TimeLine Layout

December, 2020

  • 3 December

    Intel upgrades quantum computer ambitions with new control chip

    Intel unveiled on Thursday its Horse Ridge 2 processor for controlling quantum computers, an important milestone in making the potentially revolutionary machines practical. The Horse Ridge 2 isn’t a quantum processor itself but is designed to solve the challenges of communicating with future quantum processors with thousands or more qubits. The processor is the second …

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  • 3 December

    This 10,000

    Here at Cheapskate HQ, we often joke that power banks are a dime a dozen — really good deals come fast and furious to the point that we’re pretty selective about what ones we post on these pages. It’s not hard to find a high-capacity portable charger that isn’t just cheap, but has cool extra features as well. But sometimes …

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  • 3 December

    YouTube will ask you to rethink posting that comment if AI thinks it’s offensive

    YouTube will start asking commenters to reconsider posting something before it goes up if Google‘s artificial intelligence identifies that comment as potentially offensive, YouTube said Thursday. The new YouTube prompt suggests that commenters review the company’s community guidelines if they’re “not sure whether the post is respectful,” and then gives the option to either edit the content or post anyway.  The …

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  • 3 December

    Google updates Voice Access app, expands to more devices

    Google on Thursday launched an update to its Voice Access app, which debuted in 2018 to let people navigate their phones with their voice. Initially available on Android 11, the updated version of Voice Access is now available in beta worldwide on devices running Android 6.0 and up. Machine learning and a new interface make Voice Access easier to use, …

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  • 3 December

    Best Buy Thursday flash sale laptop deals: Save $120 on Acer Nitro gaming laptop, $300 on Dell Inspiron, $350 on HP Spectre and more

    This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas. Flubbed Black Friday? Missed Cyber Monday? No worry, Best Buy is running a flash sale today that will let you cash in on some savings. The 12-hour sale runs from 1 p.m. ET Thursday to 1 a.m ET Friday (10 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT …

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  • 3 December

    Apple redesigns accessibility site with tips for people with vision, hearing, other disabilities

    Apple wants to make it easier for people with disabilities to discover accessibility features on their iPhones, iPads and Macs and to figure out how to customize their devices to better suit their needs. The gadget maker launched a redesign of its accessibility website, Apple.com/accessibility, to highlight its efforts. The revamped site, announced Thursday, is organized around four areas: vision, mobility, hearing …

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  • 3 December

    Razer’s Tomahawk modular gaming PC, almost a year after launch, enters preorder

    Razer revealed its Tomahawk Gaming Desktop at CES 2020, the company’s first foray into selling desktop PCs in addition to its line of laptops. Now, almost a year later, its PC with a modular, 10 liter eGPU-like design will finally ship — or at least begin preorders today — with prices starting at $2,400.  As ideas go, it’s pretty ingenious. It’s …

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  • 3 December

    Net neutrality fight is about to come roaring back

    An old battle over who governs the internet will likely reignite as Democrats take control of the Federal Communications Commission following the inauguration of Joe Biden. Reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules thrown out under the Trump administration will likely be a top priority for the agency, experts say.  Earlier this week, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, an appointee of President Donald …

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  • 3 December

    Android Emoji Kitchen update will let you customize more emoji

    Android is giving emoji lovers more ways to mix and match emoji by expanding its Emoji Kitchen feature, Google said in a blog post, Thursday.  Emoji Kitchen, which launched in February, lets you combine emoji (think adding a face mask to an alien). The feature will now offer more than 14,000 combinations, up from just a few hundred. You’ll also …

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  • 3 December

    Facebook’s hate speech detection systems to focus on ‘worst of the worst’

    Facebook is reportedly working on a major overhaul of its algorithms that police hate speech on its platforms. The changes, which are still in the early stages, include reengineering its automated moderation systems to better detect and remove hateful language that’s considered the “worst of the worst,” according to The Washington Post, which cited internal Facebook documents.  The massive social …

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