NASA resumes communications with Voyager 1 probe

By , Space Electronics
Space IT support: After months of doubts, uncertainties, and somber predictions, NASA was finally able to establish communication with Voyager 1's flight system and assess its status. The probe is still operational as expected, and the space agency is now preparing to retrieve new flight data from it.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has confirmed that Voyager 1 remains in good health. The team has identified the issue affecting the probe's ability to transmit valuable scientific data back to Earth, and engineers are now working to implement the necessary fix to reroute communications "around" the malfunctioning chip found through "inventive sleuthing."

For the first time since November, Voyager 1 is once again transmitting usable data about the status of its onboard systems. The legendary probe began transmitting digital gibberish on November 14, 2023, although mission control could still discern that the spacecraft was receiving their commands and operating normally.

Voyager engineers pinpointed the source of the issue in March 2024 when they discovered that the probe's flight data subsystem (FDS) was not functioning as intended. The FDS, one of Voyager's three onboard "computers," is responsible for packaging scientific and engineering data before transmitting it back to Earth via NASA's Deep Space Network ground receivers.

One of the chips within the FDS is not functioning, NASA engineers have now discovered. This chip stores a portion of the FDS memory, including some of the system's software code. However, NASA cannot physically replace it in outer space, billions of kilometers away.

The US space agency has devised a plan to relocate the aforementioned code elsewhere within the FDS system. However, the code will need to be divided into different sections and stored in multiple locations within the FDS. NASA emphasizes that this is a complex plan, requiring adjustments to ensure that the code will still function as intended.

Engineers will commence the relocation of the affected code in the coming weeks. Following this, Voyager 1 should resume sending usable scientific data back to Earth.

The Voyager 1 space probe was launched on September 5, 1977, with a mission to study the outer Solar System over a span of three to four years. After transmitting spectacular images and valuable data about Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn's moon Titan, Voyager 1 is now journeying through interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere.

Electronics Science

A battery that can recharge in seconds: Researchers use supercapacitor parts to build a new type of sodium-ion battery

By , 4 comments
In a nutshell: Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have discovered a promising battery breakthrough that could revolutionize portable power. Professor Jeung Ku Kang and his team's work involves sodium-ion batteries, which are similar in design to traditional lithium-ion batteries and can be manufactured using the same sort of industrial processes. In these batteries, sodium ions replace lithium ions in the cathode, while the lithium salts in the electrolyte (the liquid that helps ferry charge between the battery electrodes) are traded out for sodium salts.

Sodium-ion batteries aren't new, but they've only started to gain traction in recent years. Compared to their lithium counterparts, the materials used in sodium batteries are far more abundant (up to 1,000 more plentiful) and affordable. They are also much safer than lithium-ion batteries, and can be discharged to 0V – eliminating the possibility of thermal runaway due to a short circuit.

Long charge times and less than desirable storage capacity, however, have kept sodium-ion batteries on the sidelines, but that could all change soon.

The KAIST team replaced common battery cathode materials with those used by supercapacitors, resulting in a high-energy, high-power hybrid sodium battery that can also be charged rapidly. Tweaks to the anode were made to improve capacity, and a method to synthesize an optimized electrode material was also utilized.

According to Kang, their solution has an energy density that exceeds commercially available lithium-ion batteries along with the output density characteristics of a capacitor. As a next-gen storage device, recharging will be possible in seconds to minutes, which would make it ideal for use in all sorts of electronic gadgets. It could also be a game-changer for automakers building EVs, allowing them to cut costs while delivering vehicles that could fully recharge in just a couple of minutes.

With any luck, the tech will eventually make its way from the lab to the real world.

The team's research has been published in the journal Science Direct.

Image credit: Mike Bird

Apple Wearable Tech

Apple slashes Vision Pro production, cancels 2025 model in response to plummeting demand

By , 9 comments
Cutting corners: Following reports that sales of Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro headset have been falling as fast as interest in the device, a renowned analyst has claimed that demand is so low that Apple has slashed its shipment forecast for the rest of the year. Furthermore, it may decide not to release a new model in 2025.

We heard over the weekend that the Vision Pro headset Apple spent eight years and billions of dollars developing was rapidly losing steam in terms of both interest and sales.

