[TechSpot Weekly Newsletter]
Latest in tech December 17
TechSpot Best Of
[The Best Laptops: Our Buying Recommendations](
When [choosing the right laptop]( it all comes down to what you are willing to spend and what you plan to use it for. After looking at several of the best devices this year and analyzing dozens of professional reviews and user opinions, we bring you the best of the best in a handful of popular categories.
When [choosing the right laptop]( it all comes down to what you are willing to spend and what you plan to use it for. After looking at several of the best devices this year and analyzing dozens of professional reviews and user opinions, we bring you the best of the best in a handful of popular categories.
Crypto
[Is Bitcoin dead?](
At the start of this year, 19-year-old Erik Finman hit the headlines as one of the world's youngest Bitcoin millionaires. A fact he liked to show off on an Instagram feed packed with photos of private jets and beds covered…
At the start of this year, 19-year-old Erik Finman hit the headlines as one of the world's youngest Bitcoin millionaires. A fact he liked to show off on an Instagram feed packed with photos of private jets and beds covered…
TechSpot Guides
[How to Find Your Original Windows 10 Product Key](
For a long time Windows PCs (OEMs) came with a product key sticker with your license info, but now manufacturers are storing this license within the machine's UEFI/BIOS, so the information is retrieved and applied automatically. Furthermore, [your Windows license]( can now be tied to your Microsoft account. Let us explain...
For a long time Windows PCs (OEMs) came with a product key sticker with your license info, but now manufacturers are storing this license within the machine's UEFI/BIOS, so the information is retrieved and applied automatically. Furthermore, [your Windows license]( can now be tied to your Microsoft account. Let us explain...
Next-Gen
[A new type of quantum computer has smashed every record](
IonQ was founded on a gamble that 'trapped ion quantum' computing could outperform the silicon-based quantum computers that Google and others are building. As of right now, it does. IonQ has constructed a quantum computer that can perform calculations on…
IonQ was founded on a gamble that 'trapped ion quantum' computing could outperform the silicon-based quantum computers that Google and others are building. As of right now, it does. IonQ has constructed a quantum computer that can perform calculations on…
Featured Story
[Amazon is tired of selling CRaP products](
Major brand executives and people familiar with Amazonâs game plan tell The Wall Street Journal that the company is increasingly taking aim at products with low or non-existent margins. These products â think snacks or beverages â typically carry a…
Major brand executives and people familiar with Amazonâs game plan tell The Wall Street Journal that the company is increasingly taking aim at products with low or non-existent margins. These products â think snacks or beverages â typically carry a…
Gaming
[The State of PC Gaming in 2018](
PC has never been a singular platform like, say, PlayStation or Xbox. Instead, itâs a series of disparate landmasses sharing the same turbulent sea. While this has allowed for plenty of innovation and experimentation over the years, in 2018…
PC has never been a singular platform like, say, PlayStation or Xbox. Instead, itâs a series of disparate landmasses sharing the same turbulent sea. While this has allowed for plenty of innovation and experimentation over the years, in 2018…
"123456"
[Worst passwords of 2018 revealed, '123456' retains top spot](
Earlier this week, password management company Dashlane put together a list of the âworst password offendersâ from this year, in which Kanye West came top for exposing his â000000â iPhone passcode during a meeting with Donald Trump. Now, software company…
Earlier this week, password management company Dashlane put together a list of the âworst password offendersâ from this year, in which Kanye West came top for exposing his â000000â iPhone passcode during a meeting with Donald Trump. Now, software company…
Industry
[Asus CEO is stepping down to let the company focus on mobile power users](
Shen revealed the news in an interview with Business Next, where he said that both himself and Asus are ready for something fresh. During his time at the company, he led the charge on many fan favorites, such as the…
Shen revealed the news in an interview with Business Next, where he said that both himself and Asus are ready for something fresh. During his time at the company, he led the charge on many fan favorites, such as the…
[Intel's 28-core Xeon W-3175X listed online, expect to pay at least $4,000](
Intelâs Xeon W-3175X, the drool-inducing workstation CPU that comes unlocked and primed for overclocking, has cropped up for pre-order at several European retailers.
[Leaked benchmarks reveal the performance and specs of AMD's next-gen mobile Ryzen](
Last year, AMD marketed their first generation of Ryzen mobile processors as a generation ahead, and apparently, theyâll do it again. All these 3000 series processors use the Raven Ridge architecture and Vega graphics, meaning theyâll probably be 12nm based…
[Huawei's Nova 4 arrives with hole-punch display, 48MP camera, sub $500 price](
Huawei had been teasing the arrival of the Nova 4 and its hole-punch camera for weeks, but Samsungâs Galaxy A8s became the first phone with a hole when it debuted in China seven days ago. Huaweiâs handset packs a 25-megapixel…
[Amazon is getting its IoT on with the $30 Echo Wall Clock](
First announced in September, the Clock has built up a surprising amount of excitement amongst Echo fans, largely due to its attractive $30 price point. Even without connecting it to the internet itâs still a good looking 10â clock, making…
[Web giant Cloudflare reportedly providing service to seven terrorist organizations](
An investigation by the HuffPost has found that Cloudflare provides online protection to seven terrorist organisations. These include the Taliban, al-Shabab, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Al Quds Brigades, the Kurdistan Workerâs Party (PKK), the al-Aqsa Martyrs…
[Alleged Gigabyte RTX 2060 images and specs leak](
Last month saw the next entry in Nvidiaâs 2000-series lineup appear in the Final Fantasy XV benchmark database, where it came close to matching the GTX 1070's performance. Now, Videocardzâs sources at Gigabyte say the card is launching soon and…
[Download Subnautica for free on the Epic Store through the holidays](
Never heard of Subnautica before? Here's the gist - it's an open-world (or open sea) survival game that takes place almost entirely underwater.
