.99 when the typical DDR4-3200 C16 kit starts at $74.99. Even the faster DDR4-3600 C18 memory kits sell for as low as $79.99. In PNY’s defense, the Epic-X RGB memory modules do look nice with the RGB lighting and whatnot, so we can probably chalk the extra cost up to the RGB tax.
Researchers from machine learning lab OpenAI have discovered that their state-of-the-art computer vision system can be defeated by tools no more sophisticated than a pen and a pad. As illustrated in the image above, simply writing down the name of an object and sticking it on another can be enough to trick the software into misidentifying what it sees.
“We refer to these attacks as typographicattacks,” write OpenAI’s researchers in a blog post. “By exploiting the model’s ability to read text robustly, we find that even photographs of hand-written text can often fool the model.” They note that such attacks are similar to “adversarial images” that can fool commercial machine vision systems, but far simpler to produce.
Adversarial images present a real danger for systems that rely on machine vision. Researchers have shown, for example, that they can trick the software in Tesla’s self-driving cars to change lanes without warning simply by placing certain stickers on the road. Such attacks are a serious threat for a variety of AI applications, from the medical to the military.
But the danger posed by this specific attack is, at least for now, nothing to worry about. The OpenAI software in question is an experimental system named CLIP that isn’t deployed in any commercial product. Indeed, the very nature of CLIP’s unusual machine learning architecture created the weakness that enables this attack to succeed.
“Multimodal neurons” in CLIP respond to photos of an object as well as sketches and text. Image: OpenAI
CLIP is intended to explore how AI systems might learn to identify objects without close supervision by training on huge databases of image and text pairs. In this case, OpenAI used some 400 million image-text pairs scraped from the internet to train CLIP, which was unveiled in January.
This month, OpenAI researchers published a new paper describing how they’d opened up CLIP to see how it performs. They discovered what they’re calling “multimodal neurons” — individual components in the machine learning network that respond not only to images of objects but also the associated text. One of the reasons this is exciting is that it seems to mirror how the human brain reacts to stimuli, where single brain cells have been observed responding to abstract concepts rather than specific examples. OpenAI’s research suggests it may be possible for AI systems to internalize such knowledge the same way humans do.
In the future, this could lead to more sophisticated vision systems, but right now, such approaches are in their infancy. While any human being can tell you the difference between an apple and a piece of paper with the word “apple” written on it, software like CLIP can’t. The same ability that allows the program to link words and images at an abstract level creates this unique weakness, which OpenAI describes as the “fallacy of abstraction.”
Another example of a typographic attack. Do not trust the AI to put your money in the piggy bank. Image: OpenAI
Another example given by the lab is the neuron in CLIP that identifies piggy banks. This component not only responds to pictures of piggy banks but strings of dollar signs, too. As in the example above, that means you can fool CLIP into identifying a chainsaw as a piggy bank if you overlay it with “$$$” strings, as if it were half-price at your local hardware store.
The researchers also found that CLIP’s multimodal neurons encoded exactly the sort of biases you might expect to find when sourcing your data from the internet. They note that the neuron for “Middle East” is also associated with terrorism and discovered “a neuron that fires for both dark-skinned people and gorillas.” This replicates an infamous error in Google’s image recognition system, which tagged Black people as gorillas. It’s yet another example of just how different machine intelligence is to that of humans’ — and why pulling apart the former to understand how it works is necessary before we trust our lives to AI.
Tesla is expanding its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) beta, CEO Elon Musk said, doubling its size with a new software update, and eventually increasing the number of participants tenfold.
“Still be careful, but it’s getting mature,” Musk tweeted Friday. He said Saturday that Tesla would add a “download beta” button to Tesla displays in the coming days “due to high levels of demand.”
Tesla first introduced the FSD beta in October to vehicle owners in its Early Access Program. At the time, Musk said the company was handling the software update “very cautiously.” Drivers still are expected to keep their hands on the steering wheel and should be prepared to assume control of their Tesla at any time. Tesla uses the data from the FSB beta to improve performance, and according to Electrek.Musk said last month there were about 1,000 vehicles in the beta.
Musk noted that in Tesla’s case, the term “beta is used to reduce complacency in usage and set expectations appropriately. All software is first tested by Tesla simulation and QA drive teams.”
