Month: February 2022

The GMK NucBox5 is a tiny desktop computer with support for up to two 4K displays, three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, and support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

All of that comes in a system that measures just 2.8″ x 2.8″ x 1.8″ and which weighs just 7.2 ounces, making the NucBox5 easy to hide behind a display, under a desk, or even in your pocket if you want a desktop PC you can take with you. The GMK NucBox5 is now available for $255 and up.

The little computer was actually first announced a month ago, but at the time it was available exclusively from the GMK website, where it’s still available for $320 and up. Now it’s also available from Amazon for $300 and up, but you can save $45 by clipping an on-page coupon.

Under the hood, the computer is powered by an Intel Celeron N5105 processor, which is a 10-watt, 4-core, 4-thread chip based on Intel’s Jasper Lake architecture. It has a base frequency of 2 GHz, support for burst speeds up to 2.9 GHz, and Intel UHD graphics.

The starting price will get you a modal with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but GMK also offers a higher-priced 8GB/512GB configuration and the little computer’s storage is courtesy of a user-replaceable M.2 2242 SATA SSD, so you can also upgrade the storage yourself.

GMK’s press release also suggests that the company may eventually offer NucBox5 models with 16GB of RAM as well, but that option doesn’t seem to be available at the moment.

The computer is small, but it’s not entirely silent – in addition to a heat pipe, the computer has a fan for active cooling. GMK says it’s a low-noise fan, but low isn’t the same thing as no.

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Google’s Chrome browser for Android has a Lite mode option designed to reduce your data usage by using Google’s servers to compress web content before sending it to your device. First introduced in 2014 as Data Saver mode, the name was changed to Lite mode a few years ago.

Now Google says it’s retiring the feature altogether.

In a post to the Google Chrome Help forum, a Google Chrome Support Manager says that Lite mode will no longer be available when Chrome M100 stable rolls out on March 29, 2022. According to Android Police, hanging onto an older version of Google’s web browser won’t let you keep using Lite mode – it will no longer work in any version of Chrome for Android after March 29, even if there’s still a toggle in your browser.

That’s possible because the feature is powered by server-side compression. Once Google turns off the servers, there’s no way for Lite mode to work at all.

Google says it’s pulling the plug on Lite mode now because it’s no longer as necessary today as it was when the feature was first introduced 8 years ago, because:

• Mobile data costs have gone down in “many countries.”
• Chrome has received numerous updates to help reduce data usage and improve page load speeds even without server-side compression.

Of course the first point will come as cold comfort to folks who aren’t in one of the many countries where data costs are lower today than they had been in the past… or folks who are on data-limited wireless plans for other reasons.

The post Google is killing its data-saving Lite mode in Chrome for Android appeared first on Liliputing.

Enlarge / OK, a little to your right. Little more... there. Hold it. OK, say "cheese."

I’ve never been able to get very deep into Demon’s Souls or any of the thematically similar follow-ups developer From Software has become known for in recent years. The last time I seriously tried, delving into Dark Souls II in 2014, I documented the “maddeningly beautiful suffering” I endured while dying 65 times in an eight-hour slog to beat a single boss.

While that experience gave me some appreciation for From Software’s uncompromising game design, it was also enough to convince me that I didn’t have the temperament to pour dozens of hours into these sorts of games. I get why so many people find this unforgiving style appealing, and I’ve even willingly dipped my toes into From Software’s further catalog from time to time. But I just couldn’t overcome the frustration factor necessary to really commit to a deep dive into these meticulously crafted worlds.

Then the buzz began for Elden Ring, the latest game in what has become known as From's “Soulsborne” style. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki promised in interviews that the new title would be more accessible than his previous From Software work, with quality-of-life improvements like more frequent checkpoints, easier health management, and an open world design that doesn’t gatekeep progress behind nigh-impossible bosses.

“I don’t want to enforce any playstyle or particular route because I’d like [players] to experience that sense of freedom,” Miyazaki said. “And I realize that while we offer games with a high level of challenge, we design them in a way that feels fulfilling to overcome.”

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