Intel could launch 8th-gen CPUs as early as this year, starting with new i5s

Why it matters to you

If the rumors prove true, Intel’s low-power, high-performance chips could help ultra-mobile laptops give full-sized computers a run for their money.

Retail listings for an upcoming refresh of the Acer Swift 3 suggest that Intel may have plans to release a new line of low-power quad-core i5 processors before the end of the year.

According to PC Perspective, the retail listings state clearly that the processor is a quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U. That model number suggests it’s not just a new quad-core i5, but a new 8th-generation processor.

Intel’s latest processors, the 7th-generation or “Kaby Lake” models, came out in 2016, but the 8th-gen designation on the i5-8250U is a little misleading. Intel’s processor roadmap for 2017 reportedly illustrated the company’s plans to release “Kaby Lake-R” processors in the second half of 2017, so this new quad-core i5 processor might not be the same leap we saw from the 6th-generation to the 7th-generation. It’s more of a refinement, than a brand-new generation, despite its label.

So what’s the big deal, if it’s just a new processor coming out right on schedule? Well, according to stats Benchlife dug up, this new Core i5-8250U has some very interesting properties.

Namely, it’s a very low power quad-core chip, which means you’d end up getting some great multi-tasking performance without nearly as much heat buildup or power consumption. That means more horsepower, without cutting into battery life.

Not only does this new processor offer quad-core performance in a lower-power package, it does so with hyperthreading. So those four cores can actually emulate eight cores, giving you some seriously impressive performance in a very lightweight package.

After doing some digging, PC Perspective found a number of results in the Geekbench database for the i5-8250U, from upcoming laptops like the Dell XPS 13 9360. According to the Geekbench results, the i5-8520U with hyperthreading is capable of outperforming a current generation i5-7200U in multi-core performance by about 54 percent.

Its single-core performance is about the same, though, so it’s a boost you’ll only notice when you’re doing some serious multi-tasking or running processor-intensive applications. Still, it’s an impressive leap forward for a low-power chip. And it’s just further proof that ultra-mobile laptops really are slated to give their full-sized cousins a run for their money in the near future, as the performance gap between them gets slimmer and slimmer.

GPD introduces a 7-inch netbook running Windows 10 on Indiegogo

Why it matters to you

If you’ve been searching for a tiny Windows 10 notebook PC that you can stick in your pocket, then GPD has you covered.

The Windows 10PC ecosystem is incredibly broad and deep, with just about every conceivable form factor running Microsoft’s latest and greatest operating system. And every now and then, some thought-to-be-defunct machine type makes another appearance, and this time it’s the netbook. Typically smaller, lighter, and cheaper systems, netbooks were introduced in 2007 and were a craze for a few years before being killed off by tablets and low-cost “normal” notebooks. Now, GPD, typically a maker of Android handheld consoles, has introduced a netbook-like device for Windows 10, the GPD Pocket.

The GPD Pocket looks like a very small notebook PC, which was the typical netbook form factor as well, except Windows 10 is arguably much better suited for small screens like the Pocket’s 7-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display. While Windows desktop apps will be hard to use on such a small device, Windows 10 apps should scale nicely and be perfectly usable.

The Pocket runs everything with an Intel Atom x7-Z8750 CPU with 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. That is not going to break any performance records, but it should be suitable for web browsing and productivity tasks. A 7,000mAh battery should keep things running for a few hours, at least.

In addition, GPD gave the Pocket a very MacBook-like magnesium alloy chassis that measures a diminutive 180mm x 106mm x 18.5mm, and it weighs a relatively light 480 grams. It has a tiny keyboard and a red nubbin for controlling the cursor, and connectivity comes by way of a USB 3.1 Type-C port, a USB 3.0 connection, and HDMI. Wi-Fi is 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1 rounds out connectivity.

GPD has naturally been working on fleshing out the design and generating prototypes. In fact, in March the company released a video of a first-stage prototype that shows the diminutive Windows 10 PC in action:

The Pocket was being crowdfunded on Indiegogo at the price of $399 and it raised over $3,000,000. An Ubuntu Linux configuration was also listed for the same price. Now, GPD has started taking orders for the Pocket at Gearbest.com, which has the machine available for $496 with shipment in August 2017.

Updated: Added order information and updated specifications.

Remix OS developer Jide says the money is in enterprise, abandons crowdfunding

Why it matters to you

Remix OS will no longer be developed, and backers of Jide’s recent Kickstarter projects will receive a refund.

