Redmi Note 12 Turbo Front Design, Flaunts Slimmer Bezels Than iPhone 14

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Mar 22, 2023

The Anker 778 Thunderbolt Docking Station has gone on sale. The new device provides connectivity for up to 4 displays and is a 12-in-1 hub. The product is currently available in the United States and the UK. It offers versatility, power, quality, and affordability for connected laptops.

The Anker 778 Thunderbolt can charge a connected device at speeds up to 100W and it connects to 4K@60Hz displays. It also has two 30W USB-C and four USB-A ports. The data transfer rates of the Type-A ports are up to 5Gbps while the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 data transfer speed reaches 10Gbps.

The Thunderbolt 4 downstream port, HDMI 2.1, and two 8K@30Hz DisplayPort 1.4 provide the interfaces for connecting to four monitors. The maximum resolution on Windows is 4K@30Hz and that of Mac is 4K@60Hz. The connections are however not compatible with some MacBook and ASUS laptops.

The Anker 778 Thunderbolt Docking Station has a 180W power adapter, power cable, and more than 2ft of Thunderbolt 4 cable. Compatibility of the Anker 778 docking station is spread among a wide array of Windows and macOS laptops including Dell, HP, and MacBooks. The Anker 778 Thunderbolt docking station is available from Anker Store for $379.99 in the US. The gadget retails in the UK for £379.99 but there are no details yet on availability in other markets.

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Anker 737 MagGo Charger (3-in-1 station) released

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Mar 22, 2023

The Anker 737 MagGo Charger has been launched with compatibility for Apple devices. The new MagGo Charger is a 3-in-1 station that can be used to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. The device has a wireless charging pad that can charge an iPhone at 15W. It is compatible with the most recent iPhone models like the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Anker 737 MagGo Charger (3-in-1 station)

The Anker 737 MagGo charger can charge an iPhone 14 Pro Max from 0-50% in 47 minutes. There are three charging ports in the triangular device. On the front are a MagSafe wireless charging pad, and a charging port for an Apple Watch, and the middle houses the wireless charging pad for AirPods. The stand of the device is adjustable so that you can set your phone vertically or horizontally. The safety of your gadgets is assured with the built-in MultiProtect Safety System with temperature control and foreign object detection.

The charger is compatible with iPhone 12 devices and younger models. It is a portable, lightweight, and handy charging station and weighs just 386g. It has dimensions of 4.2 x 4.5 x 3.9 inches and comes with a 30W USB Type-C charger. The charging accessory also includes a USB-C to USB-C cable which is 5ft long. The Anker 737 MagGo Charger is being retailed in the US at a launch price of $139.95. The original price of the Anker 737 is $155.50 and it is currently available from Amazon and the Anker Store.

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US proposes restrictions to stop China from using the $52 billion semiconductor fund

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Joane

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Mar 22, 2023

The US Commerce Department has proposed rules and policies to stop China and other foreign nations of concern from benefitting from the $52 billion fund of the US Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research program. The proposed rules will affect countries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

Companies that receive grants under the federal semiconductor fund will not be allowed to invest or expand their semiconductor business in countries like China and Russia. Moreover, they will also not be allowed to engage in joint research or share technology related to semiconductors with these nations. For the next 10 years, the companies who receive the grant will be barred from building or expanding semiconductor manufacturing factories in countries that come under the list of foreign entities of concern.

The US Commerce Department has also classified the chips according to their importance and designated some advanced chips including the quantum chips and military use chips as ‘critical to national security’. These chips will be subject to tighter restrictions as they play a critical role in the technological advancement of the country.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that the tighter restrictions cover chips used in current-generation, mature-node chips used for quantum computing, chips used in radiation-intensive environments, and other specialized military capabilities. She further added that these restrictions would help to ensure that the US stays ahead of its adversaries in the coming decades.

What is the US Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Fund?

The US Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Program is a specially designed fund under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The Biden administration created the $52 billion fund to encourage the domestic manufacture of semiconductor chips, as well as continued research in the field.

On Tuesday the Commerce Department released the proposed rules and regulations for the use of these funds. From late June, the department plans to start accepting applications for a $39 billion manufacturing subsidy program. The law also creates a 25% investment tax credit for building chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion.

The application will be a five-step process where companies will have to submit a workforce plan that includes an outline of workforce needs. Companies that are accepted and receive more than $150 million in direct funding will have to comply with additional rules and regulations. These companies for instance will be required to share with the US government a portion of any cash flows or returns that exceed the applicant’s projections by an agreed-upon threshold.

The companies will get somewhere around 5% to 15% of project capital expenditure as direct funds and the total amount of an award including a loan or loan guarantee, will not exceed 35% of project capital expenditures. All recipients of the fund will be required to sign an exclusive agreement accepting restrictions on the expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity in foreign countries of concern like China for 10 years after winning the funding.

