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Intel’s Optane memory is a new type of solid state storage that offers high speeds… and which also comes at a high cost compared to NAND Flash SSDs. So competitors including Samsung and Toshiba figure there’s room to compete by introd…
Intel’s Optane memory is a new type of solid state storage that offers high speeds… and which also comes at a high cost compared to NAND Flash SSDs. So competitors including Samsung and Toshiba figure there’s room to compete by introducing new types of NAND-based storage solutions that are offer high performance by NAND standards, […]
The post Toshiba’s unveils low-latency 3D XL-Flash storage to take on Intel Optane appeared first on Liliputing.
Eight states reporting the little suckers. No evidence they’re carrying disease—yet.
Enlarge / Two Haemaphysalis longicornis on a US dime. (credit: CDC / James Gathany)
A vicious species of tick originating from Eastern Asia has invaded the US and is rapidly sweeping the Eastern Seaboard, state and federal officials warn.
The tick, the Asian longhorned tick (or Haemaphysalis longicornis), has the potential to transmit an assortment of nasty diseases to humans, including an emerging virus that kills up to 30 percent of victims. So far, the tick hasn’t been found carrying any diseases in the US. It currently poses the largest threat to livestock, pets, and wild animals; the ticks can attack en masse and drain young animals of blood so quickly that they die—an execution method called exsanguination.
Key to the tick’s explosive spread and bloody blitzes is that its invasive populations tend to reproduce asexually, that is, without mating. Females drop up to 2,000 eggs over the course of two or three weeks, quickly giving rise to a ravenous army of clones. In one US population studied so far, experts encountered a massive swarm of the ticks in a single paddock, totaling well into the thousands. They speculated that the population might have a ratio of about one male to 400 females.
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Despite lies to Congress, US attorney declined to prosecute any FCC employees.
Enlarge / FCC Chairman Ajit Pai with his oversized coffee mug in November 2017. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)
The Federal Communications Commission lied to members of Congress multiple times in a letter that answered questions about a "DDoS attack" that never happened, an internal investigation found.
The FCC made false statements in response to a May 2017 letter sent to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). Pai sent a response to Wyden and Schatz the next month but apparently didn't make the false statements himself.
Pai's letter to Wyden and Schatz included an attachment in which then-FCC CIO David Bray responded directly to the senators' questions. This part of the letter contained multiple false and misleading statements, according to the FCC Inspector General's report released yesterday. The second half of this article will detail each of these false and misleading statements.
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No word on whether any of the projects fall under “Blizzard Classic” designation.
Enlarge / Necromancer-themed art from Diablo III's last expansion. (credit: Blizzard)
A brief Wednesday video from Blizzard Entertainment confirmed some not-very-surprising news: the company is still working on the Diablo series. Today's hint was the first to confirm "multiple Diablo projects" in production, however, with a tease of a larger reveal by year's end.
"The forges here at Blizzard are burning hot, and we have multiple Diablo projects in the works," community manager Brandy Camel said at the game's Facebook page. "Some of them are going to take longer than others, but we may have some things to show you later this year. We hope you stay tuned while we work to bring these Diablo experiences to life."
The one-minute video also included a mention of Diablo III's current 14th "season" of content and quests, which Camel notes is the company's first stab at a "themed" season. More themed seasons will come soon, Camel says, but this video's timing is curious, as the 14th season has been live for nearly two months as of press time.
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A research report published by anti-piracy firm Irdeto counters the notion that P2P piracy is becoming less relevant. The company shows that P2P sites, mostly BitTorrent-related, remain more popular than streaming in several countries. P2P traffic is growing in several regions and these sites remain an important content source for illicit streaming portals.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.
In recent years Hollywood and other entertainment sources have focused their enforcement efforts on pirate streaming sites and services.
According to several reports, streaming sites get more traffic than their P2P counterparts, with the latter being almost exclusively BitTorrent related.
While the rise of online streaming sites can’t be denied, a new research report from anti-piracy outfit Irdeto shows that P2P remains very relevant. In fact, it’s still the dominant piracy tool in many countries.
