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Google Play announced the best apps and games of 2020, as well as the winners of the Users’ Choice Awards 2020. Meditate with Wysa was declared as the Best App of 2020, while Legends of Runeterra was announced as the Best Game of 2020 in India. As per Google, these apps and games helped users adapt in 2020, and escape when we needed it. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fRDDJA

Google is bringing three changes to group conversations in Google Chat starting from December 3. As per the changes, new members can see all the messages, even those that were sent in the group before they joined. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/39I5ScX

Canada plans to impose a tax on corporations providing digital services from 2022 that will stay in place until major nations come up with a coordinated approach on taxation. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3qay0uZ

Facebook and Google are fast becoming "human rights-free zones" in Vietnam, Amnesty International warned, accusing the tech titans of helping censor peaceful dissent and political expression in the country. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3o8yShK

Update: NZXT has identified a potential fire hazard on some H1 cases and is asking customers to contact it for an updated kit. The company said a screw on the PCIe riser cable may cause a short where it contacts the case. H1 customers are asked to contact NZXT at h1support@nzxt.com to see if their unit is impacted. The company has advised customers to power off units until they have determined if a repair kit is required or not. Building in a small-form-factor case can be a royal pain. Unlike with larger alternatives, more forethought and foresight is required, as difficulties around order of assembly and cable management (among other issues) will crop up. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2Q7q3Gz

One of the important rites for the clan of PC gaming is to build your own computer , but sometimes it’s just easier to pay someone else to put it together. For people who simply want to grab and game, Amazon is throwing a one-day Cyber Monday sale on desktops, laptops, and monitors Remove non-product link . Here are our favorite deals from the sale. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3lj6ub3

Google and Microsoft are improving the existing dark mode on Chrome. The new change will change the colour scheme of scrollbars on certain pages to work in tandem with the dark mode. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/39tTfls

It's time to pit the best Android phones of 2020 against the iPhone 12. But the fight is very one-sided this year. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2VgLpDB

Multi-level mapping, LiDAR navigation, and superior cleaning performance are among this new model's highlights. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2JpEJQS

The WD Black SN850 gives you a second great choice when it comes to pick-of-the-litter NVMe SSDs— Samsung's 980 Pro  being the other. This assumes of course, that your motherboard sports a cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 interface . Currently that means  late-generation AMD Ryzen  with Intel’s next-gen piling on soon. If that’s not you, a PCIe 4 SSD is still a good way to future-proof your performance.  To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3lpx3v0

Eaton’s latest smart home product line depends on Alexa—the app, not necessarily the speaker. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2VkfzFM

Our editors have been hard at work sifting through the Cyber Monday deals at all the major online retailers in order to curate a list of those that offer the best value. We'll be updating our recommendations as new deals surface, so bookmark this page and check back regularly. Best Black Friday / Cyber Monday shopping tips Deals can expire before their slated end time if quantities run out, so don’t wait too long if something appeals to you.  To qualify for Amazon’s Prime deals, you can sign up for a 30-day Prime membership if you haven’t already done so in the past. Newegg has a new policy for Black Friday 2020: Select items qualify for an automatic refund if the price drops further between now and the end of the month. Some retailers offer free 2-day shipping through ShopRunner, which many credit cards offer as a free perk. You can also sign up for a 1-year trial through PayPal . Using PayPal for online purchases? Sign up for the company’s free return program , which fo...

While you can certainly find good deals this year, they’re not nearly as plentiful or tantalizing as last year, due to demand and a flood of recent product launches. On average, expect to spend about 10 percent more compared to 2019. Still, with some digging around, we’re unearthing solid discounts on items that we particularly care about at PCWorld: CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and more. Keep an eye on these lists, as we’ll expand them as sales ramp up between now and Black Friday. To see everything else on sale right now, check out our round-up of the best Cyber Monday 2020 deals . Best PC component deals Cases Corsair Carbide SPEC-05 ATX Mid Tower Remove non-product link , $33 on Newegg (52% off) (Must file mail-in rebate by 12/21/2020) Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid-Tower Remove non-product link , $45 on Newegg (25% off) (Must file $15 mail-in rebate by 12/27/2020) Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Compact Mid-Tower Remove non-product link , $60 on Newegg (29% off) Corsair iCUE 220...