Nothing Ear (2) with LHDC 5.0, Bluetooth 5.3 support, enhanced ANC launched

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Mar 22, 2023

UK-based consumer tech startup Nothing has announced the launch of its latest wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2). The earbud is the direct successor of the Nothing Ear (1), which was launched in June 2021.

In terms of design, the Nothing Ear (2) looks almost identical to its predecessor as it comes with the same transparent design with black accents. However, the company has made significant improvements in terms of the specs and features of the earbuds.

One of the major upgrades in the Ear (2) is the addition of support for the LHDC 5.0 audio codec, which enables users to stream high-resolution audio. The earbuds also come with a new personalized sound profile feature, which allows users to calibrate the earbuds to their specific hearing after taking a quick test in the Nothing X companion app. Users can further adjust the equalizer settings to their liking from the app.

The new wireless earbuds also feature adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), which can tune out unwanted noises based on the user’s specific ear profile and surroundings. The earbuds are equipped with 11.6mm drivers that have a new diaphragm unit made with graphene and polyurethane materials, resulting in improved sound quality.

The voice pickup feature has been reworked as well, with improved wind-proofing that should be better at isolating the user’s voice in noisy environments. The Ear (2) also offer dual pairing, meaning that users can connect the earbuds to two devices simultaneously.

The battery life of the Ear (2) is rated at up to 36 hours with the charging case. The case can be charged via USB-C or wirelessly at 2.5W speeds. The earbuds support Google Fast Pair for Android devices and Microsoft Swift Pair for Windows users. The storage case has an IP55 rating against dust and water splashes, while the earbuds themselves have an IP54 rating.

As for the price, the Nothing Ear (2) will retail for $149 in the US, for €149 in Europe, and for £129 in the UK. The earbuds are available for order from the Nothing website, and they can also be purchased at the Nothing Store in Soho, London, as well as select Kith stores worldwide. The Ear (2) will be available for open sale from March 28 through Nothing’s official online and offline retail partners.

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Nvidia Adapts Flagship H100 Chip for Chinese Market with H800 Variant

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Oğuz Çakır

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Mar 22, 2023

Nvidia has announced a modification of its flagship H100 chip to create a version that complies with export regulations for the Chinese market. This move comes after US regulators imposed rules that prevented Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips, the A100 and H100, to Chinese customers, citing national security concerns. Here are the details…

Nvidia tweaks flagship H100 chip for export to China as H800

Last November, Nvidia had designed the A800 chip, a slightly less capable version of the A100, to make it legal for export to China. Now, the company has similarly developed a China-export version of the H100 chip, called the H800. This new chip is being utilized by the cloud computing units of major Chinese technology firms, including Alibaba Group Holding, Baidu, and Tencent Holdings.

The H800 chip is poised to support a growing number of startups focusing on developing large language models and generative AI technologies. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that these startups can now rely on Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu to provide excellent cloud capabilities powered by Nvidia’s AI.

US regulators imposed restrictions on AI chips last fall to slow down China’s development in crucial technology sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The intent was to hinder the country’s efforts to modernize its military. The imposed rules ban chips with both powerful computing capabilities and high chip-to-chip data transfer rates, as transfer speed is crucial when training AI models on vast amounts of data. Slower transfer rates result in extended training time.

According to a chip industry source in China, the H800 primarily reduces the chip-to-chip data transfer rate to about half the rate of the flagship H100. Although the Nvidia spokesperson did not elaborate on how the H800 differs from the H100, they emphasized that “our 800 series products are fully compliant with export control regulations.”

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HarmonyOS 3 Public beta Announced for Huawei Mate 10, P20 series, and more

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Mar 22, 2023

Huawei has been slowly seeding the latest version of its software— HarmonyOS 3— to eligible smartphones. A sizeable number of handsets have already received the update and the latest devices to get the software treat are the Huawei Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, P20, P20 Pro, and more. Users of these devices can now sign up for the beta version of the HarmonyOS 3. Here are the details.

Huawei today announced that users of Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, P20, P20 Pro, and Mate RS Porsche Edition smartphones in China can now enroll in the HarmonyOS 3 Public beta program. After enrolling, users will be able to test the software before the stable build is rolled out.

However, it should be noted that the public beta build is a test version released to the public during the version development stage. It may not function as smoothly as the stable build and could even hamper your day-to-day usage. Some applications (including third-party applications) may be unstable or incompatible with the software.

After the beta testing is over, Huawei will start pushing the official version of the HarmonyOS 3 to users in batches. Updating to the stable build should not clear user data, but it is still recommended to back up all important data to a PC or cloud before upgrading, and confirm that the contents are safely stored.

