
Search results for 'Technology' - Page: 9
| PC World - 22 Jul (PC World)Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, is planning to replace the current Windows app for a simpler web wrapper version.
According to Windows Latest, the latest beta version of WhatsApp for PC users will abandon the native Windows UWP framework in favor of an app that’s built on Edge’s Chromium-based WebView2 technology. The new variant is, in effect, a stripped-down web browser that shows the web version of WhatsApp in a desktop app window.
What does this mean in practical terms? A simpler user interface, a changed notification system, more basic settings, and weaker integration with Windows. However, the beta version does include support for WhatsApp Channels and enhanced Status and Communities features.
Based on tests by Windows Latest, the new WhatsApp PC app “uses approximately 30% more RAM than the existing native app” and exhibits several notable differences including “slower performance.”
Why the switch? Most likely to ease development efforts. With a web wrapper, Meta can focus resources on developing a single version of WhatsApp and deploy it cross-platform using web wrappers, instead of maintaining a separate Windows-native version with its own code. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | Aardvark - 21 Jul (Aardvark)It`s not often I`m truly impressed by the use of an emerging technology but in this
case I think AI is doing a fantastic job. Read...Newslink ©2025 to Aardvark |  |
|  | | PC World - 21 Jul (PC World)The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan has set a groundbreaking record: a data transmission rate of 1.02 petabits per second (around 127,500 GB/s) over 1,802 kilometers (about 1,120 miles), reports CNET.
That’s around 3.5 million times faster than the average US fixed broadband internet connection, which was around 289 Mbps according to Speedtest as of May 2025. At this new record-breaking speed, you could download the entire Netflix library in under a second.
Fiber optics with 19 cores
The key to the record is a new optical fiber with 19 cores, which are installed in a cable with a diameter of just 0.125 millimeters (the standard size for existing networks). Compared to conventional cables with one core, this fiber transmits 19 times more data with minimal data loss due to uniform light conduction. For transmission over the 1,120-mile distance—comparable to New York to Chicago—the signal was amplified 21 times.
The new record more than doubles the previous year’s figure of 50,250 GB/s. In 2023, the NICT team achieved similar speeds but only over a third of the distance. Advances in signal amplification and reduction of data loss are what made this new range possible.
Compatible with existing fiber optic cables
The technology could meet the growing demand for data worldwide, as data volumes have been increasing by about 50 percent annually according to Nielsen’s Law.
In general, the new technology is exciting and also interesting for countries where fiber optic expansion is stagnating, primarily because these new cables fit into existing infrastructures.
The record has not yet been independently verified, but it shows how fiber optics could further shape the future of the internet.
Further reading: These are the 10 most watched Netflix shows of all time Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | ITBrief - 19 Jul (ITBrief) DeepHealth has acquired iCAD, enhancing its AI breast cancer imaging technology and expanding global access to advanced screening solutions. Read...Newslink ©2025 to ITBrief |  |
|  | | PC World - 19 Jul (PC World)Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardcore hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the hot topics on our YouTube show or latest buzz from across the web? I’ve got you covered.
Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website!
This past week, Adam published a look back at the past few decades of PC component history, through the lens of my colleague Gordon Mah Ung’s career. The memories stretch from the mid-1990s (including Gordon in a full suit and tie) to the present day of contests for the slowest benchmark results. And by the end, I could see other people latching on to “change” as the biggest theme throughout.
The visual evidence is there: the move from beige boxes to bright, even obnoxiously colored chassis; shifting case configurations and attitudes toward cable management (oh, for the days when we could shove everything inside and just slap the side panel back on); even the leap to ferocious high core-count processors and screaming-fast graphics cards.
Vintage Alienware.Willis Lai / Foundry
But while others could argue that change has been the constant in computer hardware, I’d instead champion ATX as one of the truest mainstays—and all the evidence of its steady, reliable presence over the past 30 years is right in the video.
In build after build, ATX is there. An over-the-top, ludicrously decked out Dream Machine built by the crew at Maximum PC? ATX. The machine that won the ongoing competition between Gordon and others (including our friend Dr. Ian Cuttress) for the slowest benchmark results in Cinebench R15? Also ATX. And even Gordon’s signature troll build, the “reverse sleeper build” that sported a shiny new case on the outside, and old-as-heck parts on the inside? Yeah, ATX.
Gordon had his bones to pick with ATX—he complained often that ATX was holding back the PC industry. (And I mean often, not just on The Full Nerd when the cameras were rolling.) But in the very next breath, he would then rail against companies like Apple, which has zero issue with (in Gordon’s words) throwing older tech overboard.
ATX’s longevity is why you can put parts that look like this in a brand-new, sparkling clean case.