Irdeto researched site traffic data provided by an unnamed web analytics partner. The sample covers web traffic to 962 piracy sites in 19 countries where P2P was most used. This makes it possible to see how P2P site visits compare to those of pirate streaming sites.
The data reveal that there are massive differences in the relative use of P2P versus streaming sites between countries.
In Russia, for example, only 2% of the visits go to streaming sites, while the rest of the traffic goes to P2P portals. P2P also outperforms streaming in other countries such as Australia, the Netherlands, and India.
This pattern is reversed in Germany, where 88% of all visits go to pirate streaming sites. Similarly, streaming is also the dominant web piracy tool in the United States, France, Spain and other countries.
Additional research in eight countries shows that piracy traffic has grown during the course of 2017. This growth also applies to P2P sites, in all but one country, Germany.
Looking at the sample as a whole, Iredeto notes that 70% of all pirate traffic goes to P2P sites, which appears to run counter to the popular narrative that streaming is more dominant today.
“While many expect P2P piracy to be taken over by streaming and direct downloads, it’s clear that this has not happened yet. P2P piracy is still a big threat to the industry, in which the overall piracy problem is growing,” Peter Cossack, Irdeto’s VP of Cybersecurity Services says.
“While the increase in bandwidth and social media has facilitated growth in content redistribution piracy, particularly around live sporting events, it is clear that other forms of piracy are not going away any time soon.”
While the data provide an interesting look at the regional differences it should be interpreted with caution. First, the sample only includes desktop visits. This might be a problem since streaming sites are arguably more popular on mobile platforms.
Also, the 19 countries were selected because they had the highest number of P2P downloads. That’s a significant selection bias that favors P2P sites.
Finally, and perhaps more problematically, the traffic data are not weighed. For example, nearly half of all visits in the sample come from Russia, which is significantly overrepresented.
That means that visits can’t simply be added to draw overall conclusions, something Iredto seems to do.
The company does make a few solid points though. With an estimated 800 million global monthly downloads from P2P sites in 2017, BitTorrent should not be disregarded.
The report also notes that P2P sites are mostly visited by “committed pirates” who don’t use legal streaming sites, while about half of the visits to pirate streaming are from “casual pirates.”
Finally, Irdeto points out that P2P sites are ‘content’ suppliers too. They often act as a source for streaming sites. In other words, the videos people watch on streaming portals were taken from P2P sources, which underlines that these play a vital role in the piracy ecosystem.
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A copy of Irdeto’s report is available here. We asked the company several questions about the methodological issues we found, but at the time of writing we haven’t heard back.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.
Samsung’s desktop mode tries to make the $649 Tab S4 better than regular tablets.
Enlarge / Samsung Dex can be used with or without an external monitor. (credit: Valentina Palladino)
OEMs are trying to make tablets that can replace your laptop, but most of us know that tablets can't really do such a thing for power users. However, these new devices try to balance portability and power, giving users a device that's easier to take along yet can also get things done like a traditional PC. Samsung's latest attempt at this type of device is the Galaxy Tab S4, the successor to last year's flagship Android tablet. And this time around, the Tab S4 boasts Samsung's desktop-mode software called Dex.
Samsung hopes that including Dex will encourage users to go all-in with Android as both their mobile and desktop operating system—at least when they're on the go. But Android isn't a desktop OS, and, while Samsung bills the Tab S4 as a multitasking powerhouse akin to an iPad Pro or a Surface device, it doesn't exactly perform as such. Dex, while useful in some respects, leaves a lot to be desired. Starting at $649, the Tab S4's mixed bag of software and hardware capabilities proves that Samsung may want to embrace Chrome OS in tablet form sooner rather than later.