The Obama-Biden administration was a charmed era for America's tech companies — a moment when they were lionized as innovators, hailed as job creators and largely left alone. Now Joe Biden is coming back, this time as president. But times have changed. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fKlvRZ

Editor's Note: We've taken an updated look at 1080p webcams for your PC, reflecting current pricing trends, in this article . Keep reading for reviews of older webcams, including the venerable but well-respected Logitech family. A good webcam is essential if you plan to spend a lot of time video chatting with family, friends, and co-workers. While these devices have come a long way from the cheap plastic and grainy images of yore, just a handful of standalone webcams exists these days. Models that deliver on their promises of impressive resolutions, durable designs, and the ability to record high-definition video are even rarer. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/37dOvgX

With Thunderbolt ports becoming more common in laptops, a Thunderbolt dock can be an important accessory. Think of it as a more powerful version of a USB-C hub , adding I/O expansion to your laptop, in the form of extra ports for mice, keyboards, external drives, SD cards, and, most importantly, displays. Indeed, one important way that a Thunderbolt dock differs from its USB-C cousin is bandwidth. While a USB-C hub can support a single 4K display, often at an eye-wearying 30Hz refresh rate. Thunderbolt hubs can support up to two 4K displays, and at a comfortable 60Hz. If your laptop includes a Thunderbolt port, chances are it supports the Thunderbolt 3 standard, which provides 40Gbps. That’s enough to drive those displays  and shuttle data back and forth between peripherals without causing your display to flicker or your video stream to stutter. Of course, you can expect Thunderbolt docks to also carry a price premium (typically $140 to $300, compared to a USB-C dock’s $20...

Google is gradually rolling out a new Chrome Actions feature to Google Chrome 87 that allows the user to type commands in the address bar that perform specific browser actions. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3q6Dqao

Google Opinion Rewards is now available in Thailand. The quick survey app is available in 29 countries, including India and Thailand. The changelog has no other update, so it is likely that the addition is part of a server-side change. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/33DbUrt

Britain will impose a new competition regime next year to prevent Google and Facebook using their dominance to push out smaller firms and disadvantage consumers. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/33nG5CD

YouTube is testing a new way to let you tag the current time of the video while writing a comment by just tapping a dedicated icon. Additionally, YouTube is bringing automatic video chapters to help creators easily highlight specific parts of their videos for easy navigation. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2JaCLnc

Google Pay is ditching its old app for Android and iOS devices and discontinuing support for payments on its website in the US. Google has also introduced a transfer fee of 1.5 percent for Google Pay users in the US using a debit card. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/33gHye8

The group video calling option in Google Hangouts have become unavailable on the Android and the web version with the latest update. Users are being redirected to Google Meet instead. The new development comes amidst a series of steps taken by Google to replace the messenger app with Meet and Chat. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/37bR5nI

Tech giants that break new EU rules aimed at curbing their powers could face fines, be ordered to change their practices, or even be forced to break up their European businesses, the bloc's digital chief Thierry Breton said. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3qcXSX8

The best USB-C hub allows you to add connections and ports that your laptop or tablet lacks: an HDMI connection, for example, or an SD card slot. But it's also important to know whether what you're looking for is a true USB-C hub, or a more powerful, pricier Thunderbolt dock. We'll help you choose which to buy. Laptops with USB-C ports are now almost ubiquitous, as the world moves away from slower, somewhat inflexible USB-A ports to this faster, more versatile connection standard. Some laptops only have USB-C connections—that means a USB-C hub is essential if you want to connect a wired USB mouse or keyboard, or an older wired printer.  To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/39Msvck

Last week the $650 Radeon RX 6800 XT hit the streets and immediately put Nvidia’s $700 GeForce RTX 3080 on notice. For the first time in a long time, AMD’s graphics cards can hang tough with Nvidia’s most powerful offerings. The first wave of Radeon RX 6800-series graphics cards stuck to AMD’s (vastly improved) reference design, but customized versions of the Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT hit the streets Wednesday to show us what “Big Navi” is capable of with even more elaborate engineering backing it up. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3q3c44H

If the HomePod Mini were $50 rather than $99, we’d really have something. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2V1XMDm

Ring’s new sensor gives you a heads-up when the mail arrives, but its limited range won’t work for everyone. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/363IioA

The best holiday stocking stuffer for 2020 is—believe it or not—a 1080p webcam. Earlier this year they were nearly impossible to find, as millions of people gearing up to work or study from home tried to improve upon the 720p models most laptops have. Now 1080p models are plentiful again, making it a perfect time to pick up a few for yourself or for loved ones. There are literally so many 1080p webcams available that Amazon is throwing deals at you: coupons, daily discounts, the works. Need it soon? Amazon should be able to ship something to you as quickly as tomorrow. We haven’t tested these webcams, but we’ve pored through the piles of available models to pick out the best deals based on specs and bundled extras. To help you choose, check out our buying advice below our recommendations. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/374n1dP

Game streaming platform Google Stadia will be getting six new games on December 1 for its subscription offer Stadia Pro. There are 400 new games planned for the platform for the future. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3kYegH2

