TechNews - Why Was Half The Internet Down? - tech
(hx) 09:24 PM CEST - Oct,22 2016
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- Part 1: DirectX 11 Gaming And Multi-Core CPU Scaling - The
chaps over at THG have tested five theoretical Intel CPUs in 10
different DirectX 11-based games to determine what impact core count
has on performance.
- Seagate Announces BarraCuda ST5000 - Seagate has just
announced its new BarraCuda ST5000, which bumps the maximum storage
capacity of its 2.5-inch mobile hard drive from 4TB to an impressive
5TB. Seagate was able to achieve this feat using its new 2.5-inch 1TB
platters that were first announced in January. For those that don't
need a staggering 5TB at their disposal, cheaper 4TB (ST4000) and 3TB
(ST3000) versions will also be offered. All of the drives in the new
BarraCuda family spin at 5400RPM and have 128MB of cache onboard.
However, beware that the BarraCuda ST5000, ST4000, and ST3000 all have
a 15mm z-height, which means that you won't be cramming these drives
into most notebooks (with the exception of massive gaming notebooks).
Seagate says that drives are destined to go into all-in-one PCs and
ultra-slim desktops that need to provide a lot of storage, but don't
have enough room to fit a 3.5-inch hard drive. You can also expect to
see these drives pop up in external enclosures. Seagate also announced
a new 2TB FireCuda drive that includes 8GB of flash onboard to improve
boot times and help you load applications faster
- The Samsung 960 Pro (2TB) SSD Review - The $1299 MSRP on
the 2TB 960 Pro is almost as shocking as the $1499
MSRP for the 4TB 850 EVO was. This drive is not for everyone, though it
might be coveted by everyone. But for those who have the money, the
price per gigabyte is not outlandish. Aside from Intel's TLC-based SSD
600p, PCIe SSDs currently start around $0.50/GB, and at $0.63/GB the
960 Pro is more expensive than the Plextor M8Pe but cheaper than the
Intel SSD 750 or the OCZ RD400A. Samsung is by no means price gouging
and they could justify charging even more based on the performance and
efficiency advantages the 960 Pro has over the competitors. The 960 Pro
and 960 EVO are not yet listed on Amazon and are only listed as "Coming
Soon" with no price on Newegg, but they can be pre-ordered direct from
Samsung with an estimated ship time of 2-4 weeks.
- Samsung Kicks Off Production of 10nm SoCs - Samsung
has said it has begun producing systems-on-a-chip using its 10nm
FinFET process. The SoCs will eventually be used in application
processors for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
Samsung's 10nm FinFET process relies on 3D transistors and new methods
such as triple-patterning to generate significant improvements over its
14nm process. For example, SoCs made with the 10nm process are 30%
smaller, require 40% less power, and can boost performance by up to
27%. Samsung believes the first devices to rely on its 10nm FinFET
process will reach the market it early 2017, with more to follow
throughout the year.
- Qualcomm Intros New Snapdragon 600 and 400 Processors - Qualcomm
today announced
new Snapdragon application processors for mid-range and volume mobile
devices. The Snapdragon 653, Snapdragon 626, and Snapdragon 427 are all
paired with Qualcomm's X9 LTE modem with Cat 7 download (300Mbps) and
Cat 13 upload (150Mbps) speeds; 2x20 MHz Carrier Aggregation; 64-QAM on
the uplink; and VoLTE with Enhanced Voice Services. The Snapdragon 653
improves upon the Snapdragon 652 with faster CPU/GPU performance and
double the RAM (now 8 GB). The Snapdragon 626 improves upon the
Snapdragon 625 with quicker CPU performance, a better antenna, and
wider software compatibility. The Snapdragon 427 is an update to the
Snapdragon 425 with better CPU/GPU speeds and Qualcomm's TruSignal
antenna tuning. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 653 and 626 will reach
mobile devices before the end of the year, but the 427 won't arrive
until early 2017.