He added that availability of the FSD beta will vary by region, due to what he called regulatory approval delays and Tesla’s own internal development and testing. Tesla’s director of AI tweeted Saturday that Tesla owners interested in participating in the beta should email earlyaccess@tesla.com, which he says the company is using to coordinate the program
Now with RGB, the QuadCast S is great in all the same ways the original model was but with flashing lights. If that’s essential for your streaming setup aesthetic that’s great news. For everyone else, the sound quality and polar options are the big pull.
For
+ Very useful shock mount
+ Superior build quality
+ Sounds as good as similarly priced competitors
+ Four polar patterns
Against
– Not much different from original QuadCast
– Software needed to turn RGB off
– Not quite a studio mic
In the upper echelons of streamer mic, it seems, there are two ways to play it. The first is to emulate the look and feature set of analog recording mics as closely as possible and rely on the convenience of that USB input as a selling point. The Beyerdynamic’s Fox is the gold standard for this approach, for example. The second approach is to go all-in on the gamer appeal. Guess which approach the HyperX QuadCast S ($160 as of writing) opts for?
It only takes the time for the power to make its way along the USB cable and up to that huge RGB lighting zone to figure that one out. This refresh of the existing HyperX QuadCast, which had been one of the best gaming microphones, is meant to give the likes of Razer’s Seiren Emote a run for its money on pure streamer setup aesthetic appeal. But if you look beyond all the flashing color there’s actually plenty here in common with more studious studio mics too. A lot of it inherited from the original Quadcast, we hasten to add. Don’t lose sleep if you bought the original just before this S variant came out. You’re not missing out on anything other than potential migraines; the specs are nearly identical.
If you weren’t already a QuadCast owner though and are looking for a serious USB mic, there’s a lot to like in the QuadCast S.
The QuadCast S is far from a drastic redesign of the original QuadCast, but there are differences. Small ones. The elasticated cord around the QuadCast S’ shock mount is now gray instead of the original red, for example, and the USB input connection is now USB Type-C instead of USB Type-A. We did say they were small differences.
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Otherwise, you’re looking at the same unit. You get a large capsule housing three separate diaphragms to offer four polar patterns and a dial to switch between them at the back, a headphone monitoring input below that, a touch-sensitive mute at the top and a smooth and satisfying gain control dial at the base of the mic.
We’ll tackle the different patterns and the sounds they create below in the sound quality section, but let’s cover those other design features. The QuadCast S’ headphone monitoring is clear and doesn’t run too hot for higher gain settings, so there’s very little breakup until you start shouting or getting close to the capsule.
As with the QuadCast and HyperX SoloCast, the QuadCast S’ mute touch button is a nice design that alleviates that audible popping sound you sometimes get from depressing a physical mute switch on other mics. Meanwhile, the mute button’s lighting leaves you in no uncertainty as to whether you’re muted or not.
The gain control feels really well built, but its travel considerably exceeds the visual indicators on each side. So unless you like your output set at between 30%-70%, you won’t be able to get a visual on your preferred setting.
Sound Quality
The QuadCast S is a refresh of an existing mic, so you know what’s coming: The sound characteristics are unchanged, as far as these ears can discern.
And they didn’t need to change. Boasting four polar patterns and three separate mic membranes was something of a party trick for the original QuadCast, so much so that it obviously informed the product name. And while the Blue Yeti X can tick those same polar pattern boxes, there was a gulf in sound quality between the two. So it goes with the QuadCast S we’re reviewing.
There are a couple of provisos, though. Our first is that the QuadCast S comes frustratingly close to being a good low-budget studio mic with all those polar patterns, but since it’s limited to 48K Hz/16-bit recording, it doesn’t quite spread its wings and get there. 48KHz/16-bit is ample for a streamer mic’s intended usage, of course, where the audio will either be heavily compressed at the source or by the platform. But if you have a stereo / omnidirectional / cardioid / bidirectional mic available to you, perhaps you’d be tempted to use it for some home recording and music production. In those situations, it’s nice — not essential, but nice — to have a higher sample rate and bitrate to play with.
Today’s high-end streamer mics all exist within a very narrow gamut with ready-to-go-audio, and the QuadCast S fits the profile. Like Razer, Elgato and cheaper Blue models, there’s definitely a slightly scooped EQ hat boosts low mids, suppresses mids and accentuates high-end frequencies for clarity of speech. That means your recordings sound professional, rather than natural; the mic is doing a bit of EQ and compression for you.