After between 160,000 and 180,000 devices were sold in pre-orders across a weekend in January ahead of the official launch, reports claimed Apple Stores were now selling just a handful of units per week. In-store demo bookings were right down, too, and many of those who do book often don't turn up.

Now, famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has echoed those reports. He writes that Cupertino has cut its Vision Pro shipments to 400,000 to 450,000 units, around half the 800,000 units that were originally planned, due to waning demand.

Kuo adds that Apple cut the orders ahead of the Vision Pro launching in markets outside of the US, the only location it's currently available. This indicates that demand in the United States has fallen sharply beyond expectations, according to the analyst, and that Apple expects similar cool demand in other regions.

It's not just shipments that are being affected; Kuo believes that Apple will now be adjusting its headset roadmap. It was expected that the company would release a cheaper, lighter model in the second half of next year, addressing two of the biggest complaints about the Vision Pro. But Kuo says there may be no new headset from Apple next year. Apple also expects year-on-year shipments of the current Vision Pro to decline in 2025 – no surprise there.

Despite so many reviews hailing it as a technical marvel thanks to its micro-OLED display and impressive interface, the Vision Pro remains a niche product. That massive price combined with a lack of a killer app makes the headset a hard sell for consumers beyond die-hard Apple fans, which is probably why Apple has started really pushing the Vision Pro as an enterprise product.

Hardware

Gigabyte confirms "Ryzen 9000" branding for AMD's upcoming Zen 5 CPUs

By ,
What just happened? Gigabyte has officially confirmed that AMD's next-gen processor lineup will be marketed under the "Ryzen 9000" moniker. The confirmation seemingly scotches rumors that Team Red could switch up its naming convention and use the Ryzen 8000 branding for the Zen 5 chips that are launching this year.

The information comes from a new Gigabyte press release notifying users of the latest AGESA 1.1.7.0 beta BIOS release that makes its current AM5 motherboards (X670, B650, and A620-series products) compatible with AMD's next-gen processors. Asus and MSI confirmed support last week, but only mentioned "next-gen AMD Ryzen CPUs" rather than revealing the official branding for the upcoming lineup.

Codenamed "Granite Ridge," the Ryzen 9000-series desktop processors will be based on the Zen 5 architecture and be an upgrade over the Zen 4-based "Raphael" CPUs released in late 2022. While AMD has already announced that the first batch of Zen 5-based SKUs will debut later this year, unconfirmed rumors suggest that they could be showcased at Computex 2024 in June before going on sale a few months later.

Alongside Granite Ridge, Zen 5 is also expected to power the "Strix Point" APUs, tipped to release later this year. However, unlike the Ryzen 9000 series, these are said to combine Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores and include more powerful integrated graphics. Zen 5 is also expected to power the "Fire Range" mobile CPUs and "Strix Halo" APUs that are rumored to be released in 2025.

AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su has already confirmed that Zen 5-based CPUs for both client and server applications will launch in the second half of 2024. A recent leak also suggested that Zen 5 cores could be more than 40 percent faster than Zen 4, possibly making the next-gen processors significantly more powerful than their predecessors.

While AMD hasn't yet shared any Zen 5 benchmarks, it claims that the chips will offer improved performance and efficiency over Zen 4. Other improvements are said to be a re-pipelined front end, as well as integrated AI and machine learning optimizations. Overall, Zen 5 is likely to be a substantial upgrade over the current-generation processors, and the fact they will be supported by existing AM5 motherboards is probably the encouragement that many AMD users need to splurge on a new CPU this year.

Software Microsoft

Microsoft is rolling out new Start menu ads to all Windows 11 users despite backlash

By , 10 comments
Facepalm: It seems Microsoft has decided that contrary to popular belief, people really do like ads. The company is rolling out Start menu advertisements to all Windows 11 users after testing them at the start of the month, suggesting the negative user feedback didn't outweigh the benefits for Microsoft

It was only a couple of weeks ago when Microsoft started testing more Start menu ads in Windows 11 – something it experimented with a year earlier – in the latest Windows Insider build.

The ads appear in the Recommended section of the Start menu. They consist of recommendations for apps from the Microsoft Store that the company says come from a small set of curated developers.