- iPhone 7 Plus Intel Modem Not Equal to Qualcomm Modem - Under
poor network conditions, the iPhone 7 Plus with Intel inside does not
perform as well as the iPhone 7 Plus with Qualcomm inside. Apple
sourced the iPhone 7 Plus modem from both Intel and Qualcomm. This
represents a major change for the company, which has relied solely on
Qualcomm modems for years. The Intel modem (XMM7360) is found in the
AT&T and T-Mobile variants of the iPhone 7, while the Qualcomm
modem (MDM9645M) is found in the Sprint, Verizon, and unlocked variants
of the iPhone 7. Cellular Insights conducted extensive signal tests on
the iPhone 7 Plus in LTE Bands 12, 7, and 4 to see if any performance
differences exist between the two modems. Under optimal network
conditions both the Intel- and Qualcomm-equipped iPhones demonstrated
an equal level of performance in speed and maintaining a connection.
Under weak network conditions, however, the Intel-equipped iPhone 7
Plus posted speeds that were on average 30% slower than those of the
Qualcomm-equipped iPhone 7 Plus. The slower speeds at the cell edge
mean the Intel-based iPhone 7 Plus may be more likely to experience
dropped VoLTE calls and other, similar behaviors. "In all tests, the
iPhone 7 Plus with the Qualcomm modem had a significant performance
edge over the iPhone 7 Plus with the Intel modem," said Cellular
Insights in its report. Apple has not said why it selected modems from
two separate suppliers for the iPhone 7 Plus.
- Apple Releases iOS 10.0.3 to Resolve iPhone 7 Connectivity Bug
- Apple today made iOS 10.0.3 available to the iPhone 7 and iPhone
7 Plus. This update is targeted at Apple's newest iPhones and resolves
an issue that impacted cellular connectivity. Apple recommends all
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners apply the update when possible.
- Phone 7 bursts into flames, destroys vehicle - A south
coast surfer says his iPhone 7 burst into flames and destroyed his
car. Mat Jones says he had left the phone under clothes in his car
while taking a surf lesson. When he returned, he was shocked to
discover the vehicle filled with smoke. The tech giant Apple wouldn't
comment but said they were aware of the complaint and they are
investigating. It follows concerns in the past few weeks from Samsung
Galaxy Note 7 owners about their phones catching fire.
- Samsung to Reward Note7 Owners' Loyalty with Cash - Samsung
is offering a cash incentive to Galaxy Note7 owners if they stick
with the Samsung brand. U.S. consumers who exchange their Note7 for any
other Samsung handset will be rewarded with $100 in bill credits.
Consumers who exchange their Note7 for a phone made by another company
will be given $25 in bill credits. The financial incentive arrives as
Samsung expands its recall of the Note7 to all devices, both the
original and the replacement. The number of Note7s being recalled in
the U.S. stands at about 1.9 million. Samsung hasn't said how many have
even returned/exchanged. "We appreciate the patience of our consumers,
carriers, and retail partners for carrying the burden during these
challenging times," said Samsung Electronics America COO Tim Baxter.
"We are committed to doing everything we can to make this right." There
have been 96 documented cases of the Note7 overheating in the U.S.,
according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, with 15 of
those coming from supposed safe devices.
- Google Pixel Hits Verizon Stores Today, But Pixel XL 128 GB
Sold Out - Verizon
Wireless said the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are available at its
stores today. The Pixel 32 GB ($650) and 128 GB ($750), and the Pixel
XL 32 GB ($770) are in stores in black, white, and blue. The Pixel XL
128 GB ($870) is sold out and not available. Monthly pricing over two
years breaks down to $27.08, $31.24, $32.08, and $36.24, respectively,
for the Pixel 32 GB, Pixel 128 GB, Pixel XL 32 GB, and Pixel XL 128 GB.
Verizon will offer up to $300 for select trade-ins, including the HTC
One M9, iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, LG G4 or V10, Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge,
S6 edge+ or Note 5. Customers who buy either Pixel device may also
preorder the Daydream View virtual reality headset.
