DigiTech Geeks

Intel launches Arc GPUs powering up gaming laptops to take on AMD and Nvidia Intel has revealed the first of its Arc Alchemist graphics cards , and as we already knew, these initial offerings are laptop class GPUs. Intel announced three classes of GPUs, lower-end Arc 3 mobile GPUs, Arc 5 (midrange) GPU, along with an Arc 7 for high-performance gaming laptops . This means Intel is going to finally be able to power legitimate gaming products, which will put it head to head with gaming laptops powered by Nvidia and AMD.  Intel broadly claims that Arc 3 offers up to double the performance of Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, and the benchmarks bear this out in some cases, with generally sizeable gains across the board (in rarer worst-scenario cases, such as Rocket League, the A370M looks to be only around 20% faster, which is still a noticeable boost of course). However, Intel didn't talk about how performance would look against competing systems powered by Nvidia GeForce or AMD ...

My 2017 iPad was a great buy – but in 2022, Apple's tablets don't have the same charm The iPad Air 5 , launched in March, was a surprising jump up in terms of power from the Air 4 , touting the same Apple M1 chip that newer iPad Pro models use, but something about it didn't sit right with me. At first I thought it was that Apple was presenting it as a device for creatives when it didn't have the specs to match - but something caused me to change my mind. We recently heard a leak about the new iPad for 2022 - that's the entry-level slate that Apple refreshes every year. This leak suggested that the device could get a big design update , possibly including the removal of the home button and a sizeable reduction in the bezel size, to bring it more in line with Apple's more modern tablets. If this information is true, Apple is bringing its last family of tablets in line with its new design, which it's slowly been rolling out to its different iPads for the...

Apple's next iPad Pro could be six months away – why should we care now? If you predict that Apple will deliver updated components and a new iPad Pro this fall (likely October), you win the prize for stating the obvious. There are dozens of stories now repeating what noted Apple prognosticator Mark Gurman has dug up on the next Apple iPad Pro. At TechRadar, we're chasing these rumors, too. I just don't know if we're all more devoted to the pursuit than a resolution, which – even with all these tidbits leading this way and that – may be a foregone conclusion.  With every new leak, we collectively pounce. It's a trained response, because Gurman is well-sourced and usually gets it right. He’s also treading on very safe ground. Let’s start with Apple silicon. Gurman is predicting that the M2 chip , successor to the M1, will arrive with the new iPad Pro in the autumn. Okay, yes, that makes sense. We’ve been talking about the M2 for almost as long as we’ve had the M...

iPad Pro (2022) could land with the iPhone 14, but it might not be worth the wait If you’ve been holding out for the iPad Pro (2022) then you might have to keep holding out for quite a while longer, as the latest information on the slate suggests that it won’t be landing for at least around six months. That’s according to Mark Gurman (who has a good track record for Apple information) in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Gurman claims that the next iPad Pro will likely land this ‘fall,’ meaning between September and November. That would probably mean a launch alongside the iPhone 14 range and the Apple Watch 8 , both of which are expected to land in September – though it’s possible that Apple will hold two events during that period, like it did in 2020. In any case, whenever it does arrive, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently feature an M2 chipset. This will reportedly have the same octa-core CPU as the M1 found in the iPad Pro (2021) range, but potentially with more GPU ...

Gaming laptops with Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs are about to launch Intel’s first Arc Alchemist graphics cards will be officially revealed on March 30, in just a few days, and will be followed in short order by the launch of the initial batch of gaming laptops carrying these GPUs. We’d already been told about the press event on March 30, although now we know the exact timing – 8am PST (which is 3pm GMT) – and a fresh teaser tweet (showing a video of a closed laptop to indicate that these will be laptop graphics cards) was accompanied by an interesting reply from the Intel Support account on Twitter. Yes! We are about to launch our brand-new Intel Arc graphic solution. The OEM devices featuring Arc GPUs will be launched by the end of this month. You may take a first look at our discrete graphics for laptops on March 30th at 8 AM, PST via https://bit.ly/3iGvTws March 26, 2022 See more As you can see, that latter tweet clarifies that this launch is for the first Arc graphics car...

A 15-inch MacBook Air could be the best laptop ever made – but I won’t buy one New rumors doing the rounds suggest that Apple could release a new 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023. This could either be the best decision Apple has ever made – or a big mistake. The rumor comes from a report by Display Supply Chain Consultants which suggests that Apple is working on a MacBook Air that has a screen around 15-inches in size, which will launch alongside a “slightly larger” 13-inch MacBook Air. This isn’t the first time a 15-inch MacBook Air has been mooted, of course. As MacRumors points out , Apple has apparently been toying with the idea as far back as 2008. However, so far, the company has kept to a 13-inch form factor for its thin and light laptop. The idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air has certainly excited a lot of people. At the moment, if you’d like a MacBook with a screen size larger than 13-inches, you need to buy a drastically more expensive MacBook Pro. Not only are the 14-inch and 16...

Best laptop sales in Australia: cheap laptops to buy in {month} {year} If you’re looking for a cheap laptop or a deeply discounted premium machine, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured the web for savings and rounded up all the genuine deals in one neat place. You’ll find we’ve covered everything from budget browsing machines to high-performance powerhouses, so you’ll no doubt find something here to match your needs. We’ve highlighted a selection of the latest deals that we’ve sniffed out, and if you scroll further down, we've rounded up some of our favourite laptops in a dedicated buying guide. Best laptop deals this week Laptops & ultrabooks Dell XPS 13 (9305) | i5 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD | AU$1,749 AU$1,399 on Dell eBay (save AU$350) This Dell XPS 13 matches an 11th-gen Intel i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, so you can expect a decently powerful machine. It manages to have an excellent battery life too, but our review found this lap...

