I'm a Mac user, and a macOS fan, and I like Apple's industrial design, but the chatter of a return of the SD card slot to upcoming MacBook Pro laptops has me muttering a silent prayer of thanks. It feels like we've been languishing in dongle hell for many years now, and while Apple wasn't alone in betting on a tech future dominated by a single port, it's certainly been the most stubborn about that.
Sometimes buying smart involves hoops and hurdles, and other times it's as easy as two dealerships probably occupying the same lot. So goes it for the 2021 Infiniti QX80, the automaker's biggest and burliest SUV, making its pitch for seven or eight seat excellence but finding Nissan may have stolen its thunder along the way.
Honor is going it alone, cutting ties with Huawei as it spins out as an independent business, and inking the deals that the US government blocked its former parent company from making. The Chinese phone-maker launched its first device as a standalone company today, the Honor View40, a 5G smartphone with aggressive pricing.
Porsche teased us with the promise of more range from its 2021 Taycan all-electric sedan, and sure enough with the official figures starting to filter through from the EPA it's good news for EV buyers. Signs that the Taycan - which launched last year to unexpectedly rough results from the US Environmental Protection Agency - was about to improve began circulating earlier this week.
Porsche has confirmed pricing for the 2021 Panamera range, and if you've been wondering just what the new Panamera Turbo S can do with 620 horsepower on tap, a new lap record demonstrates just why the big sedan is still the daddy. Headed to US dealerships in spring 2021, the new model year for the Panamera spans both a plug-in hybrid and more potent versions like the Panamera GTS.
Xbox Live Gold is getting more expensive, with Microsoft bumping up the price of its subscription gaming service. The fee adjustment for Xbox Live Gold - which includes online gaming, new game discounts, and more - will see the biggest hit on those who pay either monthly or quarterly for the service.
Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra is more affordable than last year's flagship, has more cameras, and adds an S Pen: on paper, at least, what's not to love? Setting the bar for smartphones in 2021, the daddy of the currently three-strong Galaxy S21 family promises more of that monstrously effective Samsung recipe: heap on the features until there really is something for everyone. Still, for all its merits, it's difficult not to see the Galaxy S21 Ultra as the evolutionary pinnacle of a species set to be replaced.
Porsche Taycan buyers will be able to stop pestering their dealer as they wait for their all-electric sedan to arrive, with the automaker adding a new way to track production of the luxury EV. The Taycan - which received several updates for the 2021 model year, not least a bump in estimated electric range - is the second model to be added to Porsche's Track Your Dream service.
Volkswagen is ending production of the US-spec Golf, calling time on its iconic hatchback, though it won't be the last of the nameplate in America. Perennially popular, the Golf has seen almost 2.5 million sales in the US since VW first launched it in the market back in 1974.
Porsche has quietly increased its range estimates for the 2021 Taycan, addressing arguably the biggest criticism of the Tesla-rivaling electric vehicle as it launches its most affordable version yet. The new 2021 Taycan RWD brings ownership of the EV Porsche sedan down to around $80k before incentives, but there are also changes for the rest of the line-up that the German automaker hadn't mentioned before.
MediaTek has revealed two new chipsets for 2021 Android smartphones, with the Dimensity 1200 and Dimensity 1100 5G aiming to take on the high-end and challenge Qualcomm's Snapdragon dominance there. The two new 6nm chipsets each promise 5G support as well as a considerable uptick in multimedia capabilities, including support for up to 200-megapixel cameras.
NASA intentionally lit a fire in one of its spacecraft, turning the Cygnus that had just delivered supplies to the International Space Station into a laboratory to see how future disasters might impact crewed missions to the Moon and, later on, Mars. While space itself lacks the oxygen for fire to be an issue, crewed spacecraft like those NASA intends to use for its Artemis missions need to provide a breathable atmosphere for the astronauts onboard.