SPARKLE unveiled its low-profile series around mid-January—this lineup included an Intel Arc A380 GENIE dual-fan/dual-slot model and an Arc A310 ECO (single-slot, single-fan config) card. Compact device expert/YouTuber, ETA Prime, has uploaded a fascinating video that covers a modification project that involved a hybridization of SPARKLE's latest low-profile graphics cards and a Minisforum MS-01 test system. SPARKLE has released various models based on Intel's "Alchemist" Arc A380 6 GB GPU, but their PCB design is shared across a range of cooling options. ETA Prime could not source an aftermarket lower-profile cooler for his SPARKLE A380 GENIE, so he resorted to cannibalizing the A310 ECO model for relevant parts.

The ECO's single-slot cooling solution was not well proportioned enough to make contact with the SPARKLE A380 GENIE's VRM, so ETA Prime had to "add an aftermarket heatsink." He sold the remaining unneeded pieces—A310 board and GENIE cooler—to a friend for $60. The resultant hybrid—the "world's first-ever single-slot Intel Arc A380"—was bunged into the SFF Minisforum MS-01 test system. Notable specs included the Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and 32 GB of DDR5-5200 RAM. ETA Prime utilized Acer's Predator BiFrost graphics card utility to "trick" in a stable 54 W power limit. 60-ish FPS performance results—with low-to-medium settings at 1080p across a selection of games—were promising, especially for a restrictive small form factor build. ETA Prime hopes that SPARKLE will launch a smaller A380 model in the future—alternatively a specialist firm could produce a nice aftermarket copper part.

Sennheiser is today officially launching the ACCENTUM Plus headphones, bringing premium fan-favourite features to the line-up. "ACCENTUM Plus expands the reach of MOMENTUM 4's most coveted conveniences, while upholding the spirit of the ACCENTUM family's incredible value," says Christian Ern, Sennheiser Principal Product Manager, "The Plus sits right in the sweet spot of blissful sound and convenient technology."

Immersive, around-the-clock listening
In a world with endless content consumption options, ACCENTUM Plus has the stamina and controls for you to enjoy all of it. Featuring Sennheiser's expansive acoustic expertise, touch-gesture controls, Hybrid Adaptive Noise Cancellation and a luxurious build, they prioritise a better headphone listening experience for less. With a class-leading 50 hours of listening between charges and sound that rivals that of a stable, cabled connection, it's easy to forget that ACCENTUM Plus is even wireless. The Bluetooth 5.2 headphones emphasise outstanding sound quality and versatile connectivity, supporting all popular codecs including aptX Adaptive for optimum sound, no matter where you decide to take them.

Samsung Electronics today at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2024 in Barcelona is showcasing how SmartThings will bolster its B2B displays to shape the future of business connectivity. Samsung's "SmartThings for Business" exhibition emphasizes the new advancements that the cutting-edge internet-of-things (IoT) platform will offer, as well as Samsung's commitment to providing more connected, easy-to-control digital signage across industries. "In a commercial display sector where operational efficiency is key, Samsung digital signage is leveraging SmartThings to deliver next-gen connectivity and features to organizations of all sizes," said SW Yong, President and Head of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "This further expansion of the SmartThings ecosystem will serve to elevate experiences for customers and partners from a wide variety of industries."

How Businesses Can Leverage Connected Tech Through SmartThings—From the Smart Store to Smart Office
At the event, Samsung is showcasing how SmartThings enables business owners to leverage their digital signage to connect and gain more control of their smart devices across various landscapes. By offering the SmartThings connectivity feature to commercial display products such as Smart Signage and Hotel TVs, users can experience the convenience of hyper-connectivity in their business environments. These changes will include Samsung smart devices, as well as other devices that support the industry's latest IoT specifications, Matter and the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA). Through the application of SmartThings to various business environments, Samsung contributes to the more efficient management of space and energy by transforming places of business into interconnected smart spaces. These connectivity improvements have been designed to benefit all types of business customers, from small and mid-sized business owners to enterprises. Examples of the smart spaces—including a smart store, smart office and smart hotel—are on display at Samsung's booth at ISE 2024.

QCY, a pioneering force in wireless audio and smart electronics, is thrilled to introduce its latest marvel, the ultimate all-in-one over-ear headphones - QCY H3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones. This groundbreaking device sets a new pinnacle in audio technology, offering an unparalleled fusion of features and performance that redefines the auditory experience at an exceptionally accessible price.

Immersive Audio Tailored for Every Moment
Step into a realm of audio bliss with 43dB Hybrid ANC, ensuring an immersive auditory journey. The dual-mode adaptive ear canal not only heightens noise cancellation but also provides personalized audio compensation, delivering an optimized listening experience for diverse settings.