The ads are now part of the optional KB5036980 update being made available to all Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 users. The update is a preview of the Patch Tuesday update for May, so everyone will get it soon enough.

The ads are the first element of the update that Microsoft covers in its release notes. The Redmond firm writes that the feature will help users discover some of the apps and games available on the store.

Any Windows feature that appears on Insider Channels isn't guaranteed to make it into the full version of the OS, especially if there's a lot of pushback from users. But despite nobody wanting ads embedded into Windows, here we are. It seems Microsoft really wants developers to build more Windows apps that can fill up its store.

Microsoft's reasoning could be that the ads can easily be disabled. Just go to Settings > Personalization > Start, and turn off the toggle for Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.

The update does add some useful features, including the Start menu's Recommended section showing your most frequently used apps. The Widgets icons on the taskbar are also being improved so they're no longer pixelated or fuzzy. Widgets on the lock screen are being made more reliable and have improved quality, too. Still, it's unlikely that this will appease irritated users.

Hardware Gaming

Asus releases firmware update to address game crashes on Intel CPUs

By ,
A hot potato: Owners of recent Intel CPUs designed for gaming have been experiencing a lot of crashes during the shader compilation process, and motherboard manufacturers are now starting to provide a proper fix to this unusually widespread issue. Asus has already released new firmware, and other companies could soon do the same.

Owners of recent Intel CPUs and Asus motherboards based on the Z790, B760, and H770 chipsets are strongly advised to install the latest firmware update released by the Taiwanese manufacturer. The company introduced the new update as a BIOS ready for "next gen Intel processors," while the firmware is essentially designed to make those processors actually work as they should have done from the start.

The new firmware introduces an additional BIOS option known as "Intel Baseline Profile," which provides users with the ability to revert to Intel factory settings for basic processor functionality. Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs should start working within lower power limits, thus improving stability in certain gaming scenarios.

Crashes and other instability issues were mostly experienced by owners of Core i9-13900K, Core i9-14900K, Core i7-13700K, and Core i7-14700K CPUs. Game developers have had to recommend that users to downclock their systems to avoid crashes, with the root cause identified as excessive power delivery by 700-Series motherboards to Intel's latest gaming processors.

The newly introduced Intel Baseline Profile (IBP) included in the latest Asus firmware confirms that motherboard manufacturers were inexplicably going against Chipzilla's suggested working parameters. The majority of instability issues were experienced with games based on the Unreal Engine 5, with most of the crashes happening during the shader compilation process while loading a game.

The new firmware update should fix the stability issue for Asus customers, but it doesn't explain why the company – and likely other hardware manufacturers – decided to go so aggressively beyond Intel's suggested settings to begin with. Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs would likely provide more than adequate performance levels even when the Intel Baseline Profile is enabled.

If the new IBP option will solve the stability issue for good on Asus platforms, other motherboard vendors will likely follow with their own specific firmware updates. Downclocking a high-end CPU isn't really a solution, as it could have a significantly detrimental impact on the system's overall performance both for gaming and general-purpose applications.

Tech Culture Electronics

Worry your friends with this $9,420 flamethrower robot dog

By , 7 comments
WTF?! Good news for anyone who worries there simply aren't enough flame-throwing robot dogs in the world. An Ohio-based company is now selling its 37-pound fire-spewing metal canines for the not-inconsiderable price of $9,420.

Throwflame, which is apparently the oldest flamethrower manufacturer in the US, unveiled its imaginatively-named Thermonator in 2023. It joins the list of robotic quadrupeds that have been equipped with weaponry over the years, such as this rifle-carrying machine and a rocket-launcher-carrying robot ninja dog from Russia.

The Thermonator can meet all your burning requirements thanks to the ARC flamethrower carried on its back, which can throw fiery gasoline or napalm 30 feet. It also has a one-hour battery, and is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth equipped so users can control it with a smartphone.

Some of the Thermonator's other features include Lidar mapping to help it avoid obstacles and a first-person view (FPV) for navigation. There's also laser sighting, just in case the sight of this Black Mirror-like monster isn't frightening enough.

Throwflame doesn't advertise Thermonator as a weapon, of course. The website describes its uses as wildfire control and prevention, agricultural management, ecological conservation, and snow and ice removal. It also notes the robot's potential use in the entertainment and SFX industries. No mention of setting people ablaze.

