PC

This year is the year of fingerprints for security - if it weren't already abundantly clear, here's another bit of proof. This is the VeriMark Fingerprint Key by Kensington. This device is just about as simple as a fingerprint scanner gets - or as simple as a fingerprint scanner gets when it's not already embedded into a device. This fingerprint scanner is a USB dongle - and it lets the user log in to their notebook.

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Two new headsets have been revealed by Razer with a similar look, but very different aims - one for hardcore PC gamers, the other for cross-platform play. Both go by the name Tiamat, and both are made for heavy-duty audio and comfort. Tiamat headsets come in 7.1 V2 and 2.2 V2 editions, the former coming with a higher price tag and more features, the latter coming with a slightly more basic set of features for a lower price.

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The Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 will be released in the coming weeks, and Microsoft promises it will include new features not only for creatives, but improvements to accessibility, security, and UI as well. Unfortunately, there are several existing features of the operating system that will be getting removed or deprecated with the update. Most of them are aging and no longer being developed, or they're being folded into other tools and applications.

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If you were one of the early, and probably disappointed, adopters of the first breed of Windows 8.1 hybrids and convertibles, Microsoft has a good news, bad news thing for you. The good news is that your device is going to be supported for another six years. The bad news is that it only applies to security fixes. As far as “Windows as a Service” is concerned, last year’s Anniversary Update is the end of the line for these devices.

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Some things are too good to be true or, at the very least, too good to last. Microsoft has committed to continually update Windows 10 and offer those updates for free as part of its “Windows as a Service” paradigm but everyone knows by now it’s a less than perfect strategy. Now reality is hitting some Windows PC owners even harder as they discover their 2 to 3 year old digital partners, many of them 2-in-1 tablets, locked out of the latest Windows 10 Creators Update. All because they have been deemed incompatible, despite having just received the Anniversary Update last year.

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AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU details have arrived, and they're ready to kick next-gen PC expectations into gear. These two models contain 12/16 cores, 32 threads, 4GHz turbo, and quad channel DDR4 memory. They're more than ready to roll up to Intel's similar CPU options - they've already surpassed them (on paper, anyway).

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Microsoft is pretty darn keen for you to be on the latest version of Windows, to the point that it now plans to pester users to install Windows 10 Creators Update. The strong-arm tactics will kick off this week, with Microsoft pinging PC owners who are yet to upgrade to the most recent version with a privacy settings review. For a while you'll be able to avoid it, Microsoft says, but not forever.

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Although it doesn't exactly represent majority of the cases, supporting a project on Kickstarter or Indiegogo always involves a chance of never getting what you invested in. Sometimes it's due to a scam, sometimes it is due to unfortunate circumstances. And sometimes it's a little bit of both. It's still too early to say where on that range the SMACH Z lies, but its silence was broken by rather terrible news. The project just lost a partner of a critical component, further delaying a product that was to supposed to ship last April. If it ever ships at all.

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It would appear that one of the biggest names in PC hardware has joined the Cryptocurrency universe with their own mining-friendly graphics cards. ASUS Mining RX 470 and Mining P106 both use NVIDIA GeForce GTX technology to run as efficiently as possible to mine the most cryptocoin for the smallest cost. These cards are "engineered especially for coin mining" and are made to roll with "maximum mega hash rates at minimum cost." UPDATE: A few Sapphire cards have appeared as well, each with AMD Radeon technology inside.

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Although Lenovo, even after its Motorola acquisition, is finding difficulty securing a foothold in the mobile market, it remains the world's top PC vendor, especially when it comes to laptops. That has allowed it to venture off into a few experiments, like the more or less successful YOGA line or the so-so Yoga Book and its Halo Keyboard. At its Lenovo Transform event in New York, Lenovo revealed one of its possible future experiments, a laptop that can be folded, rolled, and bended, and doesn't have a trackpad. Lenovo calls it the "Future of Personalized Computing".

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Lenovo has taken the wraps off what it says is the smallest ever workstation with ISV certification: the Lenovo ThinkStation P320 Tiny. As the name suggests, this desktop PC is quite small, measuring in at just 1.4 x 7.1 x 7.2-inches with a weight of 2.9lbs. Despite its small size, Lenovo packs a load of features into this PC, not the least of which is up to a 7th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and up to 32GB of RAM.

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It definitely rocks being a gamer these past few weeks, from the gaming-centric Computex to the annual flood of E3. Of course, it's also a perfect opportunity for hardware and accessory makers to show off their latest wares to the hungry masses. Not one to let the opportunity pass, Dell and its Alienware brand has just announced two new gaming desktops, a notebook sporting NVIDIA's new Max-Q tech, and a couple of accessories to take your gaming to the next level.

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