Author: batteryforpc

The Cortana beta app for Windows 10 reveived a fresh update today that adds a new hardware section to the settings menu. The section allows you to jump in and manage any of the Cortana devices you may use. That includes things like your Xbox One, Surface Headphones, and even Amazon Alexa devices you have connected to Cortana.

When you first open the hardware section, you’ll see a list of devices you already have connected. You can click through to each to manage different settings with each device. It also gives you a shortcut to setting up Surface Headphones for the first time, directing you to the Microsoft Store to download the Cortana Device Setup app.

The arrival of the new settings section comes at a good time for Surface fans in particular. It’s widely expected, due to recent leaks, that Microsoft will soon launch Surface Headphones 2, which, like their predecessor, should feature Cortana integration. Surface Earbuds, which were delayed late last year, are expected to launch soon as well.

If you’re using the Cortana beta app, you can update to version 2.2004.22762.0 to check out the new hardware settings.

Canon’s much-rumored and anticipated EOS R6—the mirrorless variant of the 6D line-up of DSLRs—was originally expected in May, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait a little while longer for this full-frame mirrorless camera to officially arrive.

According to Canon Rumors multiple sources are saying that Canon has been forced to delay the announcement of the EOS R6 until July, pushing shipping for the camera until Q3 of 2020. Assuming this remains the case, the camera should still arrive in plenty of time for the 2020 Holiday season, but it’s disappointing news for Canon mirrorless fans all the same.

It seems the rumored EOS R6 will, more or less, come to replace the current EOS R. And while it is expected to use a lower resolution image sensor, in many ways, it will be the camera the EOS R should have been. Here are the anticipated specs, which were originally leaked in March:

20MP full-frame sensor

IBIS

12fps max with the mechanical shutter

20fps max with the electronic shutter

4K/60p and 1080/120p video capability

Dual card slots

Compared to the EOS R5, sources say the R6 will use a lower-resolution EVF, lack the top-down screen, and represent a drop in overall build quality. These trade-offs will hopefully also mean a very attainable price tag.

For stills shooters who want buy into the RF ecosystem but aren’t happy with what the EOS R and EOS RP have to offer—and aren’t interested in the eye-watering video specs Canon is building into the EOS R5—it sounds like we’ll be waiting a bit longer for another option to hit the market. Then again, we all kind of expected that, didn’t we?

AMD B550 motherboards will be available starting June 16, 2020. Retailers should be stocking their shelves by now, and some have already posted the new motherboards on their online stores. Hardware investigator @momomo_us spotted some B550 listings from Interconnect IT Solutions, a distributor in Australia.

Keep in mind that we should take preliminary listings with a healthy dose of salt, since some retailers commonly use placeholders for upcoming products, while others randomly fabricate prices.

The Australian retailer posted the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi), Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus (Wi-Fi) and Asus Prime B550M-A all with the same price tag. Given the different tiers in which the motherboard compete, it’s extremely unlikely that Asus would price the trio identically.

The B550 motherboard prices are listed in Australian dollars and include GST (goods and services tax). The GST in Australia is 10% for the the majority of products and services that are consumed in the country. For easy reference, we’ve deducted the GST from the prices and converted them to U.S. dollars.

For reference, the ROG Strix B450-F Gaming and TUF B450M-Plus Gaming currently retail for $129.99 and $89.99, respectively, in the U.S. Let’s look at the panorama from two different angles.

If Interconnect IT Solutions’ price corresponds to the ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi), we’re looking at an increase of roughly 17.8%. If it’s for the TUF Gaming B550M-Plus (Wi-Fi), then the difference jumps to 70.2%. The first scenario is likely more accurate, since a 70% price inflation is very high and absurd.

AMD B550 motherboards should usher in PCIe 4.0 support for budget builders. PCIe 4.0 requires motherboard traces with wider spacing in comparison to PCIe 3.0. While you can carry a PCIe 3.0 signal on a single PCB layer, you need need at least six layers for PCIe 4.0, which should make B550 motherboards cost a little bit than B450 offerings.

Depending on the brand and model, a B450 motherboard can cost from $70 to up to $200 for the best motherboards in this category. Even if the B450 boards were around $150, it’d be a hard sell, considering that AMD X570 motherboards are going for a low as $160 with more premium features. 