The robot itself is a Chinese-made Unitree Go2, which can be bought for $1,600 in its base configuration – a lot cheaper than the $74,500 Boston Dynamics charged for Spot when it first became available to buy. A demo video from the US Marines last year showed the Unitree Go1 predecessor carrying a rocket launcher.

The Thermonator is available to buy now, though Maryland restrictions mean a Federal Firearms License is required to own a flamethrower as they are defined as a destructive device in the state. Throwflame does ship to California, but state laws restricting the operational range of flamethrowers to 10 feet or less means the Thermonator will have a smaller nozzle.

The company, maker of the first-ever full-sized, commercially available flamethrower in 2015, notes that as flamethrowers remain federally unregulated in most cases, anyone can buy one without background checks or a waiting period, which sounds reassuring.

Back in 2021, the James Bond villain-sounding SWORD International, which makes semi-automatic rifles, partnered with Ghost Robotics on an assault-rifle carrying robodog. There was also a Russian robot dog whose cuteness earned from its ninja costume was undermined by the anti-tank rocket launcher on its back.

Hardware Tech Culture

This Japanese vending machine dispenses Intel Core CPUs for just $3.25 a pop

By , 4 comments
WTF?! Japan is home to many weird and wonderful things, including a Gacha vending machine where you can grab an Intel Core i7-8700 for about $3.25. The caveat is that the chip has some issues, but it still works – and you can't argue with that price.

The machine was highlighted by X/Twitter user LaurieWired (via Tom's Hardware), who posted that a user called Sawara-San had won the Coffee Lake S chip after placing 500 Yen, or about $3.25, into the Gacha machine. The self-serving vending machines are found in most locations globally but are especially popular in Japan. Users simply insert coins, turn the dial, and see what prize has been dispensed – they usually come inside small plastic balls.

The machines tend to spit out small toys or models, but the one outside of a computer and electronics store called 1's PC gives out something else: CPUs.

The catch is that these processors appear to be older and defective items, likely those that 1's PC couldn't sell and just wanted to clear out. The Core i7-8700 that Sawara-San won, for example, appeared to be causing display problems, and installing Windows on a PC powered by the chip didn't initially work.

The Core i7-8700 is supposed to have six cores and 12 threads, but a Windows Task Manager screenshot shows Sawara-San's has five cores and ten threads. This was likely causing some, if not all, of the issues, and there could be more problems with the chip,

Nevertheless, the CPU was still able to complete Cinebench R15 and R23 benchmarks. The 992cb Cinebench R15 nT test score was a lot lower than what a normal Core i7-8700 would offer, unsurprisingly.

Despite the faults, paying just over $3 for a CPU that can be bought second hand for $90 from 1's PC is still good. Meanwhile, a brand new Intel Core i7-8700 is $200 on Amazon, while refurbed models are $135.

This isn't Japan's first CPU vending machine. Reports in 2021 highlighted a machine in Tokyo giving away dummy AMD Ryzen 5000 boxes filled with one or several older CPUs, including Intel models, for around $9.

Industry

FTC votes to ban most noncompete agreements nationwide, a common practice among big tech corporations

By , 9 comments
The big picture: Many companies, including those in the tech sector, often use noncompete agreements to prevent employee poaching. However, the US Federal Trade Commission now deems this practice unfair, asserting that companies have alternative methods to safeguard their intellectual property. The commission anticipates that banning nearly all noncompete agreements will enhance working conditions and foster innovation.

The FTC has decided to ban all new noncompete agreements and most existing ones in the US after receiving thousands of comments overwhelmingly in favor of the measure. The new regulation will take effect 120 days after its publication in the federal registry, but the commission has not yet indicated when it will update the registry. The change is expected to take effect later this year.

Only existing noncompete agreements with senior executives can remain valid. This exception applies to those earning over $151,164 annually or holding "policy-making positions," which account for approximately 0.75 percent of employees.

Employers must inform all other workers that any previously signed noncompete agreements are no longer enforceable, and they cannot compel senior or non-senior employees to enter into new contracts. Employees can report suspected abuses by emailing the commission at noncompete@ftc.gov.