Blue’s Yeti X still offers the happiest compromise between natural and broadcast-ready to our ears compared to the QuadCast S and other high-end mics, but these are fine margins between models we’re talking about.
Features and Software
You know the drill by now with RGB devices. Cometh the lights, cometh the accompanying software app. In this case, it’s HyperX’s NGenuity software that acts as a gateway to customizing the QuadCast S’ two lighting zones (top and bottom), colors and behavior, and it makes doing so pretty simple.
There’s not much tweaking to be had on the audio side though. Gain, mic monitoring and headphone volume are controllable via software, but there are no EQ presets or noise cancellation options. Small footprint software is a plus for some people, of course, but if you were looking to sculpt the mic’s sound without going into a DAW and applying plugins, you should look elsewhere.
For anyone resistant to installing yet another peripheral manufacturer’s app onto their C:/ (this reviewer included), it’s worth noting that customizing RGB behavior is just about the only thing you can’t do without NGenuity installed. You can do everything else, from muting to choosing polar patterns, with physical dials on the unit. That may sound like a given, but with some budget mics, like the Razer Seiren Mini, jettisoning all physical controls, perhaps it’s worth stating explicitly. That leaves the physical unit much more feature-rich than the software, which does its best to act useful when you load it up. But when part of the screen’s devoted to showing you which settings you’ve already selected using physical controls, (such as the polar pattern), you get a clear sense that this isn’t essential software.
Bottom Line
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The HyperX QuadCast S brings a gamer-fied aesthetic to the already great mix available in the HyperX QuadCast, with flexibility and out-of-the-box sound quality. There’s not much to complain about, but if you have the standard QuadCast there’s not much to get excited about either.
If you’re specifically drawn to the QuadcCast S for its four polar patterns and the potential for home recording, consider an analog XLR mic or the Beyerdynamic Fox for its higher sample and bitrate.
If you’re happy to keep things CD-quality when you’re recording however, the QuadCast S will see you right.
If you’ve ever needed remote access to a PC, you’ve probably tried VPN or other apps such as TeamViewer. However, this kind of software only works within the remote computer’s OS, which means that it can’t access the BIOS, reboot, install an operating system or power on the computer. There are several solutions that allow you to remote control a PC independently of its operating system, but using a KVM over IP is one of the most convenient and affordable.
While a store-bought KVM over IP device can cost hundreds of dollars, it’s easy to use a Raspberry Pi to create your own. A developer named Maxim Devaev designed his own system called Pi-KVM, which he is planning to sell as a $130 kit. However, if you have the right parts, you can use the software he’s developed and your Pi, to put it together for far less.
Below, we’ll show you how to build your own Raspberry Pi-powered KVM over IP that can output full HD video, control GPIO ports and USB relays, configure server power using ATX functions and more. You’ll be able to control the whole setup via a web browser from another device over the internet via TailScale VPN or on your local network.
Pi-KVM prototype v3 without case (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
What You Need to Build a KVM Over IP with Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi Zero
16 GB or larger microSD Card. (See best microSD cards for Raspberry Pi)
HDMI-to-CSI bridge like this one or or USB HDMI capture dongle. (https://amzn.to/2ZO9tjo
USB female to dual male Type-A splitter like this one.
USB C to Type-A cable
5V, 3 amp power supply with USB Type-A output. You’ll be plugging a type-A cable into it so the official Raspberry Pi power supply won’t do.
Setting Up the SD Card for Raspberry Pi KVM Over IP
The software you need for the Raspberry Pi is all contained on a custom disk image that you must download and burn to a microSD card. Here’s how to do that with Raspberry Pi Imager, but you can also use other burning software such as balenaEtcher.
1. Download the Pi-KVM disk image. The first thing we will need is to download the ready made image from pikvm.org. Note that there are different versions, depending on which Pi you use and whether you use the HDMI-to-CSI bridge or an HDMI-to-USB capture dongle. The image file is in BZ2 format so you’ll need to uncompress it.
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2. Extract the IMG file from the BZ2 file you downloaded. If you have Windows, BZ2 support isn’t built-in, but you can use 7Zip to do it.
3. Launch Raspberry Pi Imager. If you don’t have it installed already, you can download it from the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s website.