- Reviewer Unboxes The Google Pixel And Discovers Its Horrifying
- Christopher Bingham is here to unbox
Google's new flagship phone and show us - what's that, you can use
it to call the dead?
- ZTE's Project CSX Picks Eyeball-Controlled, Sticky Phone - ZTE
has announced that the winning entry of its Project CSX
crowd-sourced competition is an eye-controlled smartphone. Owners of
the device, which will be built by ZTE over the course of the next
year, will be able to control the handset by moving their eyes around.
The phone will also include a self-adhesive rear panel so it sticks to
surfaces like car dashboards without help. Thousands of voters selected
from dozens of initial entries that were narrowed down to five entries
this week. "We are overwhelmed with the amount of consumer
participation and positive reception to Project CSX," said Lixin Cheng,
chairman and CEO of ZTE USA. "As the first smartphone manufacturer to
take on crowdsourcing its next mobile device from start to finish, we
are proud of how this project pushed the envelope, and that consumers
from around the world have chosen to be part of this
industry-disrupting process." The eye-controlled, self-adhesive phone
won with 36% of the vote. ZTE will work with the winner to design,
engineer, and manufacture the device, which it hopes to bring to market
by late 2017.
- Bendable Touchscreens Are Getting Closer To Reality - This is
Xiaomi's attempt at a flexible touchscreen. It looks pretty nice!
- Why Was Half The Internet Down This Morning? - Twitter,
Spotify and Reddit, and a huge swath of other websites
were down or screwed up this morning. This was happening as hackers
unleashed a large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack
on the servers of Dyn, a major DNS host. It's probably safe to assume
that the two situations are related.
Domain Name Servers (DNS) act as the Internet's phone book. Basically,
they facilitate your request to go to a certain webpage and make sure
you are taken to the right place. If the DNS provider that handles
requests for Twitter is down, well, good luck getting to Twitter. Some
websites are coming back for some users, but it doesn't look like the
problem is fully resolved.
Dyn posted this update on its website: "Starting at 11:10 UTC on
October 21th-Friday 2016 we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS
attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Some customers may
experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation
during this time. Updates will be posted as information becomes
available."
- Samsung Kicks Off Production of 10nm SoCs - Samsung
today said it has begun producing systems-on-a-chip using its 10nm
FinFET process. The SoCs will eventually be used in application
processors for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
Samsung's 10nm FinFET process relies on 3D transistors and new methods
such as triple-patterning to generate significant improvements over its
14nm process. For example, SoCs made with the 10nm process are 30%
smaller, require 40% less power, and can boost performance by up to
27%. Samsung believes the first devices to rely on its 10nm FinFET
process will reach the market it early 2017, with more to follow
throughout the year.
- Microsoft Debuts Skype Sign-In Across Services - Microsoft
has made it possible for Skype users to sign into other Microsoft
services with their Skype username and password. For example, people
who have Skype credentials will be able to use them to log into Xbox,
Office, or OneDrive. Moreover, people will be able to use those
services across devices and platforms with this new single sign-in,
negating the need to enter separate usernames and passwords for each
Microsoft service across their devices. Microsoft is now wholly
managing the Skype sign-in screen, password change, and account
recovery flow, but none of these changes impact how people access and
use Skype. Microsoft says the single sign-in tool will be available in
the newest versions of the Skype app across platforms in the days
ahead.
- New Android Malware asks for a selfie as it steals your
information - McAfee Labs' Mobile Research Team discovered
the malicious application, which is a new variant of the Acecard Trojan
Malware (aka Torec) that was first identified back in February. In
addition to asking for credit card details and information such as
"mother's maiden name," the updated app offers "identify confirmation,"
which involves uploading photos of identity documents such as a
driver's license along with a selfie of the gullible user holding the
ID.
As is the case with many Trojans, Acecard installs itself by tricking
the user into thinking they're installing a video codec/plugin or app
for watching adult videos. Once it's on the Android device, the malware
asks for administrator privileges, before running in the background
while monitoring specific apps.