When the FTC proposed the rule in January 2023, it initiated a 90-day public comment period during which it received over 26,000 comments. Of those, over 25,000 supported a ban on noncompete agreements, which prevent employees from joining competitors for a certain period after leaving their companies. The commission estimates that around 18 percent of Americans, or about 30 million people, are subject to noncompete agreements.

In a press release, the FTC attributed the practice to lower wages, reduced innovation, and the forced displacement of workers from their preferred industries, or keeping them in undesirable situations. The commission cited cases where workers felt compelled to relocate, accept lower-paying jobs, or mount expensive legal defenses.

Although companies ostensibly use noncompete agreements to protect intellectual property and other critical knowledge, policymakers have determined that the practice is not the only effective method. Nondisclosure agreements and trade secret laws should suffice without restricting where individuals can work, and companies can incentivize workers to stay by increasing salaries.

The FTC anticipates that banning noncompetes could have a positive impact on competition, innovation, wages, and healthcare costs. It projects that thousands more patents and startups could emerge each year, workers could earn over $500 more annually, and healthcare expenses could fall by $74-194 billion over the ensuing decade.

Apple Mobile

Apple expected to unveil new iPads at upcoming May 7 event

By , 4 comments
Something to look forward to: Following months of rumors and speculation, Apple appears ready to lift the curtain on new iPad models. If prior reports prove accurate, the Cupertino giant will soon begin shipping updated iPad Pro and iPad Air models with faster processors and new front-facing cameras. The iPad Pro should also get an OLED screen.

Apple announced its next livestream event is on May 7. During the keynote, the rumor brokers expect it to reveal iPad models with new displays, cameras, and processors. Credible leaks regarding details of the new iPads have circulated since last year, but their projected release dates moved multiple times until Bloomberg's Mark Gurman pinpointed a May launch. The company's announcement suggests that it's finally ready to ship the new tablets.

Barring last-minute surprises, the new iPad Air will feature an M2 processor and a 12.9-inch variant for users who want an extra-large screen without paying for an iPad Pro. Meanwhile, the updated iPad Pro will upgrade to the M3 and receive the lineup's first-ever OLED panel.

The OLED models might be lighter but also more expensive. While information regarding the final price is scant, at least one new iPad Pro might still be attainable for under $1,000.

Apple might also move the front-facing cameras for both models to the side, enabling the use of FaceTime in landscape mode. The last time the company released new iPads was in 2022, when it introduced this change with the 10th generation iPad.

Other rumors regarding the upcoming iPads mentioned an updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. Apple CEO Tim Cook's tweet promoting the May 7 event hints that a new Apple Pencil might be imminent with the tongue-in-cheek phrase, "Pencil us in." If the showcase also reveals an upgraded keyboard, prior reports suggest it should have a larger touchpad resembling a MacBook's.

It's unclear how much Apple will incorporate the iPad in its long-anticipated plans for generative AI, which the company could unveil at WWDC in June. Through the second half of 2024 and early 2025, Apple will unveil new iPhones and Mac models, incorporating the A18 and M4 processors. The new silicon features dramatically boosted AI performance with dedicated neural cores. These cores will empower new software, including applications on iOS 18, to process AI tasks entirely on-device to minimize reliance on cloud servers.

Revisit this article on May 7 at 10 am EDT to watch the event live or watch it on Apple's home page.

Blog Industry

TechSpot is hiring: We're looking for tech enthusiasts with sharp writing skills

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TechSpot is actively looking to hire writers that are driven and enthusiastic about technology. If you are a TechSpot reader, then you know the job requires profound understanding of technical matters and the ability to write about them with authority and accuracy.

For over two decades, TechSpot has remained an influential voice in computer technology and historically we've mostly hired from within our ranks, with over 9 million readers coming in monthly to keep up with the latest industry trends. We currently have the following freelance openings:

  • Daily news reporter: This position requires you to be active daily, discovering, writing and posting news stories on our frontpage. Excellent writing and proofreading skills are a must. You will be assigned a time slot and will be free to identify stories and report on tech topics in a concise yet inquisitive manner. Creativity and a knack for picking timely and interesting topics is important.
  • Weekend news reporter: Similar to the position above, we'd like you to dedicate time to discover and report on the most interesting tech stories during weekends. Know a good story when you see it, be able to analyze what's important, and report on those facts.
  • Feature article writer: Work with our team to brainstorm and write original feature articles, guides or explainers. Since we report on a variety of technology areas, we can adapt to your interests and strengths, whether that's more on the hardware side, mobile, web culture, software how-tos, or gaming. This position does not require daily work but be able to commit to deadlines and work closely with our team to execute on article ideas.

