Microsoft designer shares Windows 11 "dynamic wallpaper" designs that never were

Why Microsoft, why?! In context:Nearly every major operating system comes with sleek live wallpapers. iOS has them, Android does too, and so does macOS. On Behance, you might now explore the dynamic desktop backgrounds Microsoft had been experimenting with. This elegant approach could have brought a refreshing new look to the otherwise static Windows desktop. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. “Have they already been scrapped?” So, what went wrong?...

January 3, 2025 · 1 min · 105 words · Mrs. Penny Jones

MSI reveals 600Hz gaming monitor, Koorui one-ups with 750Hz model

Remember when 60Hz was considered cutting-edge? Something to look forward to:Are gaming monitor refresh rates becoming too high? MSI doesn’t seem to think so. The company has just announced a new product that can reach an incredible 600Hz. But in a “hold my beer” moment, Koorui says its monitor has a 750Hz refresh rate. Joining the long list of products being announced ahead of CES is MSI’s MPG 242R X60N....

January 3, 2025 · 1 min · 154 words · Rachel Martinez

Nvidia's nostalgic giveaway offers fans legendary GPUs signed by Jensen Huang

Nvidia plans to reveal one GPU per day in the lead-up to Jensen Huang’s CES opening keynote. The timing of this promotion is no accident. Ultimately, it set a new standard for graphics processing, influencing the development of subsequent GPUs. What truly set the GTX 1080 Ti apart, though, was its price-to-performance ratio. Retailed for $699, it offered Titan X-level performance for nearly half the cost. Featured on TechSpot

January 3, 2025 · 1 min · 69 words · Melissa Martinez

Sip and shoot: Tea brand unveils Bluetooth gaming mug with integrated trigger and motion sensors

It should (hopefully) work just as well for energy drinks and coffee WTF? The gadget has a clever solution: it integrates mobile gaming controls right into the mug itself. First off, let’s talk about the aesthetics. Wouldn’t the jolting movements splash the burning-hot liquid all over? The promo materials show dramatic slow-motion clips of the mug rotating. It’s not easy to get your hands on this gadget, though. Featured on TechSpot

January 3, 2025 · 1 min · 71 words · Victoria Wang

Steam survey highlights AMD's amazing year – Ryzen CPUs now comprise 40% of participants

Team Red reaches a record high In a nutshell:December’s Steam survey results have arrived. The most obvious takeaway from December? 2024 really was AMD’s year at least when it came to CPUs. Starting with the processors category, December saw AMD reach another record-high share among participants ofValve’s survey. The instabilityissuesin Intel’s 13th- and 14th-generation processors have also impacted its sales of the older chips. Somewhat surprisingly, the ancient GTX 1650 saw the fourth-highest gains....

January 3, 2025 · 1 min · 157 words · Chelsea Johnson

Asus, Samsung, and MSI all reveal first 4K 27-inch OLED 240Hz monitors

Three tech giants have just unveiled 27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz monitors, and at least two support DisplayPort 2.1a. MSI’s monitor is the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED. It offers a 166PPI display, but there’s no Dolby Vision HDR support. The final monitor is Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8. Both new monitors from Asus and MSI include DisplayPort 2.1a (UHBR20). The monitors come with advanced OLED protections, such as MSI OLED care 2.0 and Asus OLED care Pro....

January 2, 2025 · 1 min · 110 words · Gregory Rangel

Belgium has become the first EU country to ban the sale of disposable vapes

Smoking is already banned in playgrounds, sports fields, zoos, and theme parks. But health officials still felt tougher actions were needed to stay on track to achieve their 2040 target. Violators face fines ranging from 40 to 240. Nationwide, around 24% of Italians still smoke, according to data from last year. An estimated 93,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking-related illnesses, according to the health ministry. Italy enacted its first public smoking restrictions back in 1975....

January 2, 2025 · 1 min · 82 words · Heather Berg

DRAM manufacturers explore new designs to overcome 3D stacking hurdles

The most straightforward approach to increasing data storage on a single-layer DRAM chip is to reduce the cell size. However, the vertical capacitor in traditional DRAM designs creates very thick layers, making stacking difficult. It’s important to note that 3D DRAM can refer to two distinct concepts. One already in production is High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM). However, HBM is a stacked-die memory, not a monolithic die like 3D NAND flash. One approach to optimizing DRAM cells involves shrinking feature sizes through advanced lithography techniques....

January 2, 2025 · 1 min · 195 words · James James

Old BitLocker vulnerability exploited to bypass encryption on updated Windows 11

Secure Boot? The software vulnerability abused by Lambertz is also known as bitpixie (CVE-2023-21563). Microsoft has known about it since 2022 but never managed to effectively address the issue. The CVE-2023-21563 flaw is a “BitLocker Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability,” Microsoft said. The hack requires a one-time physical access to the target system, plus a working web connection connection. Featured on TechSpot

January 2, 2025 · 1 min · 61 words · Jonathan Boyer

Kia is recalling 23,000 EVs over fears that a worker forgot to bolt the seats down

One costly lapse in concentration Facepalm:Well, this is certainly an embarrassing blunder for Kia. This information comes fromdocumentsfiled with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Shortly afterward, Kia identified a second affected vehicle in the US. Surprisingly, none of the inspected vehicles were found to have missing or loose seat mounting hardware. An additional 990 units still awaiting delivery were inspected, with none found to have the seat bolt problem....

January 1, 2025 · 1 min · 74 words · Kimberly Brown DDS

2024's 10 top-grossing US films were all sequels and prequels

According toSlashfilmandBox Office Mojo, the 10 highest-grossing films in the U.S. this year were almost exclusively sequels. The sole exception was a prequel, underscoring Hollywood’s persistent aversion to risk. However, even those three films weren’t entirely “original.” The global box office tells a slightly different story, thanks to the success of Chinese blockbusters. Featured on TechSpot

December 31, 2024 · 1 min · 56 words · Christopher Cooke

How to Download and Install Windows 11 For FREE [2025]

If yet you have not upgraded, here isHow to Download and Install Windows 11For FREE. Before you begin, its crucial to ensure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 11. Your gadget must have the following specifications to get Windows 11 free upgrade. you’ve got the option to download it from here: https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp. Note: Also, there is a registry tweak to install Windows 11 onunsupported devices. There are two ways to do this: either through Windows Update or by using a USB flash drive....

December 31, 2024 · 2 min · 331 words · Joshua Stephens

A colossal 18,000kg electric vehicle is autonomously loading gold at a Canadian mine

The Sandvik LH518iB measures 12 meters in length, 3.1 meters in width, and 2.3 meters in height. The New Afton deployment marks just the beginning. Efficiency is paramount in this process, and these loaders are designed to enhance it significantly. Additionally, the autonomous functionality addresses the ongoing challenge of a labor shortage in the mining industry. Of course, this raises an important question: what about jobs? Are these autonomous loaders simply high-tech replacements poised to displace human workers?...

December 30, 2024 · 1 min · 93 words · Brian Riley DDS