Digital Chat Station has seemingly received insider information regarding the performance of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 mobile chipset—their source reports that a probable engineering sample is already exceeding its predecessor's Big core (Cortex-X4) maximum limit of 3.3 GHz. The rumor mill has Nuvia's custom Oryon cores linked to the next generation mobile processor, although some experts think that the Phoenix design was selected for Gen 4. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite notebook SoC was unveiled last October—this ARM-based solution is set to deliver "a dramatic leap in innovation for computing" thanks to Nuvia's custom Oryon technology. Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Compute & Gaming stated that the Snapdragon X Elite offers: "super-charged performance that will delight consumers with incredible power efficiency and take their creativity and productivity to the next level."

Digital Chat Station's brief assessment of the prototype Snapdragon 8 Gen 4's Big core prowess is also glowing: "4.0 GHz is no longer a dream" on smartphones. Past reports have Qualcomm signed up with TSMC for an unspecified 3 nm production process—next generation silicon will benefit greatly in terms of power efficiency, with custom Oryon or Phoenix cores (allegedly) achieving greater clock speeds thanks to some extra headroom. As mentioned above, the previous-gen Kryo Prime core—using TSMC's advanced 4 nm node—is factory restricted to 3.3 GHz. Tipsters reckon that efficiency cores are not part of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 design, due to the innate benefits of 3 nm—according to Digital Chat Station, MediaTek is taking similar steps with its upcoming Dimensity 9400 SoC.

For Backbone's first-ever game collaboration, we've partnered with the legendary Kojima Productions to bring you the Backbone One - DEATH STRANDING Limited Edition controller. This collaboration commemorates the release of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT for iOS. The Backbone One controller features custom product and packaging designs that blend the innovative design of the Backbone One with the artistic vision of Hideo Kojima and his award-winning title, DEATH STRANDING. Backbone One - DEATH STRANDING Limited Edition includes a free copy of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT for iOS. Your complimentary copy of the game also gives you the ability to play it on iPad and Mac. The best way to experience DEATH STRANDING on your iPhone 15 is with Backbone! Tomorrow Is In Your Hands.

Designed in Partnership with Kojima Productions
Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind DEATH STRANDING and founder of Kojima Productions, is renowned for his innovative storytelling and game design approach. His collaboration with Backbone is a further testament to his vision of pushing the boundaries of gaming, blurring the lines between console and mobile experiences.

Brands in the ePaper industry are shining like stars in the sky, and we are all working to make the ePaper category brighter. With our progress and the support of our users, we are honored to be awarded the Best Seller of E Ink Color Products of 2023 by E Ink Corporation. And this star is about to shine brighter, doing its best to spread the glow to more users.

We started to partner with E Ink since our establishment in 2008. And since then, we have been determined to become an innovative ePaper brand that will never settle for convention. With the introduction of breakthrough products and features during our growth, we finally saw the emergence of color ePaper. It was called Kaleido technology four years ago. Despite its youth, it had enormous potential. We couldn't wait to put it on our product and officially introduced it to our users in 2021—if you remember the Nova3 Color.

We're excited to finally share The Elder Scrolls: Castles, our new mobile game from the team behind Fallout Shelter. The team has been hard at work on it for the last few years and we absolutely adore it. In Castles, you'll build your own dynasty where every day in our world is a year in the game's world. Citizens are born, they die, rulers change, and can be betrayed. This soft launch is one of the first steps as we get your feedback and make changes before it launches worldwide.

Let us know what you think and preregister at elderscrolls.bethesda.net/castles to be among the first to play! The Elder Scrolls: Castles is currently available in the Philippines and will be available to more countries in the coming months. For any questions, see our Customer Support page here.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24, unleashing new mobile experiences with Galaxy AI. Galaxy S series leads the way into a new era that will forever change how mobile devices empower users. AI amplifies nearly every experience on Galaxy S24 series, from enabling barrier-free communication with intelligent text and call translations, to maximizing creative freedom with Galaxy's ProVisual Engine, to setting a new standard for search that will change how Galaxy users discover the world around them.

"The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade of mobile innovation," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. "Galaxy AI is built on our innovation heritage and deep understanding of how people use their phones. We're excited to see how our users around the world empower their everyday lives with Galaxy AI to open up new possibilities."

Today at CES 2024, HP Inc. ushered in a new era of computing with its latest portfolio of PCs, monitors, and peripherals designed to reimagine how we interact and live with technology.

"We believe that the best innovations are also the most personal ones," said Samuel Chang, Senior Vice President & Division President of Personal Systems Consumer Solutions, HP Inc. "New technologies from HP deliver solutions that allow us to be more personalized than ever, taking advantage of game-changing innovations like AI that will alter the way that technology moves us forward."

