TrendingNews: April 2024

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

YouTube TV on Android introduces new Multiview feature – here's how to use it

A couple of months ago, the YouTube TV app on iOS gained Multiview, a feature giving subscribers a way to watch up to four different sports games at once. A company spokesperson at the time told us Android users wouldn’t get the update until later this summer. Well, it seems the platform sped up development because Multiview on YouTube TV for Android devices has recently been spotted rolling out.

All you need to do to receive the feature is run the latest version of the app on your smartphone or tablet. After installing the patch, scroll down while on the Home tab until you see the section “Watch in Multiview”. Then select a group you want to watch. Audio will initially play from the livestream in the upper left corner. You can change the audio source by tapping another stream twice. The first time brings up the Play/Pause button in the middle, and the second makes the switch.

YouTube TV Multiview section on Android — (Image credit: Future)

You’ll know you’ve done it correctly if the live stream has a white highlighted border around it. It’s important to mention that double tapping a source while the Play/Pause button is showing lets you expand it to full screen. Similarly, you can hit the Go To option while in a portrait view to jump to a specific game or show.

You can’t create your own Multiview setup. Users have to pick one of four pre-selected livestreams provided by the platform. The customization tool remains exclusive to the smart TVs.

Not just sports

According to 9To5Google, the update “can work on any device” and doesn’t require powerful hardware to run. All of the heavy lifting is done by YouTube. The publication states that Multiview is, “for the most part, limited to sports content”. However, in our experience, this wasn’t the case. We were able to watch four different news sources at once including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and BBC News. Alongside those were two economic programs as well as a pair of weather channels. To see the others, scroll the content carousel to the left.

YouTube TV Multiview with News channels — (Image credit: Future)

There is a chance you may not see Multiview at first. A Google representative told TheVerge the patch is in the process of rolling out to Android owners and will continue to do so over the coming weeks. Be sure to keep an eye out for the update once it arrives. If you still don’t see it, try closing YouTube TV and then opening it up again. We did that when we didn’t see the new section.

In addition to this upgrade, a handful of users have reported seeing the 1080p Enhanced option reappearing on their Apple TV. This setting lets people enjoy content in 1080p resolution at a high bitrate enabling a better quality stream. The validity of said feature is shaky since YouTube has yet to make an official announcement. So, we reached out for clarification.

While we have you, check out TechRadar's list of the best Android phones for 2024.

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New AMD RX 7900 XTX variant requires a mammoth 3x PCIe power connectors

XFX is gearing up to release a brand new version of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX which is slated to feature a huge 3.5-slot design with power requirements of at least 850W. That means you'll need 3x PCIe power connectors, deviating from the standard two of the base and partner models for the added functionality.

Spotted by Videocardz, the upcoming Phoenix Nirvana RX 7900 XTX measures in at a massive 13 x 5.1 x 2.8 (LxWxH) making it the largest of the current AIBs available, and dwarfing AMD's own reference model from 2022. The full model has yet to be fully unveiled, however, teases of the card's design make a mighty impression. What's more, it's alleged to launch at $1,090, just $91 over MSRP.

Given its length, it's highly likely to be a triple fan graphics card what with that massive heatsink sitting on top. It's alleged that there's a total of eight 6mm heat pipes onboard with a vapor chamber for the GPU and the memory modules. From this information, we can glean that this variant is going to have some serious overclocking runway, as we've already seen from the likes of the ASUS Tuf RX 7900 XTX.

One of the more interesting claims made by XFX regarding the upcoming Phoenix Nirvana variant is that it will be using "premium thermal pads" for enhanced conductivity, according to the source. This means that the new graphics card could be able to push overclocking further than what we've seen from competitors, especially given the size of the heatsink on top.

You may need to do that overclocking yourself, though. The teased information states that the Phoenix Nirvana will be clocked identically to the company's existing Speedster Merc 319 at 2615 MHz, which isn't quite as fast as AMD partner cards go, as some versions can push up to 2800 MHz.

The best graphics card for gamers gets better

We haven't been shy about our love for AMD's RX 7900 XTX since its release nearly two years ago. The RDNA 3 flagship packs a ton of value for money with its competitive pricing and huge 24GB memory pool. It's easily the best graphics card for gamers wanting to game in 4K, and it's good to see Team Red's partners continue to support it.

The pricing, if accurate, may not be too exciting though. That's because we're now seeing many RDNA 3 GPUs including the 7900 XTX available at discounted prices - some even seeing permanent discounts. Should everything about the design and the speed of the card be true then it's likely going to offer leading thermal performance, even if it doesn't push the boundaries of what we know it can do out of the box.

We recommend reading our full AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review to get the full low down on the cards. Even though RDNA 4 is on the horizon, there's still a lot to expect out of the current crop of GPU hardware to take advantage of.

Monday, April 29, 2024

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Tuesday, April 30 (game #58)

Is it just me or is Strands on a difficult run at the moment? Maybe the NYT thinks it needs to be tougher in order to draw in more players. And frustrating though it sometimes is, I definitely prefer it when it really gets me thinking.

If you're struggling with today's game then don't fret – I've got some hints for you below. Good luck!

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #58) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Pour it on

NYT Strands today (game #58) - hint #2 - clue words

What are some good clue words today?

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• COIN

• CHART

• POINT

• CHARD

• CHEEP

• DUSTY

NYT Strands today (game #58) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Added flavor

NYT Strands today (game #58) - hint #4 - spangram position

Where does today's spangram start and end?

• Start: top, 3rd column

• End: bottom, 5th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #58) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game #58 on a blue background — (Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #58, are…

MAYO
TZATZIKI
KETCHUP
SRIRACHA
AIOLI
MUSTARD
SPANGRAM: CONDIMENT

My rating: Difficult
My score: Perfect

There are two reasons why I really struggled to solve today's Strands puzzle. Firstly, several of the words have rather unusual spellings; TZATZIKI, SRIRACHA and AIOLI are the worst offenders on that front. This immediately complicates a game of Strands, because your eye (and brain) is naturally drawn towards common pairings, such as S with H or M or T. S with R, as in SRIRACHA? No, that's firmly outside of my expectations.

Secondly, I don't really like condiments. I realize this makes me an outlier among the human population (and probably compared to my dog, too, because he's a labrador and will therefore eat anything), but it's how I've always been. I like TZATZIKI, but that's it. And don't get me started on MAYO, which is the worst thing about food, full stop.

Anyway, all of that combined to make this Strands another tricky one. It was only once I spotted MAYO that I realized what 'Pour it on' referred to, which theoretically made it easier, but KETCHUP aside I had to hunt and hunt for ages to find all of the answers.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday 29 April, game #57)

PINK
COMMON
SEAL
PRINCE
MEATLOAF
JEWEL
BRANDY
SPANGRAM: MUSICIANS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's currently in Beta and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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You're not