Google is adding Contacts to the side panel on Gmail. Soon, you’ll be able to learn more about the person you’re collaborating with on Gmail by hovering around the Contacts icon on the side bar. The feature has begun rolling out, but will take a couple of weeks to reach all users globally. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fwy4Ac

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides users on iOS will now be able to edit Microsoft Office files. This will streamline the workflow, as users won’t be required to covert file types all the time. You can edit, comment, and collaborate through this new feature. The feature was already available for Android and Web users. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3q25Wto

If you're cutting cable, these Black Friday streaming and cord-cutting deals will save you even more money. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3m48CEz

Switching to a solid-state drive is the best upgrade you can make for your PC. These wondrous devices obliterate long boot times, speed up how fast your programs and games load, and generally makes your computer feel fast . But not all solid-state drives are created equal. The best SSDs offer solid performance at affordable prices—or, if price is no object, face-meltingly fast read and write speeds. To save money on your holiday shopping, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday deals on CPUs, GPUs, monitors, routers, and more . Many SSDs come in a 2.5-inch form factor and communicate with PCs via the same SATA ports used by traditional hard drives. But out on the bleeding-edge of NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives, you’ll find tiny “gumstick” SSDs that fit in M.2 connections on modern motherboards, SSDs that sit on a PCIe adapter and slot into your motherboard like a graphics card or sound card, futuristic 3D Xpoint drives , and more. Picking the perfect SSD isn’t as ...

“Frames win games,” Nvidia likes to say, but there’s more to esports domination than raw frame rates. How those frames get delivered matters too. Latency—the time it takes for an on-screen action to happen after you press a button—reigns supreme in the blink-and-you’re-dead competitive esports scene. If your game looks beautiful but feels sluggish, you’ll find yourself outgunned by rivals playing with crummy visual settings to increase responsiveness. Enter Nvidia Reflex, introduced alongside the GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 . If you’ve heard of it before, you probably associate it with low-latency features being added to games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Valorant, and Fortnite . But Reflex is actually Nvidia’s overarching brand name for a wide range of new latency-obsessed tools. Yes, the Low Latency Mode being added to games is part of it, but on Tuesday, Nvidia and its partners are also rolling out blisteringly fast 360Hz G-Sync Esports monitors with Reflex Latency Analyz...

Google Fit on Wear OS is receiving updates this week. Workout tracking will now be a “simpler user experience” on Google Fit, and there is also a fresh new design to boot. Key metrics will be visible up front during workouts now, with two tiles dedicated to your performance. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3l4ihts

This isn’t the typical collection of holiday-themed movies, these are simply films to be thankful for. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2J4AYjR

This completely wireless camera makes it easy to monitor what's happening inside or outside your home. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3pZpLl4

The future of gaming laptops, it seems, is largely focused around managing the limited thermal budgets between the two hottest components: The CPU and GPU. AMD has SmartShift and Intel has Dynamic Power Share, but both technologies are designed to work exclusively with their own hardware. Now Nvidia's joined the party with its own Dynamic Boost, which aims to leverage the "unused" thermal budget in a laptop. For example, if a laptop has a thermal budget of 115 watts with 35 watts for the CPU, and 80 watts for GPU--why not take any additional power the CPU isn't using to increase performance when gaming? That's the idea behind Nvidia's answer to AMD's SmartShift and Intel's Dynamic Power Share. How it works the company isn't detailing, but it is limited to DirectX gaming right now. We'd guess Nvidia has created algorithms to dynamically jack up the GPU's power usage under certain loads, and dynamically gate the CPU's performance to t...

Google Search is getting a conversational experience using language-understanding capabilities that will use the context from your recent activity on the search engine to suggest relevant queries to you. Google is also improving the experience for people who are looking to explore something, such as a movie to watch with their families. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2USQqlz

The Mandalorian AR Experience brings Baby Yoda and the Star Wars series into your homes. Available only on 5G Android phones, The Mandalorian augmented reality app has been developed with the help of Google’s ARCore. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3l2YKJU

Google faces fresh regulatory scrutiny in Britain over plans to revamp its ad data system, after an industry lobbying group complained to the competition watchdog that the changes would cement the US tech giant's online dominance. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fqyFDD

“What graphics card within my budget gives me the best bang for my buck?” That simple question cuts to the core of what people hunting for a new graphics card look for: the most oomph they can afford. Sure, the technological leaps behind each new GPU can be interesting on their own, but most everyone just wants to crank up the detail settings on Battlefield   and get right to playing. To save money on your holiday shopping, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday deals on CPUs, GPUs, monitors, routers, and more . Gaming GPU cheat sheet Our quick-hit recommendations: To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/32lvl5I