4. Select “Choose OS” -> “Use Custom” and locate the Pi-KVM image.Pick your microSD card by clicking Choose SD Card. We will now “Choose SD Card”, make sure it’s the correct one you are choosing.
5. Click Write.
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Setting Up the Raspberry Pi for KVM Over IP
Now that we have finished burning the microSD Card, we can move on to installing the HDMI-to-CSI-2 bridge or USB-to-HDMI dongle and prepping the OTG USB-c cable
1. Connect the CSI ribbon cable from the HDMI-to-CSI-2 bridge to the Raspberry Pi’s CSI camera port. Make sure that the blue marking faces the black clamp. If you are using an HDMI-to-USB dongle instead, connect it to a USB port on your Pi. If you are using a Pi Zero, you will need microUSB to USB Type-A hub.
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2. Disable the 5V pin on one of the USB Type-A male connectors from your splitter. The easiest way to do this is to place a small piece of Kapton tape over the right-most pin on the connector. You could also try cutting that leads to that pin, but that’s more complicated.
This will be the connector that attaches to a USB port on the PC you wish to control. If you don’t disable that 5V pin, it will back feed the power from your wall power to the PC, possibly causing damage to its USB port.
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3. Connect the USB C-to-A cable to the Type-A female connector on the splitter. This will provide power to the Pi. Your cables should look like the picture below.
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4. Connect the USB-C cable to the Raspberry Pi 4’s USB-C port.
5. Connect the unmodified Type-A male to your power supply.
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6. Attach the USB Type-A connector and HDMI to the PC you wish to remote control.
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7. Insert the microSD card we created and power on the Raspberry Pi.
Setting Up the Pi-KVM Software
At this point we are ready to start using the Pi-KVM. On first boot it will take longer then expected due to the initial process for enlarging the microSD card so be patient and it will boot.
1. Locate your Raspberry Pi’s IP address. You can do this looking through your router’s control panel to see what devices are logged on, or by using a little method I like to do called ARP.
To find the Pi’s IP using this method, launch Windows PowerShell, run the command “arp -a” and you’ll see a list of devices on your local network. Anything that begins with b8:27:eb: or dc:a6:32: is a Raspberry Pi.
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2. Navigate to the Pi’s IP address in a browser on your client computer (the one you are using to control the other PC). You will be redirected you to your login page.
3. Log in. The default username is admin and the password is admin also.
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4. Click the KVM icon.
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You should now be presented with a screen like the one shown below, providing you with access to the remote PC and a number of other menus. . I have more options then others and you can unlock them by going to the pikvm github for more instructions.
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Keep in mind that the more storage you have on your sd card the more ISO images you can store and use for future PC setups.
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With the proper GPIO hook ups you can also enable the use of ATX controls
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To expand the functionally of the PI-KVM to allow for more display inputs, you can connect it to an HDMI 4 port switch with USB control.
Pi-KVM Prototype V3 without case and KVM 4 port switch (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Updating Pi-KVM to the Latest Version
Pi-KVM is always getting new features so it’s important to keep the software up to date. Fortunately, you don’t need to reflash the microSD card. To update:
1. Click the Terminal icon on Pi-KVM’s main menu. A CLI shell will appear.
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2. Become a super user by typing “su” and then entering “root” as the password.
3. Type “rw” to make the file system read/write.
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4. Enter “pacman -Syu” and “Y” to get updates.
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Reminder: set the file system back to ReadOnly with “ro” in the command line when done.
Access Pi-KVM Over the Internet
You can use Tailscale to access Pi-KVM over the internet. This is a convenient and free (for private use) tool for organizing a small VPN network.
1. Create a Tailscale account choosing the Solo Plan will be free for personal use only
2. Click the Terminal icon on Pi-KVM’s main menu.
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3. Become a super user by typing “su” and then entering “root” as the password.
4. Type “rw” to make the file system read/write.
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5. Type “pacman -S tailscale-pikvm” to install tailscale VPN service on PI-KVM.
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6. Type “reboot” to perform a soft reboot on the Pi-KVM
7. After the reboot has been performed we will need to gain access to the terminal again so follow steps 1-4
8. Type “systemctl enable –now tailscaled” to enable to service
9. Type “tailscale up” to start the initiation process
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10. Follow the Link to authorize this installation
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11. Once connected successfully you will see “Success” appear on the terminal.