Creative Technology today announced the release of the much-anticipated Creative Aurvana Ace and Creative Aurvana Ace 2, the latest true wireless earbuds featuring the groundbreaking solid-state, all-silicon MEMS-based drivers. The Creative Aurvana Ace series, powered by xMEMS drivers, has been expertly tuned to deliver remarkable audio clarity with a wider frequency response ranging from 5 Hz to 40 KHz. With this comprehensive range, users will get to enjoy a truly immersive and lifelike audio experience, whether it's for music, movies, or conference calls.

These latest wireless earbuds also feature LE Audio with LC3 codec, Bluetooth 5.3, and Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) plus Ambient Mode, along with up to 24 hours of total playtime, making them the definitive choice for audio enthusiasts seeking the very best in true wireless earbuds.

Edifier, the award-winning manufacturer of premium sound systems, bookshelf speakers and personal audio devices, announces its newest audio product, the NeoBuds Pro 2 earbuds. In the new NeoBuds Pro 2, Edifier is introducing its latest patented technology, the Edifier Wide-Band Multi-Channel ANC. This Active Noise Cancellation delivers a wider and deeper noise cancellation to -50dB depth and 5 kHz bandwidth, adding an independent feed-forward channel that applies the noise reduction ability of the Knowles RAN Balanced Armature Driver to Hybrid ANC channels.

The Edifier Wide-Band Multi-Channel ANC can be personalized to suit your needs and the environment, allowing you to be in total control of the background noise you select to hear. Choose high ANC for a busy commute and medium or low ANC for the office; ambient sound to hear traffic noise or wind reduction for a clearer listening experience. Calls are also improved with the 4+4 built-in microphones and with an AI voice pick-up algorithm, environmental and wind noise is filtered out - thus enhancing the overall sound clarity.

Today, Logitech introduced Zone Wireless 2, a top-of-the-line business headset that uses AI to deliver unique two-way noise-free calling experiences. AI far-end noise suppression, noise-canceling mics, hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and personalized stereo sound help business professionals hear and be heard clearly in calls and meetings, especially in noisy environments.

In today's hybrid work environments, individuals work from a variety of spaces, and in nearly every workspace, noise and poor sound quality can negatively affect collaboration and productivity. A recent Equipping Your Employees for Hybrid Work study found that 85% of work-from-home users struggle with audio issues, whether it's from background noise from other participants or poor sound quality through computer speakers. The same study found that hybrid workforces aren't properly equipped with modern collaboration tools, such as quality headsets.

Today HP Inc. redefined versatility with the HP Spectre Foldable PC, a remarkable 3-in-1 device with a foldable screen that seamlessly integrates the best features of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for the ultimate hybrid experience.

"Consumers are demanding greater flexibility to connect, work, and play for their hybrid lives beyond what the traditional laptop can provide," said Jo Tan, Senior Vice President & Division President of Personal Systems Consumer Solutions, HP Inc. "We are excited to introduce the HP Spectre Foldable PC, designed to seamlessly adapt to the various ways you want to work with its unique, durable form factor that pushes the boundaries of design and technology."

beyerdynamic, the renowned manufacturer of professional audio equipment, is expanding its MMX gaming product range. The manufacturer is launching the new MMX 200 wireless gaming headset, a product that takes gaming sound to a new level. The beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless offers the perfect combination of crystal-clear studio sound, META VOICE microphone, and wireless connectivity for PC and console gaming enthusiasts. With features like Augmented Mode, LOW LATENCY, and Hybrid Mode with Bluetooth 5.3, the MMX 200 wireless becomes an essential companion for every gamer seeking top-notch performance and boundless flexibility.

PROFESSIONAL SOUND IN EVERY GAMING ENVIRONMENT
Specially designed by beyerdynamic acousticians for gamers, the integrated 40 mm studio driver systems deliver a clear, comprehensive soundscape. This not only impresses during gaming but also enhances voice communication and the enjoyment of music and movies. Precise in-game sound localization enables crucial gameplay maneuvers and enriches gaming worlds, making them appear even more realistic with their distinctive audio profiles.

Today HP Inc. redefined versatility with the HP Spectre Foldable PC, a remarkable 3-in-1 device with a foldable screen that seamlessly integrates the best features of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for the ultimate hybrid experience. "Consumers are demanding greater flexibility to connect, work, and play for their hybrid lives beyond what the traditional laptop can provide," said Jo Tan, Senior Vice President & Division President of Personal Systems Consumer Solutions, HP Inc. "We are excited to introduce the HP Spectre Foldable PC, designed to seamlessly adapt to the various ways you want to work with its unique, durable form factor that pushes the boundaries of design and technology."

