Category: Computers

  • Logitech Launches M196 Bluetooth Mouse in India

    Logitech Launches M196 Bluetooth Mouse in India

    Following the introduction of the POP series earlier this month, Logitech has now revealed that the M196 wireless Bluetooth mouse is ready for purchase in India. The M196 adds to Logitech’s large selection of wireless mice and serves as a budget-friendly choice for those looking for a dependable and portable tool.

    M196 Features

    The M196 connects to computers that support Bluetooth using Bluetooth Low Energy tech, giving it a wireless range of up to 10 meters. Users can anticipate smooth navigation and basic functionality with its 1000 DPI optical tracking system. Logitech mentions that this mouse can function on different types of surfaces, making it versatile for users who are always on the move. The 2D mechanical scroll wheel makes it easy to scroll through documents line by line.

    Design and Battery Life

    Powered by a single AA battery, the M196 can reportedly last as long as 12 months. Despite the battery, this mouse is compact, with measurements of 60mm in width and a weight of just 76 grams. Logitech focuses on sustainability, noting that all its products are certified carbon neutral and produced using renewable energy sources. The M196 is made with recycled plastics from old electronics, helping to lessen its environmental impact.

    Quick Specs

    • Dimensions: 100 mm (Height) x 60 mm (Width) x 38 mm (Depth)
    • Weight: 76 grams (including battery)
    • Sensor: Smooth optical tracking, 1000 DPI
    • Scrolling: Line-by-line, 2D mechanical scroll wheel
    • Battery: Up to 12 months on 1 AA battery (pre-installed)
    • Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy Technology, wireless range of up to 10 meters
    • Sustainability: Graphite plastics – 67% post-consumer recycled material, Off-white and Rose plastics – 66% post-consumer recycled material

    Price and Where to Buy

    The Logitech M196 Bluetooth mouse is available for Rs 1,125 (around $14) in India and comes in three color choices: Graphite, Off-White, and Rose. You can find it in all three colors on Amazon India.


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  • Apple MacBook Air M1 Now Only Rs 56,990 – Best Price Available

    Apple MacBook Air M1 Now Only Rs 56,990 – Best Price Available

    Apple’s MacBook Air is once again available at a discount this Diwali on Amazon India. Currently, the MacBook Air M1 is priced at an effective Rs 50,603 for the model with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM. The listed price is around Rs 57,000, but with a bank discount of Rs 6,386 for ICICI card users on a 6-month no-cost EMI plan, the final price drops to Rs 50,603.

    Limited-Time Offer

    This is the best price for the Apple MacBook Air M1 in India at the moment. The offer appears to be for a short period, so those who are interested should act quickly to take advantage of this deal.

    Specifications and Features of MacBook Air M1

    The Apple MacBook Air M1 is equipped with a 13.3-inch Retina Display and includes an Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU. This setup offers a performance enhancement of up to 3.5 times compared to the previous model, making it suitable for various tasks, from professional editing to gaming. With 8GB of unified memory, it provides smooth multitasking, while the Retina display ensures vibrant and clear visuals. The MacBook Air is crafted for productivity and creativity right from the start, featuring an easy setup and user-friendly interface.

    This laptop also includes Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. Weighing only 2.8 pounds and measuring between 0.16 to 0.63 inches in thickness, it’s lightweight and portable, making it perfect for work or leisure. Launched in November 2020, it comes with a limited warranty of one year.

  • Kingston Dominates Global SSD Market with 72% Share in 2023

    Kingston Dominates Global SSD Market with 72% Share in 2023

    The global SSD retail market experienced significant changes in 2023. The leading five companies increased their market share from 59 percent in 2022 to an impressive 72 percent last year. Kingston maintained its position at the forefront, commanding a remarkable 34 percent of the market, as per the recent data from TrendForce.

    Growth in Shipment Numbers

    Overall, the sector saw a year-over-year growth of 3.7 percent, with a total of 180 million units shipped in 2023. A substantial portion of this growth was driven by consumers making strategic purchases, buying SSDs before anticipated price increases later in the year.

    Competition Among Brands

    In the race for market share, ADATA and Lexar closely competed for the second position, each securing 11 percent of the market. Meanwhile, Chinese brands Kimtigo and Biwin captured the fourth and fifth places with 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively, highlighting the rising impact of China in the SSD arena.

    Technological Advances Despite Challenges

    Notably, Chinese manufacturers have achieved remarkable technological progress, even in the face of U.S. sanctions, successfully transitioning from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0. Four Chinese firms now account for approximately 23 percent of the global market, further underscoring China’s expanding role in the SSD sector.