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12. Navigate to this URLhttps://login.tailscale.com/admin/machines to view the IP address assigned by tailscale VPN.
On the Client Side
This will show you how to install tailscale on the workstation side. Tailscale supports most operating systems including windows, mac, and linux.
1. Download tailscale for your OS from https://tailscale.com/download
2. Navigate to this URLhttps://login.tailscale.com/admin/machines to view the IP address assigned by tailscale VPN.
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3. Navigating to the IP address given by tailscale on your browser. It will connect you to your PI-KVM
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This is a very affordable way to build a very modern, very fast KVM over IP without the high cost. This software is also provided to you for free. There are more features that I have not covered in this tutorial such as VPN, Sharing network from your PI to PC, VNC and many more and if you wish to learn about it, visit the Pi-KVM github page or join the Discord.
(Pocket-lint) – Many have accepted that heart rate monitoring is part of their workout routine. With heart rate sensors now common on sports devices, we’ve come a long way from the dark days when such monitors were expensive devices exclusive to the sporting elite.
So with such wide availability of the hardware, is there a demand for something as simple as the Polar’s dedicated heart rate monitor, the Verity Sense?
Design and build
30 x 30 x 9.6mm, 5g
50m water resistance
The Polar Verity Sense is basically just the optical sensor, battery and connectivity hardware you might find in a sports watch, but in a neat button, measuring 30mm in diameter and just under 1cm thick.
The idea is that you can wear the sensor rather than having to wear a watch, or as an alternative to wearing a chest strap – which for many years was the mainstay of heart rate sensors. The Verity Sense is Polar’s second-gen device, improving on the OH1 in many ways.
Pocket-lint
The Verity Sense offers 50m water protection, designed for protection against swimming, so it’s more than happy to be sweated into too. That’s what it’s for – it’s a sports device you wear next to the skin, which means you’re going to be sweating into it a lot.
There’s a single button on one side to power on and off, and switch through the three different modes that it supports. On the opposite side is a coloured LED which will visually display the mode you’re in – blue when connected to another device, green when storing its own data, white when in swimming mode.
Wear and comfort
Strap and clip included
Goggle clip for swimmers
The Verity Sense is designed to be worn against the skin, clipping into a holder on an elasticated band which will keep it in place. This can be adjusted to fit, so will suit various sizes, designed to be worn on the fore or upper arm.
Best fitness trackers 2021: Top activity bands to buy today
By Britta O’Boyle
·
· Updated
Our guide to the top fitness trackers available, helping you count steps, track calories, monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns and more.
Polar advises against wearing on it the wrist like a watch. Given the size of the strap, we think most people would struggle to wear it securely in that position anyway.
Pocket-lint
You basically wear it like a band and we found it easy just to slide it up the arm to a position where it was tight enough to stay in position, but not so tight that it’s uncomfortable. Having been cycling, running, and done plyometric exercises wearing the Verity Sense, we’ve found it stayed in place without a problem.
In that sense, it’s comfortable, more convenient and, for many people, more accessible than a chest strap. We only found ourselves adjusting it on a ride going over 2 hours and then you can move it down your arm a little, or tweak the strap a little to make it looser, if your arms have expanded slightly over the course of the activity you’re doing. The slider on the strap is easy to nudge a little to make it slightly looser on the move.
Being low profile also has a distinct advantage: you can fit the Verity Sense under long-sleeve tops easily. Even when wearing it under tight bike kit or compression gear, we didn’t find it a problem. Having fought with chunky sports watches under tight sleeves, it’s a welcome change – although wearing a chest strap under tight gear has never been a problem either.
Pocket-lint
It can, however, function just about anywhere that it can stay in contact with the skin – indeed a clip is supplied so you can wear it on your goggle strap when swimming, to get your pulse from your temple. We haven’t had the chance to test this in the pool, because the pools are closed at the time of writing, but we’ve worn it to check that it would get a reading through a layer of hair and it seems to work reliably.
Functions and connections
Three recording modes
Bluetooth and ANT+
Polar Flow app
Supporting Bluetooth and ANT+ means that the Verity Sense is compatible with a wide range of devices. Bluetooth is commonplace, allowing you to connect to your phone, laptop, or smart trainer like the Wahoo Kickr, and a whole lot more.