Designed for Tomorrow's Hybrid Flexibility
The Spectre Fold easily transitions between the three distinct form factors for a frictionless user experience. Effortlessly switch from a traditional laptop to a slim tablet with a continuous 17-inch screen, then to a powerful desktop with a sleek built-in kickstand. This is made possible with a foldable panel and integrated hinge, designed for durability and tested with the same requirements as traditional HP laptops.

Today, Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, introduced the two newest products in the award-winning PRO Series line, the Logitech G PRO X TKL LIGHTSPEED Gaming Keyboard and Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2 Gaming Mouse. Over the past three years, Logitech G has been working with hundreds of the world's most skilled professional esports athletes to create the next generation of PRO Series gear. These new products, when combined with the Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset launched earlier this year, complete the PRO Series line, offering the highest level of PC performance across mice, keyboards and headsets.

"The exciting new PRO Series portfolio represents a pure and uncompromised product collection, designed for maximum performance of elite esports professionals and the most competitive gamers playing at the peak of potential," stated Brent Barry, Head of Esports and PRO Series at Logitech G. "These products exemplify our commitment to pushing the limits of performance, speed, and reliability, which is only made possible through our multi-year, collaborative design process with professional esports athletes. Our elite athlete partners help design, develop and test our products, ensuring they deliver the highest level of performance, quality and cutting-edge innovation."

Edifier International, prominent designer and award-winning manufacturer of consumer audio electronics for both the lifestyle and multimedia markets announces an update to the popular TWS1 earbuds: the TWS1 Pro 2. The TWS1 Pro 2 is a pair of truly wireless in-earbuds which combine Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, Ambient Sound Mode and a Titanized Hybrid Diaphragm to provide you with the ultimate true wireless, musical experience.

The new Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 feature Active Noise cancellation with multiple ANC mode, the earbuds boast a noise cancellation performance of up to -42dB, furnishing users with an exclusive, quiet experience. Users can customize different levels of noise cancellation in the Edifier Connect App - eg - High or Low Noise Cancellation; Wind Reduction or even Noise Cancellation Off.

Talking with XDA-Developers, AMD has confirmed more details about the upcoming Phoenix2 APU, which should debut with Ryzen 3 7440U and Ryzen 5 7540U APUs. Unlike the larger Phoenix APU, the Phoenix2 APU will have a hybrid design with Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. As confirmed by AMD, the Phoenix2 APU will be a 6-core design, which makes it pretty clear it will feature two Zen 4 and four Zen 4c cores. It will also come with a Radeon 740M GPU with 4 RDNA3 compute units (CUs). The Phoenix2 APU will also lack the Ryzen AI core. Unlike Intel's hybrid approach, Zen 4c cores will have the same IPC as Zen 4, same instructions, but have less L3 cache per core.

AMD has previously confirmed that the Ryzen 3 7440U will have a smaller die size of 137 mm², compared to 178 mm² on the Ryzen 5 7640U. While AMD did not directly confirmed that the Ryzen 5 7540U will also be based on the Phoenix2 APU, official specification shows it with the same 4 GPU cores and without Ryzen AI core, making it pretty obvious it will be based on the same Phoenix2 APU. Hopefully, AMD will come up with more official details about its Phoenix2 APU as there are still a lot of unknowns.

Baltarus is waiting for you, soldier. You can battle on the scorching deserts either as a Commander in RTS mode or as Infantry in FPS. Welcome to the world of Silica, a crossover of FPS and RTS, taking place in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, an exo-planet located thousands of light-years from Earth. Your mission is to locate and harvest Balterium, a powerful element with tremendous potential, or defend Baltarus from the invading humans as an insect-like alien. Choose from several game modes, including Strategy, where two teams build, harvest, and fight for domination.

Hello soldiers. The day you've been waiting for is finally here! Silica is out on Steam in Early Access. You can now immerse yourself in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, where RTS seamlessly blends with FPS. The price of the game is set at $19.99 during Early Access and at $24.99 after its conclusion. Choose your role between the Commander in real-time strategy, whose mission is to build the base and structures needed to achieve victory, or as an Infantry soldier in FPS, where you fight on the front lines against your enemies. You'll get to control all the units and vehicles along with their arsenal.

Panasonic is pleased to announce two new pairs of Digital Wireless Stereo Earphones that are perfect for people on the go. Each pair caters to a different listener priority: noise cancelling or longer battery life. For those who value Active Noise Cancelling, the new RZ-B310W are an inner-ear model with Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling capabilities. Meanwhile, the RZ-B110W offer an incredible 26 hours of playback time for those who want to listen to music longer without worrying about maintaining a charge. The earphones themselves can hold a six-hour charge and are provided with an extra 20 hours-worth of playback from a fully charged carrying case.