The developer behind Remix OS said on Monday that it is discontinuing the popular Android platform for PC along with Remix IO and Remix IO+. Additionally, Jide Technology said that all backers of the Remix IO/IO+ Kickstarter project will receive a full refund. Customers who purchased products through Jive’s online store and have yet to receive their purchases will get a refund as well. All refunds will be issued beginning August 15, 2017.

According to Jide, the company has decided to focus solely on the enterprise market. The shift began last year as Jive started receiving an increasing number of inquiries from corporations and businesses looking for tools. Jive developed solutions based on its software and hardware, and discovered there is money to be made in the enterprise sector. While unfortunate, it’s perhaps not surprising. Companies besides Jide have tried some variant of Android PC, and all similar attempts have failed to gain mainstream appeal.

“We’d like to take this moment to thank our incredible community, who’ve joined us on this journey in the last three years to helped us build Remix OS,” Jide said. “We very much believe that the future of computing is with Android and we’re excited for the role Jide will play in this amazing ecosystem.”

Founded by three former Google engineers, Jide Technology first made its appearance in 2014 with the introduction of its Remix Ultratablet in 2014. The company then produced “the world’s first true Android PC” called the Remix Mini. It was powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, up to 2GB of system memory, and up to 16GB of storage. It only measured 1.0 (H) x 4.9 (L) x 3.5 inches in size, and included two USB 2.0 ports and HDMI output.

Since the beginning, Jide’s mission was to create a free Android-based operating system, Remix OS, that could run on PC-based hardware (x86), enabling end users to install and run their favorite Android apps. The only catch was that Jide wouldn’t release the custom platform’s source code save for the parts that fell under the General Public License.

For PC owners who didn’t want to replace their copy of Windows, Jide also released Remix OS Player, an Android emulator for the Windows platform. After installation, users could log directly into their Google account inside the emulated environment, and play multiple games simultaneously in separate windows alongside their favorite Windows-based apps.

But Jide didn’t stop there. The developer decided to create a set-top-box for 4K TVs based on Android Nougat (aka v7). Listed as Remix IO on KickStarter, it was sold in two versions: one with a Rockchip RK3368 octa-core processor, 2GB of system memory, and 16GB of internal storage, and one “plus” version sporting a six-core Rockchip RK3399 processor (big.LITTLE), 4GB of system memory, and 32GB of internal storage.

According to the Kickstarter page, Jide raked in $598,268 in funding for the Remix IO devices, surpassing the project’s original $250,000 goal. All backers of the Kickstarter project should see their purchase refunded back to their credit or debit card within 10 days after August 15.

Google Fiber’s CEO steps down after five months

Five months after Google announced it was shaking up Fiber and putting broadband veteran George McCray in charge of the division overseeing it, McCray has stepped down. The company is seeking a replacement but hasn’t named anyone.

Back in February McCray started as CEO of the Access division, which supervises Fiber. He replaced its former chief Craig Barratt, who left last October after his proposed large-scale expansion plan was trimmed. Shortly after McCray arrived, Google made several announcements regarding the department’s new direction, including introducing a set-top box for Fiber-equipped homes and naming the first city to host the tech giant’s wireless gigabit Webpass project.

Google has not indicated whether the department’s trajectory will change while it seeks a new chief officer, but Alphabet CEO Larry Page reaffirmed the tech company’s investment in Fiber in a statement provided to Bloomberg.

“We are committed to the success of Google Fiber. The team is bringing gigabit connections to more and more happy customers,” said Page in a statement. “Fiber has a great team and I’m confident we will find an amazing person to lead this important business.”

Source: Bloomberg

SoundCloud explores underground music scenes in a miniseries

SoundCloud isn’t done exploring new avenues just because it’s facing tough times. The streaming audio service is partnering with The Fader on a documentary miniseries, SoundCloud Next Wave, that spotlights underground music scenes in six cities ranging from New York to Rio de Janeiro. The first episode (which focuses on LA’s burgeoning goth rap scene) premieres on SoundCloud’s YouTube channel on July 20th at 10AM Eastern, and you’ll get a new episode each month for the rest of 2017. It’s something of a gamble for SoundCloud, but it might be one of the company’s wiser strategies given some of its recent messes.

The service built its reputation on catering to those who enjoy listening to bleeding edge music like demos, remixes and bootlegs. Ideally, Next Wave exposes SoundCloud users to that kind of music and encourages them to come back for more. If you have a goth rap epiphany, you may be more likely to stream every bit of it that you can find… and SoundCloud will be ready and waiting.