Prior to taking part in the early adopters for the public beta, it is important for users to confirm that their phone system version meets the minimum requirements for upgrades. If their current version falls short of the baseline version, users must first update their device to the appropriate version in order to participate.

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Redmi Note 12 Turbo Stops by Geekbench with Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2

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Mar 22, 2023

Redmi Note 12 Turbo will be the latest smartphone to join the brand’s popular Note 12 series. It has been confirmed to make its debut in the Chinese market on March 28 with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC under the hood. While we wait, the handset has popped up on Geekbench with the mentioned processor. Let’s look at the details.

The Redmi Note 12 Turbo has been listed on Geekbench with model number 23049RAD8C. The benchmarking platform reveals the handset has managed to score 1213 points in the single-core and 3972 in the multi-core tests. The scores suggest the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, which powers the device, will offer impressive performance for a mid-range SoC.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will offer substantial performance and power efficiency improvements. Its main Kryo CPU core is clocked at 2.91GHz and the whole 1+3+4 CPU architecture is claimed to deliver over a 50% jump in performance compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.

Geekbench reveals the Redmi Note 12 Turbo’s processor will be paired with 12GB RAM. The company may announce other RAM variants as well. Further, the smartphone is listed to run Android 13 OS out of the box. It will likely have Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 14 skin on top.

Previous reports suggest the Redmi smartphone will arrive with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The handset may get a triple camera system on the back with a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP Ultrawide, and a 2MP macro lens. It will likely be fueled by a 5,500mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.

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Microsoft may add Exclusive Call of Duty features for PS5 owners

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Sean

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Mar 22, 2023

Microsoft has stated that it plans to continue offer support for exclusive features on its popular Call of Duty franchise for the Sony PlayStation 5. This would mean that we can expect to see some beloved features being retained rather than the company making the experience worse on its rival platform.

For those unaware, the American tech giant had acquired Activision Blizzard, which is behind the massively successful franchise of Call of Duty. Call of Duty on the Sony console was capable of offering exclusive features like adaptive triggers and haptic feedback from the PS5 controllers. These are features that are not offered on the Microsoft Xbox Series S and Series X. But despite the brand acquiring the popular shooter title, the experience on the PS5 will apparently remain the same.

According to a new report, the company has no real reason to continue supporting these exclusive features but are still planning on maintaining the experience to avoid damaging future sales. In other words, rather than bringing both console platforms on a similar playing field, the company will seek to ensure that Call of Duty on the PS5 will run just as well to make sure the sales of the major gaming franchise doesn’t get impacted.

Interestingly enough, this is the exact opposite of what Sony is claiming. The Japanese tech giant has argued against this major acquisition, stating that Microsoft could technically release an inferior version of the Call of Duty games on its PlayStation platform. This could be through a buggy port or other issues to ensure that the games are best experienced through their own Xbox gaming consoles.

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OnePlus 11 Special Edition teased with a Jupiter-inspired back design

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Mar 22, 2023

OnePlus 11 is the brand’s most premium smartphone, and it recently made its debut in the global market in two beautiful colors – Eternal Green and Titan Black. These two colors were well-received by consumers, but it appears that OnePlus is looking to spice things up a little with a Space-inspired special edition of the handset.

Li Jie, president of OnePlus China, recently shared images of an upcoming special edition OnePlus 11. The smartphone is shown with the planet Jupiter suggesting it could debut with some kind of space-inspired design. It is claimed to feature “unprecedented materials and craftsmanship, making each mobile phone unique”.

According to the trustworthy tipster Digital Chat Station, the upcoming special edition phone will sport a unique space material on its back that has never been used in the industry before. Unlike glass, the back panel will have a cool and cold sensation when touched. The tipster also clarified that this is not the same phone as the OnePlus 11 Concept, which was revealed at MWC Barcelona last month.

A Weibo user has suggested that the smartphone’s back panel could be made of marble, while some others speculate that it could have color-shifting capabilities similar to the Vivo V27. There’s no official confirmation from the brand yet but we hope to learn more in near future.

To remind you, the OnePlus 11 arrives with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC under the hood and features a 120Hz 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels. The smartphone gets a 5,000mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging. There are three rear cameras, headlined by a 50MP main camera, a 32MP telephoto, and a 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens.

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Pure Advance electric scooter sports a revolutionary design that will shake the e-scooter market

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Mar 22, 2023

Pure Electric has announced the Pure Advance e-scooter and it comes with a revolutionary concept. The Pure Advance e-scooter has become a regular sight during F1 races and the company hopes for a global expansion beyond F1.

Recent Formula One races have showcased at least one electric scooter during races. Such e-scooters have become the ultimate tool of convenience during the F1 weekend. The choice of an e-scooter solution is driven by environmental considerations. And Pure Electric CEO Adam Norris feels humans are polluting the environment too much and man should do what needs to be done to stem the tide. The clean solutions provided by e-scooters are therefore boosts for environmental protection.