Intel called out its rival this morning, claiming that AMD’s Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs suffer major performance penalties when running on battery. The company said its testing found that multiple Ryzen laptops experienced as much as a 48 percent performance drop when running on battery as opposed to being plugged into the wall. Unsurprisingly, laptops using Intel’s own 11th-gen Tiger Lake showed far less of a hit, the company said. The Big Mac is better than the Whopper, really While you’re likely extremely skeptical of Intel’s claims—which are akin to McDonald’s dumping on Burger King or Ford dissing Chevrolet—Intel said it has homework to back up its assertions. PCWorld, in the meantime, is in the process of trying to replicate these results. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2UScGvL

Google Assistant’s Scheduled Actions feature will let users set a smart home command to trigger at a later time. Users can schedule the command to be triggered at a pre-set time and for a fixed duration. Google says that commands can be scheduled for any day within a seven-day period. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/399ju0w

The Frame TV brings fine decor and art to your wall. It's excellent in that role, though it doesn't deliver Samsung's very best motion video technology. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/397bRaJ

If you still think of wireless mice as laggy, battery-sucking substitutes for a real mouse, we’ve got good news for you. Mouse manufacturers have largely solved the latency, connectivity, and power-efficiency problems that once blighted these devices. The best of today’s wireless mice rival their wired counterparts in performance, battery life, features, and design. There are two rather obvious benefits of a wireless mouse. It eliminates the tether to your computer, giving you greater range—essential if you are constrained by your work area or playing PC games on your TV—and removes a source of friction that often interferes with speed and accuracy. It also makes an essential device more travel friendly. No one objects to one less cord in their gear bag. You’ll probably pay a bit more for a wireless mouse than a wired one, but if you value this kind of convenience it’s worth it. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3fx88oc

Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 is mostly an evolutionary update to the XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 we reviewed last year, but with one key change. Thanks to Intel’s 11th gen Core i7-1165G7 chip, gaming is actually conceivable on this sub-three-pound laptop. Most other things didn’t change, and we have our beefs about the design. But that game-ready performance boost alone makes the XPS 13 2-in-1 special.  This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best laptops . Go there for information on competing products and how we tested them.  To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3lYtRYi

Google Call could be the new name for Google’s phone app as it was spotted in a YouTube ad. The app icon comes with the four Google colours that fall in line with the Workspace rebrand. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3pWKtlY

Google Chrome extensions will have to show more detail on user data they collect starting from January 2021. The tools for this have been provided to developers and they are required to implement the changes by January 18 next year. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fp0ADE

Google is testing Task Mate, an app that will let users earn money by doing ‘simple’ tasks on their phones. There will be a variety of tasks users can perform, such as clicking a picture of a restaurant or translating a sentence from English to a local language. The app is currently in beta and is limited to selected testers through a referral code system. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2URXzTe

Internet and technology companies have threatened to leave Pakistan after the government granted blanket powers to authorities to censor digital content, a move critics say was aimed at curtailing freedom of expression in the conservative Islamic nation. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2INDf2Z

Apple, GroupM, and others asked the judge hearing the Justice Department's lawsuit against Google to allow them to designate certain data used by the government as "highly confidential," to ensure that no one from Google could see it. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/39g33Q7

Apple isn’t supplying a power adapter with new iPhones anymore, so we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite ones. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3ofqg9Q

We’ve come a long way from Intel’s original Next Unit of Computing modular computer that brought tiny computing to the mainstream. So far, in fact, that we’re not sure what’s actually “NUCy” about Intel’s new NUC M15 laptop, which is intended as a “whitebook” design that other notebook makers can utilize for their own products. Intel unveiled its in-house-designed laptop yesterday with a list of specs that is simultaneously welcome and somewhat confusing. The NUC M15 and comes with either an 11th gen Core i5-1135G7 or Core i7-1165G7 processor, paired with either 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM. For ports, you get two USB-A connections and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus a full-size HDMI port, lock port and headset jack. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2Ks9HIx

Update: If you prefer video, we've since embedded our interview with Intel's Stephen  Eastman who literally wrote the spec for Intel's new ATX12VO. Watch it above or if you prefer YouTube here . Intel’s latest power play isn’t about toppling AMD, but about energy efficiency. The company's new ATX12VO power supply standard  is designed to help desktop PCs meet increasingly stringent government standards on idle power consumption. ATX12VO does require a sacrifice. Newer power supplies will jettison support for old-school 3.3-volt and 5-volt rails, and concentrate solely on producing 12-volt power. But after kicking the tires on a pair of ATX12VO motherboards as well as an actual ATX12VO PSU, we can say that the future of desktop PC power looks brighter—and your old-friend legacy parts aren’t moving too far away. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/31qdjAw