The problem: is this the best use of SoundCloud’s limited resources? That’s not so clear. Underground scenes by their nature only cater to a small group, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be big enough to make a dent in SoundCloud’s bottom line. And it’s not as if SoundCloud will stand out from the crowd when Apple and Spotify are producing their own video shows. Still, the potential gains are obvious. It’s just a matter of whether or not they’ll be enough to make a difference.

Source: SoundCloud, YouTube

What’s on TV: ‘Rogue One’ on Netflix, ‘Insecure’ and Shark Week

This week’s big Netflix addition isn’t an original, instead it’s the first Star Wars flick licensed under its arrangement with Disney. Tomorrow morning Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be available to subscribers in the US, while Last Chance U arrives later this week. On TV HBO will follow up the second episode from Game of Thrones with season premieres of Insecure and Ballers, Shark Week kicks off sunday night and Kong:Skull Island is available on Ultra HD Blu-ray. For gamers, there’s the Destiny 2 beta starting this week, along with Superhot on PlayStation, What Remains of Edith Finch on Xbox One and Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Netflix)
• Kong: Skull Island (3D, 4K)
• Stalker
• The Expanse (S2)
• Resident Evil: Vendetta (4K)
• The 100 (S4)
• Grantchester (S3)
• Free Fire
• No Man’s Land
• Fallen Legion (PS4)
• Aerea Collector’s Edition (PS4, Xbox One)
• What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One)
• Lone Echo (PC)
• Galaxy Blaster (Wii U)
• Gigantic (Xbox One, PC)
• Superhot (PS4, PS VR)
• Splatoon 2 (Switch)

Monday

• American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
• So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• Preacher, AMC, 9PM
• Will, TNT, 9PM
• Stitchers, Freeform, 9PM
• Superhuman, Fox, 9PM
• American Greed, CNBC, 10PM
• Teen Mum, MTV, 10PM
• Spartan, NBC, 10PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Tuesday

• Casual, Hulu, 3AM
• Aditi Mittal: Things They Wouldn’t Let Me Say, Netflix, 3AM
• Ari Shaffir: Double Negative, Netflix, 3AM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
• The Fosters, Freeform, 8PM
• The Challenge (season premiere), MTV, 9PM
• Animal Kingdom, TNT, 9PM
• The Bold Type, Freeform, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Fantomworks, Velocity, 9PM
• Shooter (season premiere), USA, 10PM
• American Ripper, History, 10PM
• Fear Factor, MTV, 10PM
• Adam Ruins Everything, TruTV, 10PM
• The Profit, CNBC, 10PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
• World of Dance, NBC, 10PM
• Wrecked, TBS, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Wednesday

• Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
• Little Big Shots, NBC, 8PM
• Kingdom, DirecTV Audience, 8PM
• Lucha Underground, El Rey, 8PM
• Suits, USA, 9PM
• Salvation, CBS, 9PM
• Hood Adjacent with James Davis, Comedy Central, 9PM
• The Carmichael Show, NBC, 9PM
• I’m Sorry, TruTV, 10PM
• Snowfall FX, 10PM
• The Auto Firm with Alex Vega, Velocity, 10PM
• Blood Drive, Syfy, 10PM
• To Tell the Truth, ABC, 10PM
• Lip Sync Battle (season finale), Spike TV, 9:30 & 10PM
• The Ultimate Fighter, FS1, 10PM
• Catfish, MTV, 10PM
• Younger, TV Land, 10PM
• Cleverman, Sundance, 10PM
• Broadchurch, BBC America, 10PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Thursday

• 30 for 30: George Best: All By Himself, ESPN, 8PM
• Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 8PM
• Boy Band, ABC, 8PM
• America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
• Beat Shazam, Fox, 8PM
• Battle of the Network Stars, ABC, 9PM
• Hooten & the Lady, CW, 9PM
• Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
• The Wall, NBC, 9PM
• The Tunnel, PBS, 9PM
• Akil the Fugitive Hunter, A&E, 10PM
• Zoo, CBS, 10PM
• The Mist, Spike TV, 10PM
• The Night Shift, NBC, 10PM
• The Gong Show, ABC, 10PM
• Queen of the South, USA, 10PM
• Party Legends, Viceland, 10:30PM
• Comedy Knockout, TruTV, 11PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Friday

• Last Chance U (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• Ozark (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• The Worst Witch (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Niko and the Sword of Light (S1), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Buddy Thunderstruck, Netflix, 3AM
• Descendants 2, ABC, 8PM
• Killjoys, Syfy, 8PM
• Masters of Illusion, CW, 8PM
• Dark Matter, Syfy, 9PM
• Wynonna Earp, Syfy, 10PM
• Live from Comic-Con, Syfy, 11PM