Willis Lai / Foundry
I’ve always had a different outlook, largely along the lines of Gordon’s follow-up rant. I’m open to a newer standard that evolves the layout of motherboards, sure. But I view the jump from the AT form factor to ATX more as a practical response, as opposed to just the insatiable hunger for innovation. ATX followed AT after a decade, bringing further improvements to standardization and swappability of parts. But when BTX launched nine years later, arguably “on schedule,” it failed to take.
Not enough innovation, you could argue. But I view it as a sign of what truly motivates leaps in technology, whether the advent of the printing press or desktop-sized personal computers. I also think ATX’s ongoing relevance tells us a lot about the future of the PC. Innovation is a response to a need. As the PC industry has become increasingly more personal, with a far wider spectrum of options to address specific needs, what innovation looks like may continue to become smaller and more subtle. And possibly, it may even become less constant.
In this episode of The Full Nerd…
Willis Lai / Foundry
In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith talk about Intel being on the ropes, Zen 6’s emergence in the wild, and AI in Windows. To me, I found a lot of commonalities between these topics—they made me extremely contemplative about what innovation in the PC space will look like, because things feel a little…confused.
Also, we got a glimpse into the remarkable details of the decor in Will’s home office. All I can say is: That potato has a butt.
Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real time!
And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds.
This week’s intriguing nerd news
I’m facing a second week in recent months where I’m questioning my deal-hunting skills, but a few technology wins are keeping my spirits up. What currently has me a bit starry-eyed: insanely fast internet. So fast that I’m a little giddy at the thought, even though I may never see it in my neck of the woods.
What’s old will become what’s new.Wikimedia Commons
I can’t top this data hoarder’s deal-hunting skills: Estate sales can be a good way to pick up useful, interesting, or downright quirky stuff for pretty cheap. But so far, I haven’t encountered any finds on the level of 11 Western Digital 8TB external hard drives for just $360. Man. What a score.
Turns out you can put a price on nostalgia: $349 bucks is the cost of reliving your best childhood memories—aka getting your hands on a remade Commodore 64, compatible with over 10,000 C64 games and modernized to support HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi. I hope this works out better than the Analogue 3D. (Not gonna lie, I’m a little worried Analogue won’t survive the tariffs, as they’re absorbing the higher costs.)
Self-destructing SSDs? Pass. Don’t get me wrong—TeamGroup’s reveal of an SSD that destroys itself with the push of a button got my attention. But look, I’m cheap. Taking a hammer to my drives seems way simpler and costs a lot less. (As does taking them over to a company that has a proper shredder.) Also, if I’m handling data sensitive enough to require instant obliteration…why is it in my home?
The internet is built on duct tape and string: For systems engineers, DNS probably gives y’all a lot of headaches. I certainly would have one, knowing just how fragile the system is. Or when seeing proof that malware can be casually slipped into DNS records. Fun.
Linux is winning: Just kidding, it’s still barely a fraction of users on desktop PCs. But it is gaining a little bit of headway in the U.S.—we’ve now reached a milestone of over 5 percent market share.
You may need to finally upgrade your Gigabyte motherboard if it’s vulnerable to a new security exploit.Gigabyte
When will 6-cores become default? Well, not just yet: Brad floated the idea during this week’s episode that Zen 6 could shift to six-core CPUs as the baseline. But we’ve also commented multiple times on the show that the budget end isn’t getting much attention. I guess those laments won out, as the hottest chip news this week is AMD’s Ryzen AI 5 330, a four-core, eight-threaded Copilot+ laptop chip.
Update your Gigabyte motherboard ASAP…if you can: Running an Intel processor? Perhaps one within the range of 8th gen to 11th gen? Is it sitting in a Gigabyte motherboard? Better check pronto if an update is available for it, because a vulnerability that lets attackers bypass Secure Boot was just disclosed. But if yours is too old, you may actually have to upgrade your hardware all together to avoid this security hole. ð??
Why not just buy actual gold instead? Look, I know the RTX 4090 has largely held its value. And maybe that’ll extend to the RTX 5090, too. But when I first saw Asus’s RTX 5090 ROG Astral Real Gold Edition (aka the RTX 5090 made with 11 pounds of 24-carat gold), I thought, “Surely investing in actual 24-carat gold bars would be the better call.” I’m a product of my upbringing, which includes very immigrant grandparents.
I want Japan’s fiber optic internet tech: The land of the fax machine is claiming a record-breaking transmission rate of 127,500GB/s (yes, the big B, so really fast) over a distance of roughly 1,100 miles. Sure, I’d only use such speed to load cat videos instantaneously, but I still want it.
Catch you all next week, when hopefully the hot parts of the world are cooler, and the cold parts are warmer. It’s 62 degrees right now in San Francisco. Also supposed to rain next week. Yup.