ANT+ is widely supported in sports devices, allowing connection to Peloton, Garmin Edge bike computers, and more.
Having both available means connections are a breeze, so you can setup whichever devices you want to benefit from Polar’s data. We found that connecting to the Hammerhead Karoo 2 was as straightforward as connecting any other sensor.
Pocket-lint
The Verity Sense will also support two simultaneous Bluetooth connections, so you can have it connected to different devices if you want to record and monitor heart rate on two different platforms at the same time.
There’s also the option to disable ANT+ if you never use it via the Polar Flow app – which is another aspect of this device. It’s managed via Polar’s app, so will need to connect to your phone for firmware updates or to download data you choose to save to the internal memory.
There are three modes of use. The first is as a heart rate sensor for another device. As described above, this will let Verity Sense supply live data via Bluetooth or ANT+ to be recorded or displayed elsewhere.
That might be using it with Apple Health or Strava to record a manual activity, with an indoor bike trainer or treadmill, or with bike computers to get a more complete set of data on your rides.
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When used as a sensor, you don’t have to use Polar’s apps at all. The only time you’d need to use Polar’s apps are when using the other functions that it offers.
The second mode is to have the Verity Sense record the data itself. In this mode, as soon as you switch this mode on it will log the heart rate data to its internal storage, up until you turn it off.
It will hold up to 600 hours of data and you’ll have to sync to Polar Flow to extract the data, where you can then examine it. Bear in mind that it will be recording the whole time the device is on (with the green light showing), so that may well include all those breaks, any delay before you start, and so on.
This mode means you don’t need a phone or any other device nearby for that activity – and if you’re doing something where you don’t want to wear a watch, it’s especially useful. We’ve used it for workouts and it’s a useful feature, even if you can’t immediately figure out how you might apply it to your own exercise routine.
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Finally there’s the swimming option. This gives additional support, using the internal sensors to detect turns in the pool. You’ll have to set the length of the pool in Polar Flow, but then you’ll get a readout of pace, distance and your heart rate for your swim.
Performance and battery life
20 hours battery life
What’s perhaps surprising about Polar’s optical heart rate sensor in the Verity Sense is that we’ve found it to behave itself better than some of Polar’s other devices, like the Vantage V, which was a little temperamental when we reviewed it.
That’s a good starting point for the Verity Sense, in that it acquires your heart rate quickly and sticks to it, avoiding some of the warm-up lag that sometimes plagues optical heart rate sensors. But it’s an accurate sensor too.
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Comparing with a Garmin chest strap and a Garmin Fenix 6, we’re getting averages within a beat of those devices, hitting the same highs, seeing the same recovery drops when pausing at traffic lights or coasting downhill and so on.
What can send things out of sync slightly is the inability to control the activity time. As we said above, when using it to save data internally, it starts once the mode is set, and stops when you turn it off. (A little secret here – it doesn’t actually turn “off” it just stops measuring heart rate, because it will still sync with your phone once all the lights are off.)
The result is that, used as a standalone device, you will probably end up sandwiching your workout with non-exercise activity, which can pull the exercise average down. What’s perhaps more important to consider when used like this are the times spent in different zones – and Polar’s software will show you that sort of breakdown.
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The good performance is backed up by solid battery life too. There’s a lot less demand on this type of device than there is on a watch – but 20 hours of recording is good going. That’s going to cover most people for most activities for a couple of weeks, if not longer.
Charging takes place via USB, by slipping the sensor into the supplied adaptor, so it’s nice and easy.
Verdict
For those who always monitor their activities with a phone – running with it, for example – the Polar Verity Sense is a way to easily add heart rate data to get a lot more information on what your body is doing. That might equally apply to anyone who doesn’t want to wear a watch, or can’t because you’re wearing gloves or something else around your wrists.
There’s immediate appeal for cyclists. With most bike computers supporting additional sensors, adding heart rate without a chest strap – and more affordably – makes the Polar Verity Sense a no brainer. That equally applies for indoor training too, something that’s seen a huge boom.
For many, the Polar Verity Sense is cheap enough to buy as an accessory for those times that you want to use it, even if you have another watch that will offer you heart rate monitoring, just because it is great to have the choice of a dedicated sensor in some situations.