Both pairs of new earphones are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time thanks to Panasonic's 'Ergofit' design. Both headphone pairs are outfitted with XBS tech to energize the listener's tunes with powerful bass that is streamed wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.3. The RZ-B310W and RZ-B110W offer incredible value for the money at $99.99 and $59.99, respectively. They are available now in a black color on Amazon.com.

Apple's yet to be announced hybrid VR/AR headset is facing another setback and industry insiders are reckoning that the first iteration of the device will not be unveiled at the WWDC 2023 keynote - starting June 5. An industry analyst has been posting their theories via social media, and based on insider information believes that Apple is delaying production of the hybrid headset to late 2023. Ming-Chi Kuo's proposes this situation: "Apple isn't very optimistic about the AR/MR headset announcement recreating the astounding "iPhone moment," the mass production schedule for assembly has been pushed back by another 1-2 months to mid-to-late 3Q23. The delay also adds uncertainty to whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects. Furthermore, due to the delay in mass production for assembly, the shipment forecast this year is only 200,000 to 300,000 units, lower than the market consensus of 500,000 units or more."

Internal hands-on sessions at Apple HQ have apparently brought to light major user issues with the mixed reality headset, and that feedback has caused a loss in confidence in launching the product in a "ready enough" state, especially in time for summer. Kuo concludes his theory: "The main concerns for Apple not being very optimistic regarding the market feedback to the AR/MR headset announcement include the economic downturn, compromises on some hardware specifications for mass production (such as weight), the readiness of the ecosystem and applications, a high selling price (USD 3,000-4,000 or even higher)."

According to the latest leak, AMD's upcoming Phoenix accelerated processing units (APUs) could feature a hybrid design, featuring Performance and Efficiency cores. While there are no precise details, the latest AMD processor programming guide, leaked online, clearly marks these as two types of cores, most likely standard Zen 4 and energy-efficient Zen 4c cores.

These two set of cores will features a different feature set, and the latest document gives software designers guidelines. Such hybrid CPU design, similar to ARM's BIG.little architecture, will allow AMD to be more competitive with Intel's similar P- and E-core design, allowing it to achieve certain performance levels while also maintaining power efficiency.

Intel has quietly canceled its Thunder Bay hybrid system-on-chip (SoC) that combines standard general-purpose CPU Cores and Movidius Vision Processing Unit (VPU) cores. Such chips were aimed at commercial and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications that relied on computer vision acceleration and edge-computing applications. According to the latest report, it appears that Thunder Bay is canceled as Intel has released a set of patches that removed the Thunder Bay code from the Linux kernel.

Intel kept Thunder bay details well hidden and while earlier rumors pointed to a combination of Intel Xeon x86 CPU cores and Movidius VPU cores, the only Thunder Bay support in Linux patches where showing a combination of ARM Cortex-A53 low-power cores with the Movidius VPU. Intel acquired Movidius back in 2016 and while it is not something that Intel talks about often, there are several products based on Movidius VPUs, including Neural Compute Stick, Intel drones, the Intel RealSense Tracking Camera, and most recently, the Intel Movidius 3700VC VPU, formerly Keem Bay. In any case, it appears that Intel is abandoning an idea of combining general purpose x86 CPU cores and Movidius VPU cores.

Intel faces its stiffest long-term challenge not from AMD in the client desktop and server segments, but from the likes of Apple and Qualcomm in the ultraportable notebook SoC market. The company is looking to meet the challenge head-on with not just its current Hybrid architecture-based "Rocket Lake-U" processors, but the upcoming "Meteor Lake" and "Arrow Lake" architectures, which disaggregate the processor into chiplets build on various foundry nodes, including ones that are external to Intel. The move here is to keep Intel ahead of the curve with Moore's Law buckling. The real ace up Intel's sleeves is "Lunar Lake."

Slated for "beyond 2024" (which could mean 2025 or later), "Lunar Lake" is reportedly a fresh ground-up design for not just the SoC, but also the CPU microarchitecture, with a design focus on performance/Watt, and a focus on mobile devices. This, according to a statement to Dr Ian Cutress. Intel has already brought Hybrid CPU cores to the PC, and with Arm partners loading their SoCs with three or more kinds of CPU cores; Intel could possibly give "Lunar Lake" even more [kinds of] Hybrid processing capabilities. Another hint on the direction in which Intel is heading comes from unlikely quarters—"Sapphire Rapids." Intel's latest enterprise processors attempt to overcome the CPU core-count deficit to AMD, by incorporating various on-die accelerators—these are fixed-function hardware that accelerate specific kinds of enterprise workloads. Intel could give us another lick about "Lunar Lake" in its January 26 Q4-2022 Financial Disclosures Day.