Saturday

• Doubt, CBS, 8PM
• UFC Fight Night, Fox, 8PM
• Turn, AMC, 9PM
• Risk, Showtime 9PM
• Orphan Black, BBC America, 10PM
• Still Star-Crossed, ABC, 10PM
• Live form Comic-Con, Syfy, 11PM

Sunday

• Phelps vs. Shark, Discovery, 8PM
• Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
• Celebrity Family Feud, ABC, 8PM
• Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN, 8PM
• Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge (season finale), NBC, 9PM
• Game of Thrones, HBO, 9PM
• Candy Crush, CBS, 9PM
• Power, Starz, 9PM
• Claws, TNT, 9PM
• Grantchester, PBS, 9PM
• American Grit, Fox, 9PM
• The Nineties, CNN, 9PM
• Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, ABC, 9PM
• Shark-croc Showdown, Discovery, 9:10PM
• Ballers (season premiere), HBO, 10PM
• $100,000 Pyramid, ABC, 10PM
• The Strain, FX, 10PM
• I’m Dying Up Here, Showtime, 10PM
• Unsung, TV One, 10PM
• Insecure (season premiere), HBO, 10:30PM
• Talking with Chris Hardwick, AMC, 11PM
• Kevin Hart Presents, Comedy Central, 11PM
• Legends of Chamberlain Heights, Comedy Central, 11:30PM

Comcast tells the FCC that net neutrality should be voluntary

Last week, thousands of companies and organizations stood up for net neutrality during the Day of Action and as the first round of comments on the FCC’s plan to severely cut back protective regulations wraps up, over 8.4 million comments have been filed. Comcast added its comments today and posted its stance online. In sum, it supports the FCC’s proposed deregulations but specifically the removal of Title II classifications. Comcast claims it will still support the open internet regardless of the decision but maintains that Title II hurts innovation.

In its support of the rollbacks proposed by the FCC, Comcast said, “Such regulation is entirely unnecessary, outdated, and imposes substantial costs that undermine investment and innovation and undercut efforts to bridge the digital divide and deploy broadband to all Americans.” Its dialogue has been to draw a line between net neutrality and the Title II regulations adopted by the FCC in 2015, saying you can have the former without the latter. Comcast even went so far as to say, “While some seem to want to create hysteria that the Internet as we know it will disappear if their preferred regulatory scheme isn’t in place, that’s just not reality,” in a Day of Action post.

As far as innovation is concerned, Comcast claims that an FCC investigation held up its wide release of Stream TV, directly affecting consumers. And in its post today, Comcast heavily promoted statistics on internet growth occurring before 2015, saying the “internet was working very well” prior to the regulations put in place two years ago, but it didn’t provide support for the idea that Title II actively hampers innovation or technological growth. And as TechCrunch points out, with such little data to be had in regards to the effects of Title II on innovation, drawing strong conclusions about its negative impact is a little reckless.

However, Comcast continued to claim that regardless of the outcome, it would remain “committed to the core tenets of a free and open internet,” and stated, “We’ve repeatedly pledged from the highest levels of our company — from Comcast Corporation Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, Comcast Cable President and CEO David Watson, and from me – that we do not and will not block, slow down, or discriminate against lawful content.”

Note, however, that senior executive VP David Cohen does not say that Comcast hasn’t blocked or slowed use in the past, which it definitely has. In 2009, Comcast settled a lawsuit for $16 million after it was accused of purposefully slowing upload speeds for users of BitTorrent.

Ultimately, Comcast wants the Title II classification to be removed and would be fine with regulations that dictate “no blocking, no throttling, no anticompetitive paid prioritization, and full transparency.” And AT&T has made similar statements, referring to Title II in a short post released today as an “unprecedented regulatory overreach for which there was no economic or marketplace justification.” But the Title II classifications give the FCC power to strongly enforce net neutrality rules. So, basically, Comcast’s message is that regulation like Title II slows innovation, but it will keep the internet open regardless of the FCC’s decision and we just have to trust that it will do the right thing.

Source: Comcast, AT&T

1Password for iOS Updated With Auto Copy Feature to Make One-Time Passwords Easier to Use

AgileBits today updated 1Password for iOS, introducing a new auto copy feature that’s going to make it a lot easier to use two-step authentication for various apps and services.