Also consider
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Polar H10
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Polar has a chest strap of its own, offering great performance and comfort. It supports ANT+ and multiple Bluetooth streams as well as standalone tracking mode.
Wahoo
Wahoo Tickr Fit
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Wahoo’s collection also includes a band-type optical heart-rate tracker, offering Bluetooth and ANT+ to easily get heart rate data into other devices.
Last month, The Verge broke news of Mark Cuban and Falon Fatemi’s new app Fireside, which promises to deliver a “next-gen podcast platform,” and today, we can provide a better sense of the app’s functionality and interface. It’s currently in beta on iOS with a limited number of testers, most of whom appear to work in venture capital or as podcasters. However, their chats are visible to anyone, even non-users, through a browser, and from this desktop view, as well as screenshots of the app that The Verge has viewed, we can get a sense of what Fireside is trying to achieve.
Broadly, the app is best described as a hybrid between Spotify’s Anchor software and Clubhouse. Although it prioritizes live conversation, like Clubhouse, it tries to make off-the-cuff conversations sound more professional. Intro music welcomes people into a room, for example, which is a nice touch, but it doesn’t exactly translate like it does during an edited podcast. The music, for now, sounds disjointed and out of place.
The broad emphasis, at least based on the conversations happening in the app, appears to be on how Fireside can help podcasters monetize their work through exclusive conversations or, in some cases, recruit them to Fireside for all of their podcasting efforts. The app encourages audience participation more than Clubhouse, in that users can react to conversations without being onstage, and they can type comments or questions.
Creators on the app say they’ve heard that the app will allow them to host their shows and distribute them through RSS feeds to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast players, too, which is more aligned with Anchor than Clubhouse. One creator in a chat says they plan to use Fireside for hosting instead of their usual service.
Looking at the desktop view, users’ profiles include a photo, bio, and follower / following count. You can also view the rooms that user has hosted, as well as the ones they’ve participated in. The app natively records conversations, so you can listen to these past chats from the desktop. The app seemingly assigns an emoji to the archived chats, although it’s unclear how they’re chosen.
After you tap into a chat, you can press play on a conversation. You’ll likely immediately notice hold-like music at the start, which comes from a Fireside bot called waitBOT. The bot says it plays “soothing music for you while you wait for people to join.” You can also see the description of the event as a chyron along the bottom of the screen, as well as info, like how many people listened in and who hosted it.
A “jump” button allows you to skip to highlighted parts of the conversation, which the host chooses. As speakers change throughout the conversation, you’ll see their profile picture and name. Speakers with a gavel are moderators, while speakers with a crown are the hosts. Moderators and hosts can automatically mute people and welcome people to the stage.
Tuning into a live chat from the desktop is a little less thorough than the recorded conversations. You can only view icons and names, as well as the number of people listening. When someone’s microphone is on, their photo is fully opaque, and when they’re muted, it’s transparent.
From the app itself, which The Verge has seen in screenshots, users can “react” to conversations with emoji and sound effects. People can clap, for example, which shows up in the recorded conversations and solves for a problem Clubhouse users have run into: a silent room and no way to gauge how what they’re saying is going over.
Audience members can also choose an emoji and type a comment without jumping into a conversation directly. These comments and emoji will show up over participants’ heads as a thought bubble. Moderators or hosts can then type back or address comments during the chat.
If participants do want to join the live chat, they can request to join the stage by tapping a microphone emoji and submitting a written request.
A view of a live Fireside chat.
For now, this is our best view of Fireside. Fatemi declined to comment for this story, and we don’t have a better sense of when the app might launch publicly. We’ll update this story if we learn more.
Using a password manager is one of the best steps you can take to protect your security online. A good password manager makes it easy to generate unique, strong passwords, and it will then securely save them so they’re available wherever you need them, whether that’s on your phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer. Basically, they take 90 percent of the work out of being safe online.
Hopefully, at this point everyone knows why it’s important to use a unique password for all of your accounts online. But the short version is that using one password everywhere means that if just one site you use gets hacked, an attacker potentially has the password that unlocks your entire online life. Breaches still matter if you use a password manager, but at that point it’s a case of resetting just one password rather than dozens.
Although different password managers have different selling points, most offer the same core set of features. They generate passwords which they securely store, and they’ll prompt you to save passwords when you use them on websites. They’ll also sync your passwords across devices and autofill them into websites and apps when required.