    Various factors contributed to the market’s growth, including consumers upgrading their PCs from the pandemic period and gamers, as well as small office/home office (SOHO) creators, demanding drives with larger storage capacities.


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  • Xiaomi 4-in-1 USB Splitter: Dual-Head USB-C & USB-A, 5Gbps Speed

    Xiaomi 4-in-1 USB Splitter: Dual-Head USB-C & USB-A, 5Gbps Speed

    Xiaomi has unveiled a new 4-in-1 dual-head USB splitter via its crowdfunding site, Xiaomi Youpin. This device, designed for connecting multiple devices, is currently available at a special price of 45 yuan ($6.31), with sales commencing today.

    Features of the Xiaomi 4-in-1 Dual-Head Splitter

    The Xiaomi 4-in-1 Dual-Head Splitter comes equipped with dual USB 3.0 connectors, providing support for both USB Type-C and USB-A. It boasts an impressive data transfer rate of up to 5Gbps, allowing users to achieve speeds greater than 400MB/s. This makes it perfect for quick data transfers, as it allows for the simultaneous connection of four USB devices. The splitter’s dual connectors offer versatility, making it compatible with a broad range of devices including laptops, smartphones, tablets, and others.

    Compatibility and Ease of Use

    It works with various operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux. Users will find it to be hot-swappable and plug-and-play, meaning it’s straightforward to use without needing extra drivers. To accommodate high-capacity devices like mobile hard drives, the splitter is equipped with a DC power input, delivering up to 15W of additional power for connected devices. However, it’s important to note that this power input is meant only to enhance the power supply to USB ports, and it does not support charging for laptops, tablets, or phones.

    Safety and Durability Features

    In terms of safety, the splitter provides a multi-layer protection system. It includes Over-Current Protection (OCP), Over-Voltage Protection (OVP), and surge protection, ensuring the device remains safeguarded against unusual voltage or current surges. For better performance and longevity, the splitter uses tin-plated pure copper cores, which enhance conductivity and ensure stable connections. The casing is made from ABS material, giving it an attractive appearance and heat resistance during extended use. Furthermore, the 9.3mm space between the ports allows for easy plugging and unplugging of multiple devices without any disruption.

    Xiaomi has also recently rolled out two new home gadgets: the Mijia Fresh Air Pro Air Conditioner and the Mijia Smart Aroma Diffuser Set. The Mijia Fresh Air Pro is capable of rapid cooling in just 30 seconds and can efficiently heat down to -35°C, making it suitable for diverse weather conditions. On the other hand, the Mijia Smart Aroma Diffuser Set, which operates on HyperOS, boasts a battery life of up to 50 days, providing a continuous, calming fragrance throughout your environment.


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  • Infinix Inbook Air Pro+: 1kg Ultralight Laptop with Intel i5 Sale in India

    Infinix Inbook Air Pro+: 1kg Ultralight Laptop with Intel i5 Sale in India

    The Infinix Inbook Air Pro+ laptop is now available on Flipkart with a price tag of Rs 49,990. This incredibly lightweight device, tipping the scales at merely 1kg, merges excellent design, strong performance, and flexibility, making it an appealing option for both professionals and creative individuals. Just to remind you, this laptop was launched alongside the Infinix Zero Flip in India last week.

    Specifications and Features of Infinix Inbook Air Pro+

    The Infinix Inbook Air Pro+ is equipped with a 13th generation Intel Core i5 (1334U) processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, ensuring speedy processing. It includes 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB PCIe Gen 3 SSD, which is ideal for a range of activities, from creative work to software development. Its advanced cooling system keeps it running smoothly even during demanding tasks.

    Display and Battery Performance

    This laptop sports a 14-inch 2.8K OLED screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and a brightness of 440 nits, along with full coverage of both sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts. The display is surrounded by ultra-thin bezels, adding to its sleekness. The device is powered by a 57Wh battery that lasts all day, while the 65W fast charging through USB-C allows for quick recharges, helping users stay productive. For connectivity, it provides several ports, Wi-Fi 6 for fast internet access, and Bluetooth 5.2 for easy pairing with other devices. The FHD+ IR webcam supports Windows Hello for secure face unlock and offers clear quality for video calls, even in dim lighting.