Pure Electric began tinkering with designs for Pure Air in 2019. The company drew inspiration from Chinese high-volume, low-price models which were refined over time. Pure Electric only refined the design gradually unlike others who relied on an uncertain market to drive their sales.

The Pure Advance flagship model has a forward–facing riding position and two fold-up floorboards that places the rider’s feet parallel with the direction of travel. The lowered center of gravity of the e-scooter enhances control and stability. Safety is enhanced by the self-centering steering wheel. The e-scooter has a lightweight aluminum frame design that houses a 9.6Ah Lithium-ion battery with IP65 waterproof protection.

The Pure Advance has a 500W electric motor that delivers a top speed of 25km/h and a range of 40 km. The Pure Advance+ has a range of 50km, but with the same top speed as the base model and foldable flex variant. The lineup adopts a 60-lux headlamp, taillight, and integrated indicators on the bar ends of the foot pads.

The Advance e-scooter has three drive modes, Bluetooth connectivity, and support for its companion app (iOS- and Android-compatible). The models are also designed to be affordable. Pure Electric hopes to expand beyond its European reach and enter the US market by August 2023. The Middle East (Dubai and Saudi Arabia) is also slated for an entry of the Pure Air scooters later this year.

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Samsung Exynos Connect U100 UWB chip for mobile, automobile, and IoT devices announced

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Mar 22, 2023

Samsung has announced the Exynos Connect U100 ultra-wideband (UWB) chipset optimized for mobile, automobile, and internet of things (IoT) devices. It is the company’s first UWB chipset and offers excellent accuracy and precise location information. The Samsung Exynos Connect U100 builds on Samsung’s UWB applications for short-range wireless communication via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The new U100 UWB chipset is designed to facilitate improved hyperconnectivity across a wide range of devices.

The Exynos Connect U100 uses the time of arrival (ToA) and 3D angle of arrival (AoA) measurements to deliver significantly improved accuracy of location and distance parameters. The accuracy of the chipset is within a single-digit centimeter and 5º. It comes in handy when tracking locations in challenging indoor circumstances where GPS is unavailable. It is also useful in AR and VR situations when tracking real-time, the movement of persons or objects. The U100 integrates RF, eFlash memory, and power management IP in the chip. This makes it possible to use the chip in compact devices.

The U100 has a power-saving mode that can maximize the battery life of the device. That means smart tracking devices with the U100 chip can run on limited battery power effectively. The U100 has a scrambled timestamp sequence function and a secure hardware encryption engine to prevent hacking. The chip has the FiRa Consortium’s certification for conformability with interoperability standards. There are other industry standards that the Samsung Exynos U100 UWB chipset is certified.

Smartphones that are equipped with the U100 can securely communicate digital key information with vehicles without compromising the security of the vehicle. There are no indications yet on the first devices to debut the new Samsung Exynos Connect U100 UWB chipset.

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Xiaomi MIJIA 540L refrigerator with air-cooled frost-free preservation unveiled in China

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Mar 22, 2023

Xiaomi has unveiled the MIJIA 540L ice crystal refrigerator with two doors and a 540L storage capacity. The new MIJIA refrigerator has an ice crystal glass panel and a natural ice crystal texture on the glass surface. It also features anti-fouling technology and substantially eliminates dirt buildup in the system.

The refrigerator has a 360-degree encircling three-dimensional air supply that avoids frost condensation and manual defrosting. The refrigerator’s design ensures air-cooled, frost-free preservation of food items inside the appliance.

The MIJIA 540L ice crystal refrigerator is equipped with four sensors and it has four cooling modes. The cooling modes enable the user to customize the cooling dependent on the type of food and other considerations. The cooling modes are Intelligent, Quick cooling, Quick freezing, and Holiday. The 540L capacity of the refrigerator is divided into two freezing compartments of 189L and 351L There are 20 smaller compartments and you can store different foods and ingredients including hot and raw foods without generating odors.

The refrigerator adopts the silver ion antibacterial technology to eliminate bacteria and prevent fouling. The silver ion technology has a bacterial removal rate of 99.99%. This creates a healthy and hygienic fresh storage environment at all times. The refrigerator has an inverter fan and inverter compressor for delivering customized and effective cooling. The refrigerator has an intelligent interconnection interface with an 8-inch touchscreen and Xiaoai voice assistant support. The refrigerator also accommodates OTA online upgrades.

The interface provides a rich list of functions including weather updates, a cooking countdown timer, and setting shelf-life reminders for ingredients.

The Xiaomi MIJIA 540L ice crystal refrigerator is currently retailing in China for 2,999 yuan (~$436). There are no indications yet on the availability of the gadget in other markets.

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iQOO Z7x 5G Could also be on the way as it gets SIRIM certified

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