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Gordon Ung , Brad Chacos , Alaina Yee , and Adam Patrick Murray are joined by a very special guest. Radeon VP Scott Herkelman returns to answer questions and dive deep into the Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT , two fantastic graphics cards that compete with Nvidia’s high-end offerings for the first time in a long time. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/330H6Am

Microsoft's DirectX 12 Ultimate, a new version of the graphics technology underpinning both Windows and the Xbox Series X, seeks to bind the two platforms even closer together with an array of cutting-edge features. Better yet, you can now actually buy DX12 Ultimate hardware in the form of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards, AMD Radeon RX 6000-series graphics cards, and of course the Xbox Series X . To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/35Odbx9

Go SMS Pro messaging app has been pulled from Google Play just hours after a serious data privacy vulnerability was reported online. Go SMS Pro makers were informed about the flaw back in August. However, it is unclear whether it has been patched. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fjPNdS

Samsung is integrating Google Assistant to its 2020 smart TV line up in India and other countries. Users will be able to browse channels, adjust the volume, control playback, open apps, and even access their Google services such as Search, Photos and Maps. Alexa and Bixby are also available on the Samsung smart TVs. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3pGgFtD

Google Meet’s breakout rooms feature will now be available for customers with Google Workspace plans. The feature is also getting improvements – moderators can now set timers for breakout sessions, dial-in participants can be assigned to breakout rooms, and participants can request for help. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2ITl1wS

Google has announced that its cloud gaming service Stadia is coming to iOS. The public testing for the iOS release will start rolling out in the coming weeks. However, instead of a standalone app, Google Stadia will be available to iOS users as a progressive Web app (PWA). from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/38V92tk

Even better news: A revamped exterior design corrects Kwikset’s most glaring flaw. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3nH7ZBn

Gateway’s back! This once-famous PC company from the 1990s was purchased by Acer some years ago. It sat idle until Acer resuscitated the Gateway brand earlier this year, complete with spotted-cow mascot, as a Walmart exclusive. One of the first new offerings, the poetically named Gateway GWTN156-3BK, builds a Comet Lake-H mobile CPU and a modestly aggressive Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 chip into a laptop costing just $999 at Walmart . Does it deliver? Absolutely. While both the available memory and SSD are sparser than we’d like, our tests revealed satisfactory to very good gaming performance. The design has its highlights too, including a decent keyboard and a good mix of connectivity options. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/36Uj5w8

This bot cleans floors, walls, windows and more. No bucket required. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3pLvpY9

Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 are getting support for Google Assistant with the Fitbit OS 5.1 update. The smartwatches will also support audible replies with Alexa, allow Android users to respond to texts with voice-to-text commands, and get improvements to blood oxygen-monitoring features. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3nBAz6Y

Asus Chromebox 4 has been unveiled with 10th-generation Intel Core processors. The new mini PC looks quite similar to its predecessor, Chromebox 3, that debuted back in January 2018. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3kJMaPP

A European Union official said on Thursday that EU’s digital chief has invited companies including Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook for video talks next week to discuss draft rules that could curb their powers. The proposed rules will be formally presented on December 9. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2KhwbvA

Gmail for iOS has been updated with support for a dedicated widget that lets you search your inbox, compose a new email, and check unread emails. Google has also updated its Drive and Google Fit apps with widgets. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/36RMGpN

Google said that it had signed "some individual agreements" on copyright payments with French newspapers and magazines after months of wrangling over the sharing of revenues from the display of news in search results. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2IT2ctF

The $250 Zenfox T3 three-channel dash cam covers action to the front, rear, and inside of your car. It’s large for a dash cam, which makes it super-easy to handle, set up, and use. In fact, it’s one of my favorites in that regard. However, the size and the placement of the interior camera mounted far up the body unit forces some interesting decisions on where to place the unit. It’s not a deal-killer, but it warrants consideration.   This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best dash cams . Go there for information on competing models and how we tested them.  To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3fguTfL

Google said it will be rolling out end-to-end encryption for Android users, making it harder for anyone – including law enforcement – to read the content of messages. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3nCZEP2

YouTube has updated its Terms of Service to start rolling out ads on small channels that aren’t a part of the YouTube Partner Programme. The new change is initially applicable in the US, though it is planned to go live in all regions by the end of next year. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/35KOF00

The whole point of Nvidia’s superb GeForce Now is to let you stream your PC games from the cloud to any device you want. Now the service is spreading its wings even further. On Monday, Nvidia announced that GeForce Now will land on iPhones and iPad on November 19, and beam games directly to Google’s Chrome browser starting in the first quarter of 2021. And get this: GeForce Now’s arrival on iOS means that Fortnite  will soon return to iPhones, too. Both sneak in through the same semi-sanctioned almost-backdoor: your browser. Fortnite disappeared from the App Store over the summer as Epic launched a high-profile lawsuit targeting Apple’s hefty 30-percent tax on digital apps and games. Likewise, Apple has proved resistant to allowing game-streaming services like GeForce Now, Microsoft’s xCloud, and Google Stadia into the App Store for arcane, seemingly anti-consumer reasons. So GeForce Now comes to iOS in the form of a progressive web app accessible via the Safari browser, ra...