    Design and Usability

    In terms of design, the Inbook Air Pro+ showcases a high-quality metal body crafted from aluminum and magnesium alloys. Weighing just 1kg and measuring 4.5mm at its thinnest point, it is remarkably portable. The backlit keyboard includes a dedicated button for quick access to Co-Pilot, enhancing user experience.

    You might also be curious about why we consider the Infinix Inbook Air Pro+ to be a revolutionary product.

  • China Launches Trio of Satellites for Ground Radar Calibration

    China Launches Trio of Satellites for Ground Radar Calibration

    China has recently added three new satellites to its growing list of orbital missions, which now exceeds 10,000 satellites. The successful launch happened at 00:10 UTC on October 22 (or 20:10 on October 21, local time) using a Long March 6 rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China.

    Launch Details

    Though local news referred to the launch of a single satellite, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) clarified that three satellites were sent into space. They are named Tianping-3A (01), B (01), and B (02). Their primary objective is to calibrate ground radars and carry out radar cross-section measurements. SAST stated that these satellites will aid in ground optical equipment imaging experiments and support low-orbit space environment detection and monitoring tasks. They will also provide services for atmospheric space environment measurements and help correct orbit prediction models.

    Limited Information

    Unfortunately, there wasn’t much additional detail provided about these satellites. The Long March 6 rocket, which has been operational since 2015, has completed 13 successful missions to date. China has aimed for an impressive total of 50 orbital launches this year alone. Just last week, they successfully launched the Gaofen-12 Earth observation satellite along with 18 others, all intended for the Qianfan/Thousand megaconstellation project.

    Upcoming Missions

    Later this month, China plans to send three astronauts to the Tiangong space station on the Shenzhou-19 mission. More details about this mission are expected to be released soon.

  • Intel Arrow Lake Leak Reveals Software Issues and Slow Gaming Performance

    Intel Arrow Lake Leak Reveals Software Issues and Slow Gaming Performance

    We are nearing the release of reviews for the Core Ultra 200S “Arrow Lake” series. It’s no surprise that this is the ideal moment for leaks about these new CPUs to emerge. Recently, Moore’s Law Is Dead has disclosed some concerning details regarding the Arrow Lake processors.

    Caution Advised

    Before diving deeper, it’s important to advise readers to treat this information carefully and refrain from jumping to conclusions until the official reviews are out.

    According to MLID, based on conversations with various reviewers, game developers, and YouTubers, the Arrow Lake processors do not enhance gaming performance. In fact, the Core Ultra 9 285K is reported to underperform compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the Core i9-14900K, and the Ryzen 9 9950X. Alarmingly, one review indicated that even the previous generation, the Core i9-13900K, outperformed the Arrow Lake flagship.

    Performance Comparison

    The Core Ultra 7 265K also apparently fell short "in one set of averages" against the Ryzen 7 7700X (Available on Amazon). This is particularly concerning as the Ryzen 7 7700X directly competes with the Core i5-13600K, not the Core i7.

    In terms of non-gaming tasks, the Core Ultra 9 285K appears to match the performance of the Ryzen 9 9950X (Available on Amazon).

    However, gaming performance isn’t the only significant issue with the Arrow Lake CPUs. MLID asserts that almost everyone he’s spoken to has reported a myriad of problems. These issues range from erratic performance across various review datasets to persistent Blue Screen of Death errors, and even players being ejected from servers due to mistaken identification of cheating software while using the Core Ultra 9 285K.

    Hardware vs Software Issues

    The Arrow Lake situation is reportedly so problematic that several reviewers are questioning whether there might be a hardware flaw. Nonetheless, the leaker has received assurance from an Intel source that Arrow Lake does not have a hardware defect; instead, the troubles stem from poor software.

    In conclusion, Arrow Lake appears to be a generation focused solely on efficiency and slight productivity enhancements, but not much else. When comparing Intel’s offerings against Zen 5, the Core Ultra 200S chips reportedly lack a performance edge. With the Ryzen 7 9800X3D on the way, it looks like Intel enthusiasts may have to wait until next year’s Panther Lake for desktops to see a notable improvement in gaming performance to match Zen 5 X3D.

    Given the reported challenges, the Core Ultra 200 processors may face a difficult reception when reviews are published.

    Moore’s Law Is Dead on YouTube.

  • HP Launches OmniBook Ultra Flip: Ideal 2-in-1 for Creators

    HP Launches OmniBook Ultra Flip: Ideal 2-in-1 for Creators

    HP has launched the OmniBook Ultra Flip in India, a versatile 2-in-1 laptop tailored for freelancers and content creators. This device runs on Intel’s Lunar Lake Processors and comes equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), enabling seamless transitions between laptop, tablet, and tent formats for versatile usage.

