Features

Apple Music's new lossless playback is big news, and not just for audiophiles, but you'd be forgiven for getting confused when it comes to how the higher-quality streaming plays with your AirPods or other headphones. While subscribers won't pay any more for Apple Music with the Lossless and Hi-Resolution Lossless tracks, you may need to spend something on new hardware - yes, even if you've already bought AirPods Max.

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The original Pokemon Snap is a title that I played very enthusiastically as a kid and still think about today. Even though it was a fairly short affair, I squeezed as much gameplay out of it as any person reasonably could have, determined to uncover its secrets and photograph every Pokemon in the game. At many times throughout the past, I’ve been expecting Nintendo to announce a sequel, but that announcement only recently came after literal decades if waiting. After waiting 22 years to play New Pokemon Snap, I can safely say that Nintendo made us wait far too long for a new entry in this delightful sub-series.

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Infiniti is getting squeezed. On the one hand, its premium rivals have fresher ranges, more competitive models, and sports sedans like this 2021 Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD can no longer count on power alone to distinguish them. On the other, mainstream and more affordable vehicles are getting ever-stronger, including cars from Infiniti's own Nissan sibling.

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As lockdown gradually lifts, the active noise cancelling earbuds which have made working from home more bearable are about to get a taste of the outside world. Amazon's new Echo Buds (2nd Gen) arrive just in time for that, pitching not only true wireless audio but hands-free Alexa and ANC with a head-turning $129.99 price tag.

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Sometimes, only a button will do. The smart home and the rise of connected devices like lamps, speakers, locks, and more have brought complex automations within reach of a mainstream audience, but sometimes you don't want to have to pull up an app - or talk to a smart speaker - just to switch on the lights. For those in the Apple HomeKit ecosystem, then, the Wemo Stage Scene Controller remote could be the answer.

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It feels strange saying it about a $72,000 luxury car, but it's oddly easy to overlook this 2021 BMW 540i xDrive. On the one hand, it's not an M5, or even an almost-M5 like the M550i; at the same time, neither is it a clever plug-in hybrid like the 545e. Instead it's about as close to a "standard" BMW 5 Series as you can get these days.

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For the cost of the monthly subscription to a handful of streaming services, the new Roku Express 4K+ makes a strong platform play for being your set-top box of choice. As always, Roku's pitch is flexibility and user-friendliness, only this time with a picture quality and system speed upgrade plus a handy voice remote. At $39.99, though, what's left out is just as key as what makes the cut, and that's before the challenge of getting every streaming provider to support all of your fancy new features.

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Earlier this year, we saw Intel launch its new 11th Gen Core desktop processors, and today the company followed those up by officially revealing its 11th Gen Core H-Series mobile processors for notebooks. Like the desktop processors, these were first confirmed at CES 2021 at the beginning of the year, but now we're getting the first real details about these CPU. In addition, Intel also revealed its 11th Gen Core vPro and Xeon CPUs for mobile workstations.

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The all-electric Ford F-150 may still be a ways out from hitting dealership forecourts, but we now know what it'll be called: the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. The plug-in pickup will be unveiled officially on May 19, though Ford hasn't been able to resist confirming the badge that the new EV will wear.

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The Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover is officially the 2021 World Car of the Year. It won the crown against an eclectic mix of hatchbacks, sedans, coupes, and SUVs, including the Toyota GR Yaris, Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, Kia K5, and Mazda MX-30, to name a few.

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A lot of companies from all industries were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have been able to recover while others closed for good. Some were forced to shift their priorities and delay or completely scrap plans. Thanks to a global shortage in semiconductor components, tech companies are now being hit even more, one way or another. Those factors are reportedly behind Microsoft's decision to indefinitely put Windows 10X on hold but that is actually a symptom of an even bigger problem, one that will probably see Windows forever stuck to desktops and laptops. perhaps even on Intel's and AMD's x86/x64 platforms only.

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It's hard not to feel sorry for the Volkswagen Golf. Perennially overshadowed by its sportier, more eye-catching Golf GTI sibling, the "regular" car doesn't have the punchy performance or indeed the badge cachet, but hangs its appeal on value instead. As the 2021 Golf TSI prepares to close the books on Mk7 production, it turns out that's still an unexpectedly compelling argument.

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