Apple’s M1 SoC makes this desktop Mac a great value. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3912w4b

Q: What’s the proper way to remove a cooler from a CPU? I don’t want to accidentally rip the CPU out of the socket and bend the pins. Usually warming up the thermal paste before unmounting a CPU cooler does the trick—cold thermal paste is more likely to keep the heat sink and processor welded together. Just run your system for about 10 to15 minutes, then go about your normal process for removal. (Powering down, unplugging from the wall, etc.) The thermal paste should have become gooey and pliable, allowing you to detach the cooler with ease.  When you do remove the cooler, use a very gentle back-and-forth twisting motion. Start very small first, moving slowly in a direction until you meet a bit of resistance, then going back in the opposite direction. With warm thermal paste, you shouldn’t have too much trouble freeing the cooler and then pulling it up and away. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3nDrH0H

Google has unveiled Tree Canopy Lab, a new tool that will help cities keep cool. City areas are prone to trap heat during summers, and Tree Canopy Lab aims to develop an understanding of the tree cover in a city and help its residents plant more trees where they are sparse. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3lL50HF

Launched nearly four years after the original Google Home, the Google Nest Audio promises better sound along with reliable access to Google Assistant. We review this Rs. 7,999 smart speaker to find out just how good it is. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fbfjlM

Blue is a vast improvement over ADT’s first smart home security system, but bugs remain. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2HeujTd

Welcome back to the high end, AMD. After years of being mired in second place, far behind the top GeForce offerings, the $580 Radeon RX 6800 and $650 Radeon RX 6800 XT deliver blistering performance on a par with—or better than—than Nvidia’s flagship gaming graphics cards in everything but ray tracing, as we covered in our AMD Radeon RX 6800-series review . You need a pixel-packed monitor to push these graphics cards to their limits, however (though AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture scales down to 1080p much better than rival Nvidia GPUs). For most people, that means a 4K or 1440p display. But there's another option: 3440x1440 ultrawide monitors split the performance difference between a 4k and 1440p display in terms of raw pixel count, and provide a level of immersion you just can’t achieve on a standard rectangular display. Better yet, AMD’s latest graphics cards come stuffed with a massive 16GB of onboard memory that can handle any high-resolution textures your games can throw at i...

Google is adding a bunch of new family-oriented features to Google Assistant and Google Fi. Family Notes will let users create digital sticky notes to centralise chores, while Family Bell will be getting new sound effects and suggested bells. Google Fi will let you block strangers from calling and texting your child by only allowing saved and recent contacts to reach ... from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2KotkBh

Google AI’s Chimera Painter tool transforms rough outlines into fleshed-out creatures. It is a machine learning (ML) model created via Unreal Engine and the GAN-based ML algorithm. It adds features and textures to a creative outline, segmented with body part labels. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2HfYr0x

YouTube has added a dedicated section for purchased content on the app. It has also announced audio ads in beta to help interested businesses connect with the podcast-listening audience on YouTube. These audio ads need to be around 15 seconds long and they’ll focus more on audio, rather than video. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2IR1nkQ

A lawyer representing Google in the search and advertising giant's legal fight with the US government pressed for a faster release of documents used to write the complaint against the company. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/36HtyL2

Google Pay gets a major overhaul, introducing paid promotions to the service and opening a waitlist for bank accounts being launched next year with Citigroup and 10 other institutions. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3nAB0i3

Given the ups and downs of 2020, Black Friday's muted vibe comes as no surprise. While you can find good deals, they're not nearly as plentiful or tantalizing as last year, due to demand and a flood of recent product launches. On average, expect to spend about 10% more compared to 2019. Still, with some digging around, we're unearthing solid discounts on items that we particularly care about at PCWorld: CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and more. Keep an eye on these lists, as we'll expand them as sales ramp up between now and Black Friday. To see everything else on sale right now, check out our round-up of the best early Black Friday 2020 deals . Best early Black Friday PC component deals CPU Intel Core i9-9900K , $320 ($80 off) (Use coupon code 93XPZ52 at checkout) CPU coolers Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120L 120mm AIO cooler , $40 (43% off) (Use code 9BFSTART3 at check out. Must also file $10 mail-in rebate by 12/15/20) Graphics cards MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT + ...