TrendForce predicts a significant rise in mobile DRAM and NAND Flash (eMMC/UFS) prices for the first quarter of 2024, with an expected seasonal increase of 18-23%. This surge could be further amplified in a market dominated by a few major players or if brand clients resort to panic buying under pressure.

Observations for 1Q24 indicate steady production planning by Chinese smartphone OEMs. A clear rise in memory prices is driving buyers to actively increase their purchasing efforts as they aim to establish secure and competitively priced inventory levels.

TechPowerUp today announced the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the popular graphics sub-system information and diagnostic utility for gamers, enthusiasts, and engineers alike. Version 2.56.0 adds a host of new features, usability upgrades, and support for new GPUs. To begin with, we've added the ability to list and detect DLSS 3 Frame Generation and DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction in the NVIDIA DLSS section of the Advanced tab. The DLSS Scanner that detects the versions of DLSS libraries in your installed games. It now gives you the ability top open that game's folder in its context menu and select the target DLL file in File Explorer. The Sensors tab can now show the NVIDIA crossbar clock sensor, which by default is "off," and can be enabled for monitoring in the app Settings that you can find in the hamburger menu. Fixes have been added for Intel Arc video BIOS version reporting, and release dates for Arc A580.

Among the new NVIDIA GPUs supported with TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.56.0 are NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada, RTX 4500 Ada, new RTX 2050 Laptop GPU, L40s, and Hopper H800 PCIe AIC. Among the new AMD GPUs supported with this release are the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, RX 6750 GRE, Radeon Pro W7700, and Pro V620 MxGPU. The new Intel GPUs supported include Intel Arc A570M, A530M, and GPU Flex 170. Grab the latest GPU-Z from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.56.0The changelog follows.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Mobile Platform to amplify immersive experiences and bring premium performance to consumers' everyday life. The upgraded platform delivers across-the-board advancements to ignite on-device AI, fan-favorite mobile gaming, a creativity-charged camera and powerful 5G connectivity. The new platform is fully equipped to enable exciting new use-cases including up to 2.63 GHz peak CPU speeds, over 50% faster GPU performance, and 60% improved AI performance per watt while still delivering incredible power efficiency.

"Intelligently designed to balance performance and power efficiency, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Mobile Platform delivers a selection of premium experiences that are brand new to the Snapdragon 7-series," said Christopher Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "By working closely with our OEM partners, we're able to help make the next generation of in-demand features, such as enhanced AI and extraordinary camera capabilities, more widely accessible to consumers." Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 will first be adopted by key OEMs including HONOR and vivo with the first device expected to be announced this month.

In collaboration with Microsoft, Durabook today announced the availability of Windows 11 Secured-core PCs for its mobile rugged computing portfolio. The Durabook S15 Rugged Laptop and U11 Rugged Tablet with advanced Windows 11 security are immediately available to protect sensitive data for professionals on the move.

Mobile, Rugged, Secure for a Perilous World
Executives, military officers, and other professionals who work in potentially hazardous environments are often responsible for highly sensitive data such as financial information, classified intelligence, and intellectual property. They are also often on the road where their computing devices are exposed to abundant cybersecurity threats, including malware and firmware attacks. These attacks are in addition to the physical perils such as being dropped, exposed to dust and potentially combustible fine particulate in the air, extreme temperatures, high humidity and water intrusion.

AMD today launched its first client processors that feature the compact "Zen 4c" CPU cores, with the Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U mobile processors for thin-and-light notebooks. The "Zen 4c" CPU core is a compacted version of the "Zen 4" core without the subtraction of any hardware components, but rather a high density arrangement of them on the 4 nm silicon. A "Zen 4c" core is around 35% smaller in area on the die than a regular "Zen 4" core. Since none of its components is removed, the core features an identical IPC (single thread performance) to "Zen 4," as well as an identical ISA (instruction set). "Zen 4c" also supports SMT or 2 threads per core. The trade-off here is that "Zen 4c" cores are generally clocked lower than "Zen 4" cores, as they can operate at lower core voltages. This doesn't, however, make the "Zen 4c" comparable to an E-core by Intel's definition, these cores are still part of the same CPU clock speed band as the "Zen 4" cores, at least in the processors that's being launched today.

The Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U mobile processors formally debut the new 4 nm "Phoenix 2" monolithic silicon. This chip is AMD's first hybrid processor, in that it has a mixture of two regular "Zen 4" cores, and four compact "Zen 4c" cores. The six cores share an impressive 16 MB of L3 cache. All six cores feature 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache. There is no complex hardware-based scheduler involved, but a software based solution that's deployed by AMD's Chipset Software, which tells the Windows scheduler to see the "Zen 4" cores as UEFI CPPC "preferred cores," and prioritize traffic to them, as they can hold on to higher boost frequency bins. The "Phoenix 2" silicon inherits much of the on-die power-management feature-set from the "Phoenix" and "Rembrandt" chips, and so are capable of a high degree of power savings with underutilized CPU cores and iGPU compute units.

Samsung Electronics today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023. Total consolidated revenue was KRW 67.40 trillion, a 12% increase from the previous quarter, mainly due to new smartphone releases and higher sales of premium display products. Operating profit rose sequentially to KRW 2.43 trillion based on strong sales of flagship models in mobile and strong demand for displays, as losses at the Device Solutions (DS) Division narrowed.

The Memory Business reduced losses sequentially as sales of high valued-added products and average selling prices somewhat increased. Earnings in system semiconductors were impacted by a delay in demand recovery for major applications, but the Foundry Business posted a new quarterly high for new backlog from design wins. The mobile panel business reported a significant increase in earnings on the back of new flagship model releases by major customers, while the large panel business narrowed losses in the quarter. The Device eXperience (DX) Division achieved solid results due to robust sales of premium smartphones and TVs. Revenue at the Networks Business declined in major overseas markets as mobile operators scaled back investments.

SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has started commercialization of the LPDDR5T (Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo), the world's fastest DRAM for mobile with 9.6 Gbps speed. The company said that it has obtained the validation that the LPDDR5T is compatible with Qualcomm Technologies' new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, marking the industry's first case for such product to be verified by the U.S. company.

SK hynix has proceeded with the compatibility validation of the LPDDR5T, following the completion of the development in January, with support from Qualcomm Technologies. The completion of the process means that it is compatible with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. With the validation process with Qualcomm Technologies, a leader in wireless telecommunication products and services, and other major mobile AP (Application Processor) providers successfully completed, SK hynix expects the range of the LPDDR5T adoption to grow rapidly.

"Strix Point" is the codename for AMD's next-generation mobile processor succeeding the current Ryzen 7040 series "Phoenix." More details of the processor emerged thanks to "All The Watts!!" on Twitter. The CPU of "Strix Point" will be heterogenous, in that it will feature two different kinds of CPU cores, but with essentially the same ISA and IPC. It is rumored that the processor will feature 4 "Zen 5" CPU cores, and 8 "Zen 5c" cores.

Both core types feature an identical IPC, but the "Zen 5" cores can hold onto higher boost frequencies, and have a wider frequency band, than the "Zen 5c" cores. From what we can deduce from the current "Zen 4c" cores, "Zen 5c" cores aren't strictly "efficiency" cores, as they still offer the full breadth of core ISA as "Zen 5," including SMT. In its maximum configuration, "Strix Point" will hence be a 12-core/24-thread processor. The two CPU core types sit in two different CCX (CPU core complexes), the "Zen 5" CCX has 4 cores sharing a 16 MB L3 cache, while the "Zen 5c" CCX shares a 16 MB L3 cache among 8 cores. AMD will probably use a software-based solution to ensure the right kind of workload from the OS is processed by the right kind of CPU core.

MINISFORUM today is launching their BD770i ITX "Mobile on Desktop" motherboard which comes equipped with AMD's 8-core "Zen 4" Ryzen 7 7745HX. Upon the CPU sits a custom "integrated advanced cooling system" which partially exhausts out of the I/O shield and supports installation of a 120 mm fan, which is not included. The board features dual actively cooled M.2 2280 PCI-E Gen 5 SSDs plus M.2 2230 E-Key for WLAN cards, 2.5G Ethernet, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, another pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that also supports display out as DisplayPort 1.4. The BD770i also features dual SODIMM slots for up to DDR5-5200 DRAM, as well as a full length PCI-E Gen 5 x16 for dedicated graphics cards. A small detail we noticed in the product images is the silhouette of two more M.2 ports on the rear of the board that aren't in the specifications. On the product page there are mentions of a higher-end BD790i with the Ryzen 9 7945HX which does not seem to be available yet, so perhaps this higher end board will feature these extra ports.

