Computing

Way back in September 2020, NVIDIA announced its intention to purchase semiconductor manufacturer ARM for $40 billion. Fast forward almost a year-and-a-half later and now there's word that NVIDIA might be backing away from the acquisition. While neither company has confirmed the notion that NVIDIA is getting cold feet, it wouldn't be shocking considering that the acquisition has faced scrutiny and even lawsuits from regulatory agencies.

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Microsoft 365 customers could be at risk. The company has issued a warning for users of its office service, noting on Twitter that a potentially malicious app, currently called Upgrade, is going around via phishing emails sent to hundreds of Office 365 customers. Microsoft says the email asks for users to grant OAuth permissions to create inbox rules, write emails, read emails, and create calendar items. Additionally, it asks for permission to read your contacts.

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Acer today announced the four new Chromebooks that will comprise its 2022 lineup. While these Chromebooks each have certain specifications that set them apart from the rest, they also share many specifications. For instance, all of them have chassis that meet the MIL-STD 810H standard, and all of them also have spill-resistant keyboards. In addition, many of these Chromebooks use N-series processors from Intel, save for one.

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With working from home becoming a more permanent arrangement for many people, we've seen a lot of companies begin to offer hybrid products appropriate for both office and in-home use. Today, HP is announcing many such products, revealing a collection of new all-in-one and desktop PCs. If you're familiar with HP Presence products, which were announced last year, it probably won't be surprising to learn that many of the PCs announced today are compatible with HP Presence, as well.

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Intel announced it is spending an initial $20 billion on a semiconductor "mega-site" in Ohio, the company's latest bid to recapture its place as the world's top semiconductor manufacturer and prove Apple wrong. Apple and Intel went through a very public breakup, beginning with WWDC 2020, when Apple announced it was switching to its own M1 chips. The M1 is derived from the chips Apple has been using for years in the iPhone and iPad, but Apple was able to increase the performance to be competitive with the best Intel had to offer, while providing best-in-class power efficiency.

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It seems that Google is finally pulling the plug on the free version of G Suite. The company announced that the legacy free edition plan will be unavailable starting from May 1, 2022, at which point free users will be transitioned to Google Workspace and will be allowed to keep using the service without paying for it for another two months (until July 1, 2022.) After that, Google will likely fully retire G Suite and continue offering Google Workspace for paying users.

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Apple is not a name you usually associate with the infamous console wars of the early 90s. But way before the era of the iPods and the iPhones, in the age of the PlayStation 1, the Nintendo 64, and the Sega Saturn, Apple tried its hand at developing its own gaming console. The result was the Apple Pippin, a product that would eventually go down in history as one of the worst Apple products ever made, possibly even superseding the likes of the infamous Hockey Puck mouse and the Newton tablet.

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Arguably, Microsoft jumped the gun with Windows 11, which had its share of issues and bugs at launch. Some of them were fixed in consequent updates, while others persist even today. Window 11 cannot be called flawless after months of tinkering around since some issues still persist and are reported by users on forums from time to time.

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Defragging a hard drive was once so common it was almost a rite of passage for computer users. Many different disk utility and maintenance programs offered defragmentation routines as part of their suite of utilities. As operating systems (OS) have continued to evolve, and filesystems have improved, many users wonder if defragging is still necessary.

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PCI Express (PCIe) is one of the fundamental technologies in computers from virtually every manufacturer. From laptops to desktops to servers, PCIe is used to connect SSDs, hard drives, graphics cards, and networking interfaces to a computer's motherboard.

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Hong Kong-based company Keychron has announced a new mechanical keyboard targeting creators and anyone who wants a high-end typing accessory that doesn't take up too much desk space. The new Keychron Q2 features a 65-percent layout, meaning you won't get a dedicated numpad, navigation keys (not to be confused with the arrow keys), or function row.

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Microsoft's Surface products are among the best-looking laptops and 2-in-1s on the market. The series has successfully showcased the best features of Windows in the current era and provided consumers with a genuine alternative to Apple's class-leading industrial designs. However, if there is one area where Microsoft has stumbled with the Surface lineup, it's with the repairability of these devices. In most instances, customers are unable to self-service or upgrade their Surface machines like they can with PCs from other vendors; instead, they must send the devices to Microsoft for repairs.

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