Now you can ask Google Assistant to leave “Family Notes” on your Google display. Also: Google Assistant gets a “find my family” feature. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2UDyNWF

AMD’s next-gen Radeon RX 6000-series graphics cards are here, and they’re amazing. The $579 Radeon RX 6800 and $649 Radeon RX 6800 XT bring a fierce battle to Nvidia’s flagship GeForce CPUs, offering flat-out outstanding performance, a vastly improved cooling solution, and more. We’ve already dug deep into AMD’s fresh RDNA 2 architecture , and delivered our comprehensive verdict on the Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT . Check those out if you want more detailed info, but for the quickest hit, here are the five things you need to know about AMD’s new Radeon RX 6800-series graphics cards. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2ISHIAL

Apple has reduced its App Store rates for developers making less than a million dollars a year, but the fight against Epic will continue. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2Klm9d2

With the debut of the Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT, AMD is clearly on a roll. Mere weeks ago, the company’s Ryzen 5000 processors seized the unquestionable performance lead from Intel—yes, even in games—for the first time in over a decade. On Wednesday, it’s the graphics division’s turn to shine with these two Radeon RX 6000-series “Big Navi” graphics cards powered by AMD’s new RDNA 2 architecture. Rival Nvidia has largely been competing against itself in the high-end GPU space for several years now.  AMD’s Vega offerings showed up disappointingly late and disappointingly underpowered in 2017, followed by (awesome) first-gen RDNA cards that sadly topped out with the midrange Radeon RX 5700 XT in 2019 . The Radeon RX 6000-series ends Nvidia's streak. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3firs8A

RDNA 2. The graphics architecture at the heart of AMD’s kick-ass new Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards may sound like a simple iteration upon the original “RDNA” GPUs that came before it, but RDNA 2—which also powers the next-gen Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles—is much more than a mere refresh. Significant tweaking has resulted in a stunning 54-percent increase in power-per-watt over AMD’s last-gen Radeon RX 5000 GPUs . Perhaps more notably, the Radeon RX introduces an innovative new “Infinity Cache” technology that reimagines how memory behaves in graphics cards. Oh, and ray tracing? AMD does that now, too. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3kEY8tP

Google Home’s latest update bumps version to 2.31 and it brings along a host of new features. The most notable is a new intuitive UI for music controls for multi-room and multi-speakers. This new UI lets you easily decide which speaker should be playing the music and the app also allows for volume control for that speaker. You can even easily play music on multiple ... from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3nGsiyZ

Add your own amp and speakers and you’ll have a killer audio system on a reasonable budget. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3nxQpzE

If you rip and library your own media, there's no better tool for storing and streaming it than a NAS box. These versatile storage devices also serve as the perfect personal, secure cloud for backing up your PCs and other devices. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2P42PTA

Google Meet is rolling out a feature that will let users virtually raise their hands in meetings. The feature will be available to eligible users on Android, iOS, and the Web. Participants can raise hands to ask questions or indicate that they want to speak. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/35EQ9IY

Google Fit is getting a revamp for its Android and iOS app. The update includes changes on the homescreen, more sleep information and new sharing features. Wear OS is also getting updates, such as shortcuts that take you to your most recent workouts. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3nxsIYf

Google Chrome gets major performance improvements with the last Chrome release for 2020. It brings faster load times, faster start-up time, and better battery life. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2KbcqG0

Anyone who uses a smartphone knows the importance of carrying a backup battery pack. But try searching for one on Amazon, say, and you’re likely to feel overwhelmed by the vast number of options. Besides the various charging specs, ports, and even cables you have to consider, there are a ton of competing brands. How are you supposed to know which ones actually live up to their promise?   Cheat sheet: Best power banks 2020 Mophie Powerstation XXL: Best overall [ mophie.com ] Aukey Basix Slim 10,000 mAh: Best budget option [ amazon.com ] Xiaomi 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank: Most portable [ amazon.com ] Sherpa 100AC Portable Power Bank: Best for road warriors [ goalzero.com ] Anker Powercore+ 26800 PD: Best USB-C pack with Power Delivery [ amazon.com ] We’ve done the legwork for you, evaluating a wide range of power banks from different manufacturers, costing different prices, and some offering unique features. Our testing is extensive, too, subjecting the packs to rea...