Despite the AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX supporting overclocking features such as an unlocked multiplier, AMD EXPO, and Precision Boost Overdrive; MINISFORUM has chosen to not support those features on the BD770i. Perhaps the upcoming BD790i will include OC support and features, we'll have to wait and see. Pricing for the BD770i is currently set at $399 USD for early orders, however the price is expected to increase to $499 USD after the launch period promotion expires.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, already pushes boundaries of mobile gaming, but today unveiled a substantial update to its Razer Nexus app for both iPhone and Android. Nexus 3.0 brings a variety of innovative new features for Android and a polished and upgraded experience for iPhone users. As the main game launcher for Razer Edge & Kishi V2, and driven by Razer's dedication to high-performance gaming, the Razer Nexus 3.0 update embodies innovation, immersion, and intuitive user experiences. The app update is available to users free of charge.

Redefining Game Discovery: The Razer Nexus app becomes the ultimate game concierge, presenting a meticulously curated selection of games for the Razer community. Optional video previews and carefully considered categories minimize the time between discovery and gameplay. This enriched catalog is now live for Android and iPhone users.

Without fanfare, Intel has launched two new mobile GPUs in the shape of the Arc A570M and the A530M. The Arc A570M gets 16 Xe Cores and 256 execution units, as well as four render slices and 16 RT units. The lower-end Arc A530M gets to make do with 12 Xe cores, 192 execution units, three render slices and 12 RT units, which is a smaller cut than the model name suggests. What's interesting to note here is that the Arc A570M appears to have identical hardware specs to the Arc A550M that launched in the second quarter of 2022, although as we'll see, the clock speeds and TGP differ between the parts. The Arc A570M supports 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, the same as the Arc A550M, with the Arc A530M supports 4 or 8 GB of GDDR6.

Both the Arc A570M and the A530M will get a GPU clock speed of 1,300 MHz, which is a significant boost from the Arc A550M which is plodding along at a mere 900 MHz in comparison. This makes the two newcomers Intel's third highest clocked mobile GPUs, with only the Arc A770M and Arc A370M being clocked higher. The downside of this is an increase in TGP, where the Arc A550M had a fairly reasonable TGP of 60 Watts, the Arc A530M has a TGP range of 65 to 95 Watts, while the Arc A570M extends this to 75-95 Watts. The rest of the specs appear to carry over from the Arc A550M, so the new GPUs will support up to four displays via eDP, DP 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 and the full set of video encoders and decoders are also supported. The new additions are still made using TSMC's N6 node, so what we're looking at are most likely just optimised silicon here, which has led Intel to be able to boost the clock speeds while maintaining acceptable thermals.

Samsung Electronics today announced the first step in a plan to reimagine mobile device security for business customers in partnership with Microsoft. This collaboration has led to the industry's first on-device, mobile hardware-backed device attestation solution that works equally well on both company and personally owned devices.

Device attestation can help ensure a device's identity and health, verifying that it has not been compromised. On-device, mobile hardware-backed device attestation—available on Samsung Galaxy devices and combined with protection from Microsoft Intune—now adds enhanced security and flexibility. For enterprises, this is an extra layer of protection against compromised devices falsely claiming to be known and healthy, gaining access to sensitive corporate data. Additionally, organizations can now enable employees to bring their own device (BYOD) to work with the confidence that they are protected with the same level of security as company owned devices. For employees, this means added flexibility for their personal Galaxy devices to safely access their work environment.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced its fifth generation of Galaxy foldables: Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5. The industry-leading form factors offer unique experiences for every user with sleek and compact designs, countless customization options, and powerful performance. The new Flex Hinge makes the foldable experience possible, while offering an aesthetically balanced and solid design. These unrivalled foldable devices unlock extraordinary camera capabilities such as FlexCam to take photos from creative angles. With strong performance and an optimized battery powered by the latest processor, the Samsung Galaxy Z series transforms what is possible with a smartphone - open or closed.

"Samsung is revolutionizing the mobile industry with foldables by setting the standard and continually refining the experience," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "Every day, more people choose our foldables because they offer an experience people want that they can't get on any other device. Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 are the latest devices that prove our commitment to meeting the needs of our customers through innovative technology."

Today, Lenovo unveiled the newest additions to its ThinkPad mobile workstation portfolio. Powered by the latest AMD Ryzen PRO 7040 Series Mobile processors with optional NVIDIA RTX professional graphics, the new ThinkPad P16v, P16s Gen 2 and P14s Gen 4 complement the models announced in May 2023, offering customers a broad choice in mobile workstation PC solutions. ThinkPad P Series devices deliver breakthrough performance, premium design, and durability for demanding workflows across a variety of price points and include support for Windows 11 and several flavors of Linux. Bringing advanced and power-efficient processors with AMD PRO technologies and Ryzen AI on select models opens up an enhanced world of AI-driven features for advanced collaboration on ThinkPad mobile workstations.