[Apple faces lawsuit claiming it hid the iPhone XS notch and lied about screen size](
The lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of California on Friday, seeks to prevent Apple from continuing this practice and wants everyone who bought an iPhone X, XS or XS Max to receive compensation. The main focus of…
[US Navy contractors successfully hacked by China 'more than a handful of times'](
Earlier this week we brought you news that officials suspect China was behind the Marriott/Starwood hotel breech that exposed the records of 500 million guests. The hack raised concerns that the global adversary could be planning further attacks to the…
[Blizzard shifts its top developers away from Heroes of the Storm, halts eSports plans](
If you're a regular Heroes of the Storm player such as myself, we have some slightly unfortunate news for you today. In a blog post published yesterday, Blizzard announced that its attempt at a more fast-paced, casual MOBA isn't going…
[Apple poaches away a senior Tesla designer fueling Apple Car speculations](
Some of our readers may recognize the work of designer Andrew Kim. His minimalist rendition of Microsoft's design language back in 2012 may have arguably been more compelling than Microsoft's own take. Now it seems he has been snatched up…
[Nearly half of the population use secondary devices while watching TV](
Americans have a serious craving for all things media. According to the latest Nielsen Total Audience Report, adults in the US spent nearly 10.5 hours consuming media daily in the second quarter of 2018.
[Google to invest $1 billion in New York City campus](
On Monday, Google announced it will be investing $1 billion for a new campus in New York City. The development plan looks to establish a 1.7 million square-foot satellite location. The project would add about 7,000 jobs nearly doubling the…
[BMW and Porsche test 450kW fast charging on electric vehicles](
Adoption of electric vehicles is still increasing, but there are many consumers who do not want to have to wait while their vehicle is recharged. Charging an electric car in the same amount of time that it takes to refuel…
[Discord Store goes after Steam, Epic by offering developers more money](
Epic Games made headlines earlier this month with the launch of a digital games storefront offering developers a generous 88 percent revenue share. Thatâs far friendlier than Steamâs distribution agreement (even after a recent revision) but not quite as liberal…
[California regulators will consider implementing a tax on texting](
State governments are always looking for ways to fund their various local projects, and California's latest idea is a metaphorical goldmine in that regard.
[Sony inadvertently reveals player counts for nearly every PS4 title](
Sony last week launched a social media promotion called My PS4 Life. The retrospective feature was designed to provide gamers with a quick look back on the titles theyâve played, achievements earned and so on through the creation of a…
Trivia
[Which of these motherboard form factors has the largest max dimensions?](
[- BTX
- Ultra ATX
- EATX
- XL-ATX
- HPTX](
[Mark Zuckerberg's worth falls by $15 billion after a year of Facebook controversies](
As reported by Money Magazine, Zuckerberg was worth around $75 billion on January 2. As 2018 ends, that figure is expected to be at least $15 billion lowerâthe result of a year filled with bad publicity for Facebook, in which…
[Epic has removed the Infinity Blade from Fortnite, admitted it was a mistake](
Infinity Blade was a popular iOS fighting/RPG game that Epic Games released on the App Store as far back as 2010. It was the first mobile game to use the Unreal Engine, pushing the envelope with stunning previously-unseen visuals on…
[Facebook bug let apps access millions of unauthorized photos](
Facebook on Friday announced yet another privacy setback related to third-party data access. The social network believes the snafu may have impacted up to 6.8 million users and as many as 1,500 apps from more than 875 developers.
Tech News
-
[PlayStation Classic launch sales fail to impress in Japan](
-
[Cydia the app store for iOS jailbreakers stops accepting payments](
-
[Apple is working on an iOS update in attempt to avoid infringement on Qualcomm's patents](
-
[IMAX is pulling out of the VR industry amid waning consumer interest](
-
[3D-printed head fools Android facial recognition](
-
[Starbucks delivery is going nationwide courtesy of Uber Eats](
-
[Vine and HQ Trivia co-founder Colin Kroll dies of suspected drug overdose](
-
[Fallout 76 might be getting loot boxes](
-
[Vitaminwater wants to give you $100,000 if you can live without your smartphone for a year](
-
[Signal will not be complying with Australia's Access and Assistance law](
-
[Next-gen GPS satellites are headed into orbit](
-
[YouTube took down 58 million videos in Q3 for ToS violations](
-
[Hoax bomb threat emails demanding Bitcoin cause nationwide evacuations](
Software
Downloads
-
[BlueStacks App Player 4.32.75.1002](
-
[Line for Android 8.19.2](
-
[Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android 18.5.0](
Drivers
-
[Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool 4.1.0.32](
2018-12-17 11:54:52
-
[AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition Graphics Driver 18.12.2](
2018-12-14 16:42:56
Tech Pic of the Day
[Would you rock Microsoft's ugly Christmas sweater?](
Hot discussion
[News and Comments]( [Nvidia shares lose half their value, Softbank looks to sell up](
[News and Comments]( [Comcast set to raise fees again in January by 21 percent](
Follow TechSpot
TechSpot: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Google+]( [Instagram]( [Steam]( [Flipboard]( [YouTube](
Feeds: [News](, [Reviews & Features](, [Downloads](, [Drivers](
[View this email in your browser](
This email was sent to {EMAIL}
[We only send these emails with your permission after you've registered on TechSpot.com](
[Click here to unsubscribe](
© 2018 TechSpot, Inc.