Alaina
This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | BBCWorld - 18 Jul (BBCWorld)Visual effects made using the technology has appeared in a Netflix original show for the first time. Read...Newslink ©2025 to BBCWorld |  |
|  | | RadioNZ - 18 Jul (RadioNZ) Christopher Luxon has confirmed a new public research organisation focused on `supercharging` the economy. Read...Newslink ©2025 to RadioNZ |  |
|  | | PC World - 18 Jul (PC World)Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50 series has been shining with cutting-edge technology since January 2025, but Nvidia is now following suit for the RTX 40 series with some upgrades.
The GeForce 590.26 preview driver, which is available on Nvidia’s developer website, allows owners of Ada Lovelace graphics cards (such as the RTX 4080 and RTX 4060) to utilize Smooth Motion frame generation technology.
This feature, previously reserved for RTX 50 cards, promises almost twice the frame rate in many games, reports VideoCardz.
Doubled frame rates for older games
Smooth Motion is Nvidia’s answer to AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames. The technology AI-generates intermediate images at the driver level, which are then inserted between two rendered frames. This makes games appear smoother without requiring developers to specifically incorporate the feature in their games. Smooth Motion is especially attractive for older games with frame rate limits and/or without DLSS support.
Users on the Guru3D forums report double the frame rate in World of Warcraft, from 82 to 164 FPS. Similar leaps were achieved in Company of Heroes 3, as demonstrated by VideoCardz. In competitive and CPU-limited games, Smooth Motion unlocks noticeably smoother gameplay, even if the quality doesn’t quite match DLSS 3 Frame Generation.
Only for developer accounts so far
There are some restrictions on this new feature: the driver is only a preview, and it requires the Nvidia Profile Inspector from GitHub and a developer account with Nvidia to activate Smooth Motion.
Without developer access, users will have to wait for the final version, which is expected to make the feature easier to access. Nevertheless, the free performance boost is a strong argument for RTX 40 owners who want more FPS without new hardware.
Smooth Motion technology shows how Nvidia is extending the life of the RTX 40 series. For gamers who want to get maximum performance out of their graphics card, the preview driver is an exciting foretaste—and the final version shouldn’t be too long in coming. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | ITBrief - 17 Jul (ITBrief) Rugged technology boosts productivity and cuts costs in critical industries by reducing downtime, enabling real-time data capture, and improving durability in harsh environments. Read...Newslink ©2025 to ITBrief |  |
|  | | PC World - 17 Jul (PC World)What’s worse, being stuck in traffic or on another interminable Microsoft Teams call? ¿Por qué no los dos? Mercedes is teaming up with Microsoft to allow you to take Teams calls while on the go — and is talking about adding Microsoft Copilot to its suite of luxury cars, too.
Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz said Wednesday that the new Mercedes CLA will be able to tap into an in-vehicle camera and give drivers access to a Meetings for Teams application. Somehow, Mercedes is also including Microsoft Intune inside the car, so business workers will be able to access private business data, too.
Mercedes is making this part of what it calls MBUX, the Mercedes-Benz user experience. Microsoft and Mercedes plan to implement the new Intune and Teams enhancements as part of an MBUX 4.0 upgrade this summer.
The integration of Microsoft Teams, however, might be either the most useful or the most dystopian upgrade. Microsoft and Mercedes say that you can use the in-car camera for talking to partners or underlings, letting them see you as you cruise down the highway in comfort.
Fortunately, the technology is being rolled out with an eye toward safety. “To minimize distraction and maximize safety while driving, the meeting video stream turns off automatically as soon as the camera is activated,” the companies said. “As a result, the driver will never see any shared screens or slides — and the camera can be turned off at any time.”
Is this the future of commuting to the office?Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes is also integrating chat into its driver interface, so you’ll be able to dictate chats to contacts, and view your upcoming calendar through a “Next Meetings” function.
Copilot is coming to cars
Microsoft and Mercedes are also working together to bring Copilot to vehicles, though the two aren’t saying when.
“Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft are also working together to integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot into the latest vehicles,” both companies said. “This will be one of the world’s first application of its kind in a car and will help users prepare for upcoming meetings with the aid of advanced AI. Using voice prompts, drivers can summarize emails, retrieve or query client preferences and details, and manage daily tasks without distraction. Microsoft 365 Copilot has the potential to transform the vehicle into a third workspace, complementing the office and the home office.”
Microsoft has previously struggled to bring its services into the car, with Microsoft Sync powering the early versions of the Ford Sync entertainment and communications system. Since then Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay have provided alternatives to Ford’s own entertainment systems.
The 2025 CLA starts at $45,550 and goes up to $54,350, according to Car and Driver. To enable the new MBUX features, you’ll need an Active Entertainment Package Plus subscription, which apparently varies by region and location. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
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