Acecard then shows a phishing overlay that pretends to be Google Play
asking for a credit card number. This is followed by requests for name,
date of birth, phone number, card expiration date, and CCV. It will
also request second-factor authentication for some cards. Anyone who
lives in Hong Kong will be asked for a copy of their HK ID card, while
Singapore residents must add their National Registration card and
passport.
- CryPy ransomware encrypts your files with a unique key for
each one - The malware was found
in a security flaw in a content management system called Magento,
which allowed perpetrators to utilize a PHP shell script to a
vulnerable web server in Israel, which now acts as the Command &
Control (C&C) server of the CryPy ransomware. Moreover, the C&C
server isn't used only for ransomware attacks; the server is also
utilized to conduct phishing attacks, which are usually fake PayPal
messages. It is believed that the malware developers are
Hebrew-speaking.
CryPy is composed of two files, namely 'boot_common.py,' and
'encryptor.py.' The former is responsible for error-logging on the
Windows platform, while the latter is the encryptor itself. Once a
system has been infected, the ransomware disables Registry Tools, Task
Manager, CMD, and Run, which are the usual features used to control and
terminate malware. Soon after, it will start encrypting files. Typical
ransomware encrypts all files of a system, then assigns a unique key
for it, so when the developers demand money from victims, they can
track the infected system. However, CryPy makes it a lot more difficult
for its prey by assigning a unique key for each file that it encrypts.
- The Floppotron: What Is Love - Haddaway -
What Is Love cover by computer hardware orchestra. Which song would
you like to hear next?
- Dashcam BMW crash - Dash Cam Video (front and rear cameras) showing a
BMW in a hurry to get somewhere and trying to pass where there's no
room to pass.
- Donald Trump roasts Hillary Clinton at Al Smith charity dinner
- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
roasted his rival Hillary Clinton during the Alfred E. Smith
charity dinner. Trump joked about the "nasty woman" comment he made
during the debate, Clinton's experience, Wikileaks and emails. Trump
was boo...
- Logan - Official Trailer - In Theaters
- March 3, 2017
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Sneak Peek - They're back.
Check out this sneak peek of "Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2" coming to theaters May 5, 2017!
- The Weeknd - False Alarm - Music video
directed by Ilya Naishuller and production handled by Clarissa
Troop. Naishuller, Russian musician, film director, and screenwriter is
popularly known for his film, Hardcore Henry. False Alarm written by
Abel Tesfaye, Martin 'Doc' McKinney, Ahmad Balshe, Benjamin Diehl,
Walter and Emmanuel Nickerson. Produced By Doc McKinney, Cirkut, Ben
Billion$ and Mano. Starboy is the upcoming third studio album by The
Weeknd, it is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2016, by XO and
Republic Records.
- Assassin's Creed - Official Trailer 2 - The film is
directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth); produced by New
Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films and Kennedy/Marshall;
co-financed by RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures; and distributed
by 20th Century Fox. ASSASSIN'S CREED opens in theaters worldwide on
December 21st, 2016.
- Gigi Hadid Can't Keep a Straight Face on Set With Kendall
Jenner - Supermodel Kendall Jenner moonlights as a performance
artist, recreating four iconic pieces from Yves Klein, Marina
Abramovic and Ulay, Murakami Saburo, and Yoko Ono. But on set with her
best friend Gigi Hadid, not everything goes as planned. Here, the most
hilarious outtakes from W's November issue shoot with Kendall Jenner
and Gigi Hadid.
- Behind the scenes with Katrina Bowden, the girl from 30 Rock -
check
it out
- 100,000 Marbles Going Down A Marble Run - Jelle
Bakker devotes his life to creating awesome
marble runs and races to satisfy our craving for... marbles. His
latest offering - 100,000 dang marbles rolling down a course at the
same time - is as satisfying as ever.
- Tanya Mityushina May Be The Hottest Russian Model - Tanya
Mityushina here is one of the hottest women on the planet. Or at
least the hottest one in Russia anyway.
- The best pics on the Internet #212 - All pictures
are carefully handpicked
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Updated:11:59 PM CET Feb,06
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