"Our latest workstations are designed to help our customers make a difference and drive a positive long-lasting impact in their fields, whether it's research and design, engineering and finance, media and entertainment, healthcare and education, or anything else. We are committed to delivering human-centric innovations that empower our customers to unleash their potential with ThinkPad mobile workstations," said Rob Herman, VP and GM, Worldwide Workstation and Client AI Business at Lenovo.

TrendForce reports that continued production cuts by DRAM suppliers have led to a gradual quarterly decrease in overall DRAM supply. Seasonal demand, on the other hand, is helping to mitigate inventory pressure on suppliers. TrendForce projects that the third quarter will see the ASP for DRAM converging towards a 0~5% decline. Despite suppliers' concerted efforts, inventory levels persistently remain high, keeping prices low. While production cutbacks may help to curtail quarterly price declines, a tangible recovery in prices may not be seen until 2024.

PC DRAM: The benefits of consolidated production cuts on DDR4 by the top three suppliers are expected to become evident in the third quarter. Furthermore, inventory pressure on suppliers has been partially alleviated due to aggressive purchasing by several OEMs at low prices during 2Q23. Evaluating average price trends for PC DRAM products in 3Q23 reveals that DDR4 will continue to remain in a state of persistent oversupply, leading to an expected quarterly price drop of 3~8%. DDR5 prices—influenced by suppliers' efforts to maintain prices and unmet buyer demand—are projected to see a 0-5% quarterly decline. The overall ASP of PC DRAM is projected to experience a QoQ decline of 0~5% in the third quarter.

Elgato, a subsidiary of CORSAIR (NASDAQ: CRSR), and leading provider of hardware and software for content creators, today announced a major update to the digital version of its celebrated Stream Deck, Stream Deck Mobile. The Stream Deck Mobile app turns any smartphone into a handheld productivity interface. With today's update, Stream Deck Mobile becomes free to use for up to six keys, for anyone with an iPhone or iPad. Other core app changes introduce more ways for users to control their favorite apps and customize their setup.

Now with its "freemium" app model, Stream Deck Mobile is more accessible than ever for millions of customers worldwide. Users can get the best of Stream Deck on their iPhone or iPad for free - including six keys, unlimited actions, and hundreds of plugins for popular apps. An optional Pro subscription or purchase unlocks advanced features like custom layouts, backgrounds, and up to 64 keys - double that of Elgato's largest physical device, Stream Deck XL.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has announced the new Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, which has been creatively engineered to make incredible mobile experiences accessible to more consumers globally. Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 provides effortless, all-day use with fast CPU speeds, sharp photography and videography, plus speedy 5G and Wi-Fi for reliable connections.

"Snapdragon - at its core - is driving innovation while meeting the demands of OEMs and the broader industry," said Matthew Lopatka, director of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "With this generational advancement in the Snapdragon 4-series, consumers will have greater access to the most popular and relevant mobile features and capabilities. We optimized every aspect of the platform in order to maximize the experiences for users."

Zebra Technologies Corporation, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, today announced the launch of the ET6x series of rugged Android tablets. Designed to help front-line workers in warehouses, manufacturing plants, ports, yards, field service and emergency medical environments be more productive and efficient, the ET6x series debuts the industry's only heated touch screen and vehicle dock for forklifts and other material handling vehicles.

The ET60 and ET65 are Zebra's first 2-in-1 Android tablets with a friction-hinge keyboard that transforms the tablets into a laptop to make heavy data entry easy in the office and in the field. The products feature consumer styling that can handle harsh indoor and outdoor environments from sub-zero cold to extreme heat. The tablets are dustproof, corrosion proof and tested for vibration, thermal shock, and solar radiation. Two of the most vulnerable tablet elements - the display and optional scanner exit window - are protected with shatter-and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) this week announced that it will ship a new line of LYTIA brand products, primarily 50-megapixel models, this fiscal year. LYTIA is the new product brand of image sensors for mobile devices developed by SSS. SSS has leveraged its imaging and sensing technologies to bring value to the market in a variety of ways and deliver a richer imaging experience to users. SSS is expanding its high-quality products under the LYTIA brand so that more users in the mobile market can benefit from its commitment to imaging as they use smartphones to capture images. The first step in this initiative is expanding the line of 50-megapixel products, as it is the most versatile resolution for use in current mobile applications.

More and more people today are using smartphones to enjoy imaging on a daily basis, and the way they use cameras are also diversifying with more and more smartphones coming with multiple built-in cameras. SSS plans to contribute to enhanced imaging experiences with LYTIA products that accommodate diverse shooting scenes and purposes.