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform design manufacturer and a MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation subsidiary, today introduced 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor-based server platforms highlighting built-in accelerators to improve performance across the fastest-growing workloads in AI, analytics, cloud, storage, and HPC.

"Greater availability of new technology like 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors continue to drive the changes in the business landscape", said Danny Hsu, Vice President of MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation's Server Infrastructure Business Unit. "The advances in TYAN's new portfolio of server platforms with features such as DDR5, PCIe 5.0 and Compute Express Link 1.1 are bringing high levels of compute power within reach from smaller organizations to data centers."

Sea Sonic Electronics., Co., Ltd. is proud to announce the introduction of the new VERTEX Series of power supplies specifically designed and built to power new PC components requiring the new ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 standards.

On the heel of NVIDIA's recent announcement about the release of the new RTX 4090 VGA cards, we entered a new era, where the power supply, more than ever, has an important role to play. Issues such as VGA excursion power and cable integrity (now with high-grade 12VHPWR connectors) should be resolved.

Today, Logitech unveiled two new product series, Brio 500 webcams and Zone Vibe headphones, designed to meet the evolving needs of hybrid workers.A recent study showed more than 89% of work-from-home adults struggle with unflattering camera angles, poor lighting conditions, and field-of-view limitations when using a built-in laptop camera.* Brio 500 webcams and Zone Vibe headphones address the challenges users face when working from home, while modernizing work and play experiences. Both make it easier for IT managers to equip their organizations' remote and hybrid workforces in an environmentally sustainable way.

"Many remote and hybrid workers are still underequipped and grappling with pre-pandemic era solutions," said Scott Wharton, general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration. "Our innovative new genre of Brio webcams and Zone Vibe headphones answer the call of modern workers who need business-grade quality, style, and affordability for work and play. Transformational features like Brio's Show Mode open up new sharing opportunities for teachers, designers, and architects to easily present physical objects, notes, and sketches remotely over video."

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced the expansion of the AMD EPYC processor footprint within the cloud ecosystem, powering the new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) E4 Dense instances. These new instances are part of the Oracle Cloud VMware Solution offerings, enable customers to build and run a hybrid-cloud environment for their VMware based workloads.

Based on 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors, the new E4 Dense instances expand the AMD EPYC presence at OCI and are made to support memory and storage intense VMware workloads. The E4 Dense instances utilize the core density and performance capabilities of EPYC processors to provide customers a fast path to a cloud environment, enabling similar performance and advanced security features through enabling the AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) security feature for VMware workloads that they have on-premises.

Yealink, a global leading unified communications (UC) solution provider, has officially announced the release of its new BH7X Bluetooth Headsets to meet the demands of the predominant hybrid working population. Following the launch of the company's WH6X DECT headsets, Yealink has solidified its position as the provider of top professional headsets for office use. Targeting workers of the "H Generation"—a Hybrid breed of professionals that have a pressing need for quality Headsets—the company understands the demand for a product that can fulfill work requirements competently, with portability at its core, and flexible enough for casual use. The new BH7X Bluetooth Headset is the solution.

Engineered for the hybrid generation, the BH7X fits in seamlessly at the office or on the go with its contemporary design and a discrete, hidden boom arm that still guarantees exceptional, professional sound and enjoyment of all-day comfort. In addition to the BH7X, the Yealink Headset family is bolstered by other effective products such as the Yealink UH38 Premium USB headset, which provides stable communication with Bluetooth & USB dual connection; for more personal collaboration usage, interested consumers can also consider the Yealink WH DECT series for all-in-one call control & cross devices usage.

Phanteks debuts a host of new products for the upcoming year at CES 2022 - The brand new Evolv Shift XT Mini-ITX Chassis and Revolt SFX Power Supplies, Matte White Editions for the Evolv X & Eclipse P600S Chassis, white SK PWM D-RGB Fans, white AMP Power Supply and a complete range of Gen4 PCIe Riser Cables and Gen4 Vertical GPU Bracket.

Brand new and unique Evolv Shift XT Mini-ITX Chassis and super compact Revolt SFX Power Supplies
Evolv Shift XT - Compact, Powerful, Futureproof
The Evolv Shift XT brings a unique small form factor that can extend in size to tailor to your cooling performance needs. The Evolv Shift XT has no compromise on performance with support for powerful hardware, whether in Compact, Aircooled, or Liquid Cooled Mode.