Last summer, news broke that AMD was partnering with Samsung to license its RDNA graphics for use in smartphones. Since then, it had pretty much been radio silence on the topic, until a thread recently spawned on the clien.net forums with benchmark figures, as spotted by Twitter user @Kaz9837.

According to the thread’s author, the RNDA-Exynos combo SoC put down some serious performance numbers in the GFXBench test, as you can see in the table below. The data on the Adreno 650 comes from Notebookcheck, as the source appears to have removed data on the Adreno 650.

The Adreno 650 is one of the most powerful mobile GPUs currently available and part of the Snapdragon 865 SoC, which is installed in the Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, as well as smartphones from other manufacturers.

However, we are unfamiliar with the source of the purported RDNA-Exynos data. With the numbers not yet verified, don’t take results at face value. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising to see such a performance uplift. After all, Samsung isn’t partnering with AMD for nothing.

Don’t expect to see an RDNA-infused mobile phone on the market anytime soon. Those aren’t expected to arrive until 2021 at the earliest.

Leaks to date surrounding the Google Pixel 4a have told us a lot about the upcoming phone’s design and performance, but very little regarding its camera quality. This past weekend, one blogger got their hands on a pre-release model and went on a photo-taking spree, giving us a complete picture of the Pixel 4a’s imaging capabilities.

The post comes courtesy of TecnoLike Plus out of Cuba. We originally covered impressions from TecnoLike’s Julio Lusson a few days back, though the site has since updated their initial camera review with many more samples and a YouTube video that dives even deeper into the new collection of images.

Overall, this early analysis of the Pixel 4a’s camera seems to be a favorable one. Judging from the photos TecnoLike has shared, it’s easy to see why.

First, the specs. Just as many had anticipated, the Pixel 4a repurposes the same 12.2-megapixel sensor and ƒ/1.78 wide-angle lens first used in the Pixel 3, then the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4. On the front, an 8-MP, ƒ/2.0 shooter handles selfie duties.

You’ll miss out on the additional telephoto shooter for improved hybrid zoom and portraits that the Pixel 4 has, but even so — getting the very same rear camera as Google’s flagship in a device that costs just $400 made last year’s Pixel 3a quite a steal, and it seems history is about to repeat itself. 

But the photos speak for themselves. Some of the shots in TecnoLike’s report are jaw-dropping — especially the one above, overlooking a forest. There are flagship phone cameras that will set you back twice or even three times what the Pixel 4a will probably cost that fail to deliver the kind of dynamic range you see here. Even details deep within the shadows of the trees in the foreground are clear, yet somehow not artificially over-brightened at the expense of contrast. It’s truly an impressive scene.

Also impressive is what the Pixel 4a can do at night. Google’s closest competitor here, Apple’s brand-new iPhone SE 2020, lacks a comparable night mode, meaning the Pixel 4a has an advantage here simply by showing up. But lots of other handsets have low-light modes these days, and Google’s implementation has always been one of the best. Behold how sharp those stars are up above, the gradient of the sky and the crisp focus on those trees immediately ahead.

Despite only having one rear lens, the Pixel 4a can capture excellent shallow depth-of-field bokeh shots as well, judging from this example taken next to a pool. The subject is clearly in focus and isolated from the blur behind; the bokeh itself is high-quality; and you can even make out the droplets of water suspended in mid-air in the background. Nothing is blown out or underexposed, and once again, this is simply an expertly-balanced image that you typically don’t see from cheap phones.

Overall, it’s hard not to be impressed with what Google’s apparently been able to pull off yet again with the Pixel 4a. This phone might not have a dazzling 108-MP sensor or a time-of-flight optic to suss out depth, but then, it seemingly doesn’t need one. It’s a reminder that one well-crafted camera can beat several, if you know what you’re doing.

And you shouldn’t have to wait long to get your hands on one. Leaked internal documents from European carrier Vodafone hint that Google’s next budget Pixel could arrive by the end of this month — May 22, to be exact. When it does drop, you can be sure we will put that camera through its paces, not to mention head-to-head against the iPhone SE’s. When was the last time cheap phones were this exciting?