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Apple will finally launch new iPads in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Expected are a new iPad Pro with an OLED display and a faster iPad Air, including a 12.9-inch model for the first time in that lineup. The details of the upcoming iPad models have been consistent, circulating through the rumor mill since last year.
The new iPad Pro models will reportedly add OLED displays (offering deeper blacks and richer colors) and run on the new M3 chip, already found in several Macs. The new tablets are said to launch alongside a redesigned Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. Other than a white color option, the latter has remained unchanged since its arrival four years ago.
Meanwhile, the iPad Air will supposedly run on a new processor. Bloomberg didn't specify which, but — considering the current model uses the M1, and Apple likely wants to reserve the M3 for the more expensive Pro — the M2 sounds like a safe bet. The 12.9-inch screen option would mark the first time the iPad Air line has offered
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Amazon today launched the Amazon One app, which is designed to allow customers to scan their palms to make device-free purchases at Whole Foods, Panera Bread, and 150 third-party locations in stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and convenience stores.
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A $3 iOS app now records higher-resolution spatial videos than Apple's native camera app. Spatialify, available on the App Store, lets iPhone 15 Pro owners record 3D videos for Apple's Vision Pro in either 1080p at 60fps or 4K at 30fps — with HDR. Apple's native recording only supports 1080p / 30fps without HDR, so your immersive clips will be noticeably sharper using Spatialify than the camera app on the same phone. UploadVR first reported on the app update.
Spatialify launched earlier this year as a tool for converting Apple's spatial videos (HEVC format) for playback on non-Apple VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3. But with Meta later adding native HEVC conversion to its headsets (the best-selling on the market), Spatialify's superior recording could give the third-party app a new lease on life.
Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar confirmed that Spatialify produces files in 4K / 30fps when set accordingly. He also verified that Spatialify's videos look much sharper on the Vis
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Amazon just launched an app that lets people sign up for its palm recognition service without having to head to an in-store kiosk. The Amazon One app uses a smartphone's camera to take a photo of a palm print to set up an account. Once signed up, you can pay for stuff by using just your hand, ending the tyranny of having to carry a smartphone, cash or a burdensome plastic card.
The tech uses generative AI to analyze a palm's vein structure, turning the data into a "unique numerical, vector representation" which is recognized by scanning machines at retail locations. You'll have to add a payment method within the app to get started and upload a photo of your ID for the purpose of age verification.
The app launches today for iOS and Android. Previously, you'd have to go to a physical location to sign up for Amazon One. Beyond payments, the tech is also used as an age verification tool and as a way to enter concerts and sporting events without having to bring along a ticket.
Once you hand over your palm-print to the completely benevolent Amazon corporation, you'll have unfettered access to each and every Whole Foods grocery store throughout the country. Amazon,
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Microsoft's Copilot AI service is set to run locally on PCs, Intel told Tom's Hardware. The company also said that next-gen AI PCs would require built-in neural processing units (NPUs) with over 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of power — beyond the capabilities of any consumer processor on the market.
Intel said that the AI PCs would be able to run "more elements of Copilot" locally. Currently, Copilot runs nearly everything in the cloud, even small requests. That creates a fair amount of lag that's fine for larger jobs, but not ideal for smaller jobs. Adding local compute capability would decrease that lag, while potentially improving performance and privacy as well.
Microsoft was previously rumored to require 40 TOPS on next-gen AI PCs (along with a modest 16GB of RAM). Right now, Windows doesn't make much use of NPUs, apart from running video effects like background blurring for Surface Studio webcams. ChromeOS and macOS both use NPU power for more video and audio processing features, though, along with OCR, translation, live transcription and more, Ars Technica noted.
So far, the processor with the fastest NPU speed is Apple M3, which offers 18 TOPS across the lineup (M3, M3 Pro and M3 Ultra). AMD's Ryzen 8040 and 7040 laptop
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Oregon this week signed a Right to Repair bill into law, and it is notable because it is the first such law that puts a stop to the practice of parts pairing. Manufacturers like Apple are not able to require customers to use Apple-sourced parts that then have to be authenticated, with the bill giving Apple device owners the right to use new parts, used parts, or third-party parts.
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Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again.
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Governor Tina Kotek signed the law in yesterday, and it will take effect starting in 2025 and applying to some hardware as far back as 2015. It was a surprisingly bipartisan effort in an otherwise bitterly divided political climate, with the Oregon state House of Representatives passing it by 42-13 and the Senate going 25-5. "This is a win for consumers and will help bridge our digital divide and support small businesses across our state," said Kotek.
The seven-page law SB 1596 (PDF link) includes such Right to Repair staples as requiring manufacturers to make repair documentation and tools available, making replacement parts available directly for sale or through distributors, and not blocking third-party parts from functioning. But it's the "parts pairing" portion of the law that has advocates like iFixit excited.
Parts pairing is a process that uses a
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You can find even more monitor recommendations in our roundup of the best monitors.
Updated March 26, 2024: Dell's Ultrasharp U4025QW joins our list of picks as the best 5K ultrawide. Read our summary below to find out more about this impressive display that not only offers unparalleled clarity across its 40-inch IPS Black panel, but a generous array of ports for ultimate productivity, and a 120Hz refresh rate that makes it suitable for gaming. It's so capable that you might even forgive its premium price.
Alienware AW3423DWF - Best ultrawide monitor
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Best Prices Today: ESET Security Premium
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Thankfully, though, VPNs currently have the upper hand. With the right VPN service and a little elbow grease, you can access most, if not all, of the content you want to watch no matter your physical location.
How to watch streaming services with a VPN
1. Find the right VPN service and subscribe.
The first crucial step is to choose the correct VPN for your needs. While traveling, it's important to pick a VPN that has a larger server network, with many servers in your home country. You can usually find a list of the available servers on a VPN's website.
You'll then want to make sure that the VPN's servers will be able to unblock major streaming services. You can check out our best VPNs for Netflix roundup, or read our individual reviews to learn about any particular service's unblocking capabilities.
PCWorld's favorite VPN for streaming netflix
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