Apple's new M1 MacBooks are closer than ever to the update I've wanted for years, but I'm still saving my money for a little longer. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3pBqMj8

The low-end MacBook Pro offers remarkable speed and battery life, bringing excitement back to the Mac lineup. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3nvrm07

It may be nothing more a processor change, but what a processor! from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3lGnCbs

Pluton, a technology Microsoft and AMD co-developed to prevent the Xbox from being hacked, will be added to Windows PCs via the CPUs themselves.  According to Microsoft, Pluton helps greatly eliminate the chance that the PC’s Trusted Platform Module (TPM) will be compromised. The TPM creates a root of trust, governing a number of critical functions within the PC: guaranteeing that it will securely boot with the trusted combination of hardware and software, for example, and securely update to trusted firmware. Windows’ BitLocker disk encryption system uses the TPM, as do other Windows components. Traditionally, the TPM has existed outside of the processor, connecting to it via an external bus. Now it will be integrated within AMD, Intel, and Snapdragon CPUs itself—though when, and in which processors, remains very murky for now. What this means, however, is that there will be a third-party logic block built into an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen system-on-chip, which will create its ow...

Google has confirmed that it is rolling out two new features that look to offer you more information that will inevitably help you during the COVID-19 crisis. The first one includes the ability to see more COVID-19 information about a region – including all-time detected cases, quick links to COVID resources from local authorities, seven-day trend there (increasing ... from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3lGcD1M

The XPG Gammix S50 Lite didn’t benchmark the fastest of the 4th-gen PCIe M.2 NVMe SSDs we’ve reviewed, but it proved nearly as quick as the best of them with real-world transfers. It’s also considerably cheaper than previous PCIe 4 drives, which hopefully portends the end of early-adopter (read: high) pricing in this segment of the SSD market. This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best SSDs . Go there for information on competing products and how we tested them. Design and specs The XPG Gammix S50 Lite is an x4 PCIe gen 4 using 96-layer TLC (Triple-Level Cell/3-bit) NAND and a Silicon Motion SM2267 controller. The drive sports a dark-silver heat spreader, with the XPG logo featured prominently on the top side. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3kBPYTa

I have seen the light. Or more specifically, I have seen the brightness, contrast, and pixel density. After weeks of testing, I’m ready to declare the iPhone 12’s Full HD (1920x1080, or 1080p) screen just as good as the Note 20 Ultra’s WQHD (2560x1440) one, if not better. Android phone makers have convinced us that we need 2K or higher screens to get the best viewing experience, but that’s just not the case. I don’t want to make this about Apple vs Android, but the fact of the matter is, we never needed displays with WQHD+ resolution. We simply wanted them--or rather, phone makers convinced us that we wanted them. Full HD displays have become relegated to budget Android phones as more emphasis is placed on immersive, edge-to-edge, pixel-packed experiences. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2UynXRV

TiVo vs. Tablo vs. Channel Master vs. Plex: None are ideal, but one might work for you. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/2GKVRh9

Google Pixel 5 has a system volume issue that makes notification tones too loud for comfort, according to some users. The issue is also affecting the volume levels when playing videos on the Pixel 5. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/36MuGgN

YouTube Music is reportedly adding a new Quick Picks section that has a carousel featuring four songs on each page. A radio playlist of similar songs will get generated on selecting a song. The feature is rolling out for Android and iOS users, as well as the Web. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3kLGo09

Pixel 4a has got a new colour variant called ‘Barely Blue’. As of now, this new variant seems to be exclusive to the US market as per the Google Pixel phone specifications page. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/2Uw8kub

If there’s one knock against the Google Pixel 4a, it’s that it comes in only one color: Just Black. After COVID 19-related production issues reportedly forced Google to push back the 4a’s launch, the budget Pixel finally landed in August in just a single configuration. Just in time for the holidays, Google has launched a new color for the Pixel 4a: Barely Blue. It’s not the first time Google has offered a blue hue for its products—the original Pixel came in Really Blue, the Pixel Slate is midnight blue, and the Nest Home Mini is available in Aqua, for instance—but this shade is on the subtle side. Like the Purple-ish Pixel 3a and Not Pink Pixel 3, the shade of blue here is very light and unassuming. To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/36C7aCW

Starting on Tuesday, Fire TV users will finally be able to watch Succession, Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, and more using the HBO Max app. from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3pvEVyq

Watch out, Nvidia. AMD’s long-awaited “Big Navi” graphics cards are almost here, and for the first time in a long time, Team Red is setting its sights on the high end. The $579 Radeon RX 6800 and $649 Radeon RX 6800 XT take direct aim at the GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 , respectively, while the $999 Radeon RX 6900 XT sets its sights on Nvidia’s crown jewel—the $1,500 GeForce RTX 3090 . Hot damn. You can find all the Radeon RX 6000 details you need to know here . To read this article in full, please click here from PCWorld https://ift.tt/3puc1il