There are many good password managers available that charge a monthly fee, but for this guide we’re going to be focusing on free services. All of them have paid subscription tiers, but for most, the free tier offers the essential core features of a password manager.
Our pick for the best for most people is Bitwarden.
The best for most people: Bitwarden
Bitwarden has basically everything you could want out of a password manager. It’s available across iOS and Android; it has native desktop applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux; and it also integrates with every major browser including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Bitwarden’s security has also been audited by a third-party security company, and although it uses the cloud to sync your passwords between devices, it says it stores them in an encrypted form that only you can unlock. You also have the option of protecting your Bitwarden account with two-factor authentication to provide an extra layer of security.
Importing our passwords was easy, and Bitwarden has guides for many popular password managers in its support pages. It supports biometric security on iOS and Android, and all of its software is nicely designed and easy to use.
Bitwarden does have paid tiers, but we think most people will be able to do without most of the features they offer. Paying gets you access to encrypted file attachments, more second-factor security options, and reports on the overall security of the passwords you have in use. But even on the free tier, you can perform checks to see if individual passwords have been leaked in a password breach. Paying also gets you access to a built-in one-time code generator for two-factor authentication, but it’s easy and arguably more secure to use a separate app for this.
Verge Score: 9
Good stuff: Well-designed apps and browser extensions; third-party security audit
Bad stuff: No bulk exposed password report with free tier; desktop prompt to save passwords a little small
Bitwarden
Runner-up
As part of our research, we also tried a variety of other password managers. Of these, Zoho Vault is another feature-packed free option, but its interface isn’t as good as Bitwarden’s.
Zoho Vault
Image: Zoho
Zoho Vault’s iOS and Android apps are nice enough, but its browser extension is a little clunky and buries useful features like its password generator behind one too many sub menus. It’s also unclear if the software has gone through a third-party security audit; the company didn’t respond to our query in time for publication.
Verge Score: 7.5
Good stuff: Cleanly designed apps; reports on strength of passwords
Bad stuff: Clunky browser extension; no native desktop apps
Zoho Vault
Also-rans
There were two other free password managers we felt weren’t up to Bitwarden and Zoho Vault’s standards. Norton Password Manager has the advantage of coming from a well-known cybersecurity company. But we found the way it attempts to simplify its setup process actually makes things more confusing, and Norton’s support pages didn’t do a great job at helping us work out where we’d gone wrong. Norton didn’t respond to our email asking whether the software has gone through a third-party security audit.
We also gave LogMeOnce a try, but we weren’t reassured by the presence of ads in its smartphone app. It also asked for many more permissions than the other password managers we tried. The company says this is necessary to enable its Mugshot feature, which attempts to give you information about unauthorized attempts to access your account, which is an optional feature. The company says it regularly hires third-party security researchers to test its products.
Until recently, LastPass would have been included as a free password manager, but it’s making some changes to its free tier on March 16th that mean it will be much less usable as a free password manager. After that date, free users will be able to view and manage passwords on just a single category of devices: mobile or computer. “Mobile” subscribers will have access to phones, tablets, and smartwatches, while “Computer” subscribers will be able to use the service across PCs, Macs, and browser extensions. Given how most people switch between these two classes of devices on a daily basis, we think this will severely limit how useful LastPass’ free tier will be for most people.
Our focus on simplicity also means we’ve excluded KeePass, a password manager that relies on third-party apps on non-Windows platforms. In addition, if you want to sync your passwords between devices, you have to use a third-party storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
Beyond the free options, there’s a huge array of paid password managers out there. Some of these have free tiers, but they’re so restrictive that they’re effectively not usable as a day-to-day password manager. 1Password is perhaps the most well-known paid option, but others include NordPass, RememBear, Passwarden, Dashlane, RoboForm, and Enpass, all of which limit their free versions in ways that we think make them unsuitable for long-term use.
Finally, most modern internet browsers offer built-in password management features, but we think it’s worth taking the time to store your passwords in a standalone service. It gives you more flexibility to switch platforms and browsers in the future, and password managers also generally have interfaces that are better suited to the task of storing passwords. To make things simpler for yourself, you might want to turn off the built-in password manager in your browser once you’ve picked a standalone version to use, so you don’t run the risk of having passwords stored in two places at once.
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