| Specs at a glance: Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 (Wi-Fi only model) | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 10.5-inch 2560×1600 Super AMOLED |
| OS | Android 8.1 |
| CPU | Octa-core Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz + 1.9GHz) |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB, expandable up to 400GB with microSD card |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | One USB Type-C port, microSD card reader |
| Cameras | Rear: 13MP AF, Front: 8MP flash |
| Size | 9.8×6.5×0.28 inches (249.3×164.3×7.1mm) |
| Weight | 1.1 pounds (482g) |
| Battery | 7,300mAh |
| Starting price | $649 |
| Other perks | 4K video recording (3840×2160) @ 30fps, included S Pen, Dex technology built in |
From purely a design point of view, the Tab S4 improves upon last year's Tab S3 nicely. Its dimensions are close to that of the previous tablet even though it doesn't have the visible or tangible heft of a 10-inch tablet. Samsung minimized the bezels and removed the home button to make more space for the 10.5-inch Super AMOLED, HDR-ready display, giving you more screen real estate in a package that's fairly close to the 9.7-inch frame of the Tab S3. Even with its slimmer bezels, the tablet is easy to hold with one or both hands, and it feels sturdy. Like the Tab S3, this new tablet has a Gorilla Glass back and metal edges that give it a premium feel worthy of its high price tag. Our review unit had a white back, which didn't hold on to many fingerprints (and even if it did, its light color hid them well).
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Including deals on the Xbox One X, 4K Roku TVs, Bose headphones, and more.
Enlarge / The Nintendo Switch costs less than usual today. (credit: Mark Walton)
Greetings, Arsians! It’s your old pal The Dealmaster, checking in from his Sisyphean quest to find good tech deals with another PSA: eBay is currently holding a one-day sale that takes 15% off nearly everything greater than $25 in its store, many gadgets included.
eBay runs this kind of “flash sale” periodically, letting users apply a coupon code to various items for a limited period of time. The fine print here is similar to what it has been in the past: you use the coupon code “PRONTO15” at checkout to get 15% off the purchase price—not shipping fees or taxes—of several items from several sellers across its marketplace.
The retailer says that the discount will be capped at $100, so if you try to take 15% off an item that costs more than $666, you won’t save any extra money. The company says the deal will only last until 1am ET on August 9. You can’t use the coupon more than once, according to eBay, but you can apply it to a cart with multiple eligible items. Warranties, protection plans, gift cards, and a few other categories are excluded from the discount, but most others are up for grabs.
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View pics of a near-final Pixel 3 XL that hasn’t been remotely nuked by Google yet.
A huge Pixel 3 XL leak hit the Web today, thanks to the Telegram channel Канал Лучкова. The channel posted images and video of a pre-release Pixel 3 XL unboxing, including information about specs, how the notch works, and in-box accessories.
Everything lines up with what we've previously heard about the Pixel 3 XL. For its flagship smartphone, Google is going with a notched design and an all-glass body. On the front, it still looks like there are two front-facing cameras; on the back, there seems to be a two-tone all-glass design, a fingerprint reader, and a single camera.
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Just a few months after launching the Meizu 15 line of smartphones, Chinese device maker Meizu is back with the Meizu 16 and Meizu 16 Plus. The new phones have faster processors and a new design featuring an 18:9 (or 2:1) aspect ratio display. There…
Just a few months after launching the Meizu 15 line of smartphones, Chinese device maker Meizu is back with the Meizu 16 and Meizu 16 Plus. The new phones have faster processors and a new design featuring an 18:9 (or 2:1) aspect ratio display. There’s no more home button or physical fingerprint reader anymore. Instead […]
The post Meizu 16 and 16 Pro launch with slim bezels, in-display fingerprint sensors appeared first on Liliputing.
Panasonic is reportedly looking to sell its cells to other buyers amid low Tesla demand.
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)
Tesla has spent the last year battling issues with the company's Model 3 production lines, but beyond that limelight another production issue seems to be lurking. Reuters reports that Tesla's Buffalo, New York, factory, which is run in partnership with Panasonic, is experiencing severe assembly line issues, especially impacting Tesla's ability to manufacture solar roof tiles.
Reuters' information comes from eight current and former employees of both Panasonic and Tesla. According to those sources, the aesthetic qualities of the solar roof tiles are among the issues holding up production. Tesla has allegedly been using cells from JA Solar instead of cells from Panasonic, because the JA Solar cells have the preferred level of reflectivity. Panasonic, meanwhile, has been courting offers to sell its cells to other panel makers.
In a statement sent to Ars, Tesla said: "We are steadily ramping Solar Roof production at Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo and are also continuing to iterate on the product design and production process, learning from our early factory production and field installations."
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