Honor MagicBook X14 and X15 series laptops now available in the UAE Honor yesterday introduced the new Honor MagicBook X14 and X15 series here in the UAE. With a productivity focus, the Honor laptops come with the same collaborative features that we first saw from Huawei. Price and availability The Honor MagicBook X14 is available to purchase in the UAE for AED 2399 on Honor’s official online store, Sharaf DG and Noon. The Honor MagicBook X15 is available at the same channels for AED 1849. With both laptops, customers can get free gifts worth AED 397 including Honor Choice Earbuds X, a backpack and 1-year extended warranty. These offers are on till April 10th2022. Users can also get an extra AED100 off by subscribing to Honor’s official online store right now. Best laptop picks in the UAE and Saudi Arabia for every budget Best gaming laptops 2022 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia Honor MagicBook X14 and X15 The Honor MagicBook X14 features 10th gen Intel Core i5 processors while t...

Apple might want you to subscribe to your next iPhone What if instead of buying your next iPhone or even spreading payments out for the nearly $1,000 device across multiple months, you leased it, like you would a car? Bloomberg is reporting this week that the Cupertino tech giant is investigating the possibility of launching yet another subscription service to stand alongside iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Fitness+. But instead of accessing digital services and online programs of video-conferenced exercise gurus, you'd pay a subscription fee for iPhones and iPads (and maybe other Apple hardware). The details in the report are thin. The rumored service would charge a monthly fee for access to hardware. The benefit, as it is with leasing, is that someone might be able to get an iPhone 13 Pro Max (worth $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,849) for no money down, but the agreement to pay a monthly recurring fee for as long as they have the phone.  It's not clear if the program would...

New iPad (2022) could be a huge reinvention for Apple's cheap tablet line Apple's entry-level line of iPads hasn't seen a significant redesign since the iPad 2 in 2011, but finally - finally - we might see a new look for this affordable tablet. The Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) have released a quarterly report which includes discussion of future Apple products, in particular the new iPad for 2022 . Apparently, this upcoming tablet will see a redesign to bring it in line with the company's other tablets.  In addition Ross Young , one of the authors of the report, suggests that the new iPad will have a new display size, though doesn't say if this will be a growth or shrinkage from the 10.2-inch display of the iPad (2021) . Over the last few years Apple has been upgrading its mid-range tablets to resemble the iPad Pro line, with the iPad mini (2021) and iPad Air (2020) introducing the design to their respective families. It sounds like, by the end...

Could Samsung work its Galaxy S22 magic with this new Chromebook? Samsung has unveiled a new Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 over at the BETT show, promising that this hybrid device takes flexibility to the next level. The new Galaxy-branded Chromebook has a 360-degree hinge as the name suggests, meaning it can be used as a laptop, or a tablet (with the keyboard deck folded right back against the display), or in other ways such as stand mode. It offers a 12.4-inch display which is a touchscreen, and boasts a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600, with a brightness of 350 nits, meaning it’s brighter than the Samsung Chromebook 4, the company observes. The notebook is built around an Intel Celeron N4500 processor backed with 4GB of system RAM, and storage options are 64GB or 128GB eMMC. On the wireless front, this laptop comes with Wi-Fi 6E support (so you can use the 6GHz band, if your router supports it as well, of course), plus for when you’re out and about, there’s 4G LTE as an optional extra...

Grab the incredible new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 range at AO Let's cut to the chase — the iPad is a formidable tablet, but it's far from the only choice. If you're an Android fan or simply someone looking to enjoy all the latest bleeding-edge features that can outclass even Apple's offering, look no further than the recently launched Galaxy Tab S8 range from Samsung. Available in three flavours — the Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra — Samsung's latest flagship tablet range features beautiful design, insanely powerful innards, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect.  And yes, they all include the creativity-unleashing S Pen stylus as standard, at no extra charge (unlike a certain popular rival). You can order all three variants from AO right now , where you can benefit from all sorts of extras. These include a price match guarantee, 100-day return policy, free Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds, 12 months of free Disney+, and an additional £100 on top of the u...

Apple iPad Air 'creak' stories don't add up Apple is many things, secretive, sometimes expensive, but it's not sloppy. To build new Apple iPad Air tablets that creak when you hold or press them, that would be sloppy or worse. On Reddit, there are some new iPad Air owners accusing the tech giant of shoddy workmanship. They say the back panel of the iPad Air (2022) is thinner than the fourth-generation iPad Air and that they can " almost feel the battery through the plate when you hold the device." Wait. What? The claim is that the aluminum back is so thin that somehow their digits can feel a battery or component through it? Maybe it's this Reddit member's insufficient powers of description at work. The back would have to be paper-thin to "feel" something through it. One would have to assume that they mean the back isn't as stiff or rigid as it should be. Looks like I’ve got one of the creaky iPad Airs… 👀😬 pic.twitter.com/8iW1SD...

I've had an Amazon Kindle for years and I still can't get over this amazing trick I'm not easily impressed, and I'm also easily bored - as a tech reviewer, this cocktail means I can shrug off super-fast chipsets, wonderful cameras and amazing-looking screens as though I couldn't care less. But there's one Amazon Kindle feature that keeps me constantly pleased. I've been using the Amazon Kindle Oasis for going on three years now. That makes it one of the few gadgets I've used past the initial test period, alongside my iPad Pro (2018) and Sony WH-100XM3 headphones. And that's not by accident either, and not simply because I like reading. I actually prefer physical books (I'm a literature student hipster, they'd revoke my degree if I said otherwise), but the Kindle has an unexpectedly amazing feature that I bet you don't use at all: it does PDFs.   The PDF viewer You can convert PDFs from the internet and send them to your Kindle v...