    Features of the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip

    The OmniBook Ultra Flip boasts a 14-inch 2.8K OLED screen, which supports multitouch interactions and has a refresh rate ranging from 48-120 Hz. The display features an incredibly quick response time of 0.2 ms, edge-to-edge glass, a sleek bezel, Low Blue Light technology, and brightness levels of 400 nits in SDR and 500 nits peak brightness in HDR. It also supports over 1 billion colors in HDR mode and has a 16:10 aspect ratio for better visuals.

    Beneath the hood, this device is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor, capable of reaching speeds up to 4.8 GHz, with 12 MB of L3 cache and a configuration of 8 cores and 8 threads. Connectivity is made easy with 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB Type-C port, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. For wireless connections, it offers Intel Fillmore Peak 2 Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

    Operating System and Memory

    The OmniBook Ultra Flip operates on the latest Windows operating system and comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021 already installed. It packs 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM along with a 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD for storage efficiency.

    The device has dimensions of 31.37 x 21.62 x 1.49 cm, weighs 1.34 kg, and includes various security features such as a mic mute key, a camera privacy shutter, and a 6-cell, 64 Wh battery. For charging, it utilizes a 65 W USB Type-C adapter.

    Additional Features and Pricing

    Additional features encompass a full-size backlit keyboard, a haptic touchpad, Intel Arc Graphics, a DIB PEN-TILT HP G1 NFB MPP 2.0 stylus, and a 9 MP IR TNR camera.

    The laptop is released in two versions:

    • OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 Next-Gen AI PC Ultra 7: Starting at Rs. 1,81,999
    • OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 Next-Gen AI PC Ultra 9: Priced at Rs. 1,91,999

    Those who purchase the OmniBook Ultra Flip before October 31, 2024, will get Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements valued at Rs. 9,999 for free. There are also no-cost EMI plans available through Bajaj Finance for up to 18 months.


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  • Rumored Launch Date for MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini with M4

    Rumored Launch Date for MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini with M4

    Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, known for his accurate leaks about unreleased Apple items, has reported that Apple will host a hands-on event for its new products in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 30.

    Event Details

    This event is meant to let the media test the new devices, meaning they should be ready for this date. This suggests a launch on October 30, though an announcement could also happen the day before. Gurman mentions that Apple is likely to unveil the new Macs through a livestream while simultaneously releasing press materials. The following products are anticipated to be announced at the event:

    Product Expectations

    The MacBook Pro and iMac are not expected to undergo significant changes, except for the new processor. In contrast, the Mac mini is rumored to feature a complete redesign with a smaller case and USB-C ports at the front, completely omitting USB-A ports. New Mac accessories are also expected to come with USB-C port enhancements. Our benchmarks (included below) indicate that the cooling system of the Apple M4 in the iPad Pro is much quicker than that of the Apple M3 Pro, meaning Mac users can look forward to a meaningful upgrade.

    Mark Gurman (X)

  • AYANEO Cuts Prices on AM01 and AM02 Mini-PCs After AYANEO 3 Tease

    AYANEO Cuts Prices on AM01 and AM02 Mini-PCs After AYANEO 3 Tease

    AYANEO has updated its mini-PC lineup, more than five months after debuting the AM01S. Sadly, there hasn’t been any new news regarding that model since its introduction. Instead, the company has brought back the earlier models, AM01 and AM02, which is currently priced at $708.95 on Amazon. The AM01 was first refreshed with AMD Ryzen 7 5800U models back in March.

    Performance Enhancements

    This time around, the AM01 has been upgraded to feature the Ryzen 7 5825U, offering an 8% performance boost in our tests compared to the Ryzen 7 5800U. Both models come equipped with the same Radeon RX Vega 8 integrated graphics, meaning the new AM01 should perform similarly to other Ryzen 7 5800U systems when it comes to gaming.

    Similar Upgrades for AM02

    A similar situation applies to the AM02, which now includes the Ryzen 7 8845HS. In terms of practical differences, there’s not much separating the Ryzen 7 8845HS from the Ryzen 7 7840HS, except for a 10 W higher thermal design power (TDP) for the former. The main advantage of these newer models is their more affordable pricing, which is significantly lower than previous versions of the AM01 and AM02. Currently, AYANEO is offering these models at the following prices and memory options:

    AYANEO


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