Whenever you use 1Password to sign into a service on your iPhone that features 1Password integration, the app will now automatically copy any one-time passwords you have associated with that login. That speeds up the login process, because you can have 1Password fill in your account details, and then at the two-factor verification step, the requisite short-term password is already copied to your clipboard.

In the screenshot above, for example, I used 1Password to log in to my Dropbox app. Dropbox has 1Password integration, so I just need to tap the 1Password button to fill in my account details and then choose the appropriate account. As 1Password is adding my details, my one-time password for Dropbox’s two-step verification process is also copied, so it’s super simple to log in.

Prior to this change, to log in to Dropbox, I’d have to open the 1Password app separately to get the one-time password, negating the usefulness of the integrated login feature.

The update also features the ability to create vaults for 1Password.com accounts, support for Korean, and a tweak that causes item creation and modification dates to now appear in item details. There are also several minor bug fixes and other small improvements, like better translations and the addition of previously used passwords for all categories that support them.

We can’t think of anything better to beat the heat than a nice cold ice-cream in the sunshine … with extra sprinkles, of course. We’d like to think of your one-time passwords as the sprinkles that complete your Login items. Now 1Password automatically copies those one-time passwords when you fill an item with the 1Password Extension, saving you a step and a giving you more time to enjoy that ice cream. Yummy!

1Password for Mac has also been updated with the same features that were added to iOS, but the update has not yet been made available for the Mac App Store. It should be coming soon.

1Password can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but will require a subscription to unlock the app’s full feature set. [Direct Link]

Tag: 1Password
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Apple Now Lets Developers Assign a Customer Support Role to Respond to App Store Reviews

Apple today highlighted a new Customer Support role that was recently added to iTunes Connect, which developers can take advantage of if they would like to hire someone specifically to respond to customer reviews in the App Store.

Now you can give the customer support experts in your organization the ability to respond to customer reviews on the App Store with the new Customer Support role in iTunes Connect. Users with the Admin or Customer Support role have the ability to respond to customer reviews.

Your team’s admins may choose to assign only this role to users, or assign this role in combination with other roles. Users who have been assigned only the Customer Support role can access Resources and Help, Users and Roles, and My apps in iTunes Connect. When they click on an app in My Apps, they’ll go straight to Ratings and Reviews where they can respond to customer reviews.

Apple began allowing developers to respond to customer reviews with iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, a feature developers had long requested. The ability to respond to customer reviews allows developers to address negative reviews and offer better service to App Store users.

Prior to iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, developers had no way to respond to issues that customers reported via an app review, so there was no way to mitigate a negative review or further converse with a customer having difficulties.

Tags: App Store, Apple Developer Program
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Qualcomm CEO Says Out of Court Settlement With Apple Could Happen

Apple and Qualcomm have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle since the beginning of the year, and though the fight has escalated in recent weeks, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf today told Fortune that an out of court settlement is not out of the question.

“There’s not really anything new going on,” Mollenkopf said speaking at the Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen. About the Apple dispute, he explained “those things tend to get to resolved out of court and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t expect that to be the case here.”

Mollenkopf went on to say that he has no specific news of a settlement and that nothing new has happened in the case. “I don’t have an announcement or anything so please don’t ask, he told Fortune. Mollenkopf made a similar statement back in February, but that was before the legal battle between the two companies intensified. At that time, he also said he didn’t expect a public fight, something Apple and Qualcomm have not been able to avoid.

Today’s interview suggests Qualcomm is still open to settlement talks, but whether that will happen remains to be seen. If Apple and Qualcomm do not settle, we can expect a legal battle that will continue on for several years.

The fight between Apple and Qualcomm started in January, after the FTC complained that Qualcomm had engaged in anticompetitive patent licensing practices. Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion just days later, accusing the company of charging unfair royalties for “technologies they have nothing to do with” and refusing to pay quarterly rebates.

According to Apple, Qualcomm has overcharged it by billions of dollars by “double-dipping” with unfair patent licensing agreements, while Qualcomm claims its innovations are “at the heart of every iPhone” and that the royalties are fair.

Qualcomm went on to countersue Apple in April, accusing the company of breaching licensing agreements, making false statements, and encouraging regulatory attacks against Qualcomm, which prompted Apple to stop making royalty payments to Qualcomm entirely until a court can determine the proper amount due.

Apple in late June expanded its lawsuit against Qualcomm, and at the beginning of July, Qualcomm filed a separate patent lawsuit against Apple and asked the International Trade Commission to block imports of select iPhone and iPad models.

Tags: lawsuit, patent, Qualcomm, Patent lawsuits
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