Before you apply, you should know:

  • Relevant experience in tech journalism is important, but not a requirement.
  • Native English skills are an imperative, geographic location is not a constraint.
  • This is a work from home (Batcave, X-Mansion, Fortress of Solitude, etc.) type of position.
  • Compensation is commensurate with article length, quality and experience.
  • If you're a regular reader of TechSpot, mention this in your application.

If the positions don't fit your bill, but know someone who may, you can help us by sharing this announcement with friends that may be as technical as you.

Ready to apply?

If you are interested please fill out this form.
We'll follow up with the candidates best suited for the job. Thank you.

Gaming Tech Culture

After 25 years, you can finally unlock all of Castlevania 64's playable characters with a Konami Code variant

By ,
After all these years: In 1999, Konami released two Castlevania titles for the Nintendo 64 – Castlevania (colloquially known as Castlvania 64) and an expanded "Director's Cut" version subtitled Legacy of Darkness. They had various cheats that players figured out over the last 25 years, but no Konami Code like so many other titles from the publisher had, or so we thought.

Castlevania 64 was the first in the franchise to feature 3D gameplay. In its December 1999 expanded version, legacy of Darkness, players assumed the role of Cornell, a werewolf out to rescue his sister. There were three other playable characters, but the developers locked these mysterious characters on the menu screen to tease players. The teasing became sadistic when players discovered they had to beat the game twice to unlock all the heroes. To rub salt into their wounds, the developers didn't even include the infamous Konami code to help them along.

To the few that may not know, the Konami Code is a well-known sequence of button presses that provides various cheats in many Konami games. It's been around since the 1980s and is probably most famous for providing 30 lives in the game Contra. The code became so ingrained in gaming culture that even those that didn't tattoo it on their arms can still recite it without thinking about it – up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.

Many CLOD players undoubtedly tried getting the Konami Code to work in 1999, entering it in various parts of the menu system and during gameplay, but to no avail. It appeared that Konami ditched a cheat code for its first foray into 3D gaming – or did it?

Last week, YouTuber JupiterClimb revealed a new cheat code that unlocks all Legacy of Darkness characters without the tedious process of beating the game multiple times. Ironically, the code is just the classic Konami Code with all the inputs doubled. You can watch him demonstrate it in his video (above). When entered on the title screen, the cheat unlocks Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry and their alternate costumes.

It also enables a hard difficulty option, but that's tricky to access because it is hidden until you make your first save with any of the characters. JupiterClimb demonstrates it by running immediately to the first white gem and saving. After that, the player can choose between Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties when starting a new game. Otherwise, accessing hard mode requires playing as Henry, then finding the child in the forest and completing the game.

The YouTuber revealed three other codes. The first fills the player's inventory with various items and works for all regional versions. The second gives the player 99 jewels, and the third provides maximum power for the characters' main and sub-weapons. However, these only work on the European and Japanese versions of the game.

JupiterClimb admitted that he could not take credit for discovering the cheats. A data miner going by Moises on the Castlevania 64 Discord server discovered the button sequences when digging through the game's source code. Fellow Discord user Liquid Cat tried the codes in the game and found out what they did.

Image credit: Rockslacasa

Gaming Hardware

Razer launches $160 Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse with 8,000 Hz polling rate

By , 7 comments
In brief: Razer has added a new member to its Viper range of ultra-lightweight, high-performance gaming mice, and it's available to purchase immediately in your choice of black or white colorways.

The Viper V3 Pro has been redesigned from the inside out with a focus on performance. It's built around the Razer Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2, which affords 99.8 percent resolution accuracy and can be fine-tuned in 1-DPI increments. Razer says the pointer has a max sensitivity (DPI) of 35,000, a max speed (IPS) of 750, and a max acceleration (G) rating of 70.

Paired with the included HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, the right-handed pointer is capable of a true 8,000 Hz wireless polling rate.

The Viper V3 Pro utilizes Razer's Gen-3 Optical Mouse Switches, which are rated for 90 million clicks, and are designed to eliminate double-click issues and debounce delay. In total, there are six programmable buttons and one onboard memory profile.

Battery life depends on the chosen polling rate. At 1,000 Hz, users can expect up to 95 hours of runtime on a single charge. Battery life falls to 62 hours at 2,000 Hz, up to 40 hours at 4,000 Hz, and just 17 hours at 8,000 Hz. The mouse can also be operated in wired mode to eliminate battery life concerns.

Other noteworthy changes over its predecessor include larger mouse feet alongside a strategically placed DPI button, gap-separated side buttons to help reduce unintended clicks, and a smooth finish. Despite being marketed as a high-end gaming mouse, there is no RGB lighting to speak of. Perhaps Razer simply left this feature out to keep costs from going any higher, or knew their target audience likely wouldn't be interested in them.

Razer started testing a prototype version with more than 45 esports athletes late last year to help dial in the new rodent.

The Razer Viper V3 Pro is available now in your choice of black or white. You can grab it directly from the Razer store for $159.99.

Microsoft Software

New bypass trick makes Windows 11 installation on unsupported systems a breeze

By , 16 comments
In context: The Windows IoT Enterprise OS family comprises the Windows editions Microsoft sells to companies for "small-footprint" PCs, point-of-sale devices, and other embedded appliances. Previously known as Windows Embedded, Windows IoT editions are straightforward to install, even with hardware components Microsoft doesn't officially support.

A recently discovered "trick" for bypassing the Windows 11 system requirement check during the OS installation is much more potent than initially thought. The same bypass method works for Windows IoT, which is just your regular Windows experience with the option to take up less storage space on smaller devices.

Discovered earlier this month, the trick employs a one-click method to avoid going through the system requirements checks during Windows 11 installation. Users just need to choose the Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition, which is a specialized version of the OS designed for specific hardware, and the installation phase will completely skip the hardware compatibility check.

The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) edition of Windows Server comes with a new major version upgrade released every 2 to 3 years. Users are entitled to five years of mainstream support plus five more years of extended support. Microsoft says that Windows Server LTSC provides a "long servicing option" and consistency.

The same user who shared the bypass trick for LTSC editions confirms that it also works for non-LTSC Windows, starting with version 24H2.

Bob Pony tweeted that the secret behind the method is choosing the "IoT Enterprise" option during Windows 11 installation. The IoT edition is identical to regular Windows versions, except users can modify it for compact hardware with smaller storage limits.

Microsoft designed Windows LTSC for companies and organizations that want to avoid installing frequent Windows updates or try newer features in their unfinished state. Windows IoT gets the same experience as regular Windows consumer editions, and it can now be installed on older systems as well, thanks to the recently uncovered one-click bypass method.

As many PC users know, Windows 11 arrived with steep hardware requirements, making the upgrade option from Windows 10 unavailable to many systems. Resourceful users soon found that Microsoft left many "alternative" methods to bypass the system requirement check, allowing them to install the OS anyway. However, the company is seemingly willing to go as far as making the newest versions of Windows 11 simply unable to run on older CPUs, lacking support for x86 instructions.

Hardware

HighPoint opens pre-orders for PCIe Gen 5 Rocket RAID card capable of 56 GB/s

By , 6 comments
What just happened? HighPoint recently announced a handful of PCIe Gen5 add-in cards that may appeal to storage enthusiasts with deep pockets. At the top of the stack is the Rocket 7608A, a full length / single width PCIe Gen5 x16 RAID card with eight onboard NVMe M.2 ports that supports 2242, 2260, and 2280 form factors. The card comes equipped with a sizable aluminum heatsink complete with cooling fan and utilizes a standard 2x3 external power connector.

HighPoint says the card is compatible with Windows and Linux, and supports hardware secure boot. They also come equipped with rear-mounted early warning LED indicators to help instantly assess operational status and the condition of each drive as well as your array.

In terms of RAID support, configuration options include RAID 0 (striped, where data is split evenly across two or more drives to boost speed), RAID 1 (mirrored, where data is mirrored across multiple drives for redundancy), or RAID 10 (RAID 1 + 0, where data is both mirrored and striped for redundancy and speed).

The company said it designed the 7608A's PCB to maintain robust signal integrity, and the use of Broadcom's latest PCIe switching technology enables maximum performance even if the card is positioned in the slot furthest away from the CPU.

According to the company, the card can provide 64 GB/s of transfer bandwidth and up to 56 GB/s of real world data throughput. For comparison, the fastest single PCIe 5.0 SSDs on the market – like the Crucial T705 – top out around 14.0 GB/s in testing.

Even higher-end solutions already exist, like GPU-based RAID cards from Graid Technology, but those are best suited for cloud and enterprise applications. For the average enthusiast, speeds of 56 GB/s like those offered by HighPoint's latest card should be more than adequate.

The HighPoint Rocket 7608A is available to pre-order now priced at $1,999, and is expected to ship in the third quarter of 2024. That doesn't include any drives, so you will need to factor those into your cost analysis as well.

The Web AI

As cloud computing evolves, Amazon's AWS looks for its role in generative AI

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One of the intriguing aspects of the generative AI phenomenon is the vast range of vendors that are offering solutions to leverage the new technology. Companies eager to deploy GenAI face a complex landscape filled with foundation model suppliers, AI platform companies, data management vendors, and model customization tool providers.

Surprisingly, the big cloud computing companies – which have dominated the IT landscape for the last decade – haven't played as central a role as many initially expected. At least, not yet.

But there are signs that situation could be changing. Google recently held their Cloud Next event where they unveiled a wide range of new AI integrations for Google Workspace, a GenAI tool for video creation and editing, and other enhancements aided by its Gemini Pro 1.5 large language model.

Now it's Amazon AWS taking the wraps off a host of new features and improvements for its Bedrock GenAI managed service, which are designed to make the process of selecting and deploying the right tools for GenAI applications much easier. Amazon is adding the ability to import customized foundation models into the service and then allow companies to leverage the capabilities of Bedrock across those custom models.

For example, companies that have trained an open-source model like Llama or Mistral with their own data, possibly using Amazon's SageMaker, can now integrate that customized model along with the existing standardized models within Bedrock. This integration allows the use of a single API to build applications that utilize both customized and existing Bedrock model options, including those from AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere, Meta, Stability AI, and Amazon's Titan models.

Amazon also introduced version 2 of their Titan Text Embeddings model, which has been specifically optimized for RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) applications and announced the general availability of its Titan Image Generator model.

The ability to import custom models into Bedrock supports the integration of RAG functionalities, facilitating continuous fine-tuning of models with new data. Bedrock's serverless infrastructure also supports scalable performance across AWS instances, which aids in managing real-time demands. Furthermore, Bedrock includes tools for developing AI-powered agents capable of performing multi-step tasks. Agents are currently one of the hottest discussion topics in GenAI, so these kinds of capabilities are bound to be of interest to those organizations that want to stay on the cutting edge.

Additionally, Amazon has introduced new Guardrails for Bedrock, which add enhanced filtering features to prevent the creation and dissemination of inappropriate content and sensitive information. While existing models already incorporate basic content filtering, these new Guardrails offer an extra layer of customizable protection.

Amazon's Model Evaluation tool within Bedrock, now generally available, assists organizations in selecting the most suitable foundation model for their specific needs. This tool compares various models based on accuracy, robustness, and allows customization to evaluate how different models perform with user-specific data and prompts.

As organizations navigate the early stages of GenAI deployments, many are realizing the importance of locating their GenAI software and services near their data sources. With a significant amount of data hosted on AWS, the new features in Bedrock could prove particularly attractive to companies looking to enhance their GenAI capabilities.

We may also witness the emergence of multi-platform GenAI deployments. Just as companies have found benefits in using multiple cloud providers, they are likely to adopt a similar strategy with GenAI platforms, using different platforms for various applications.

The race is still on, but it's clear that all the major cloud computing providers want to be (and will be) important entrants in the GenAI landscape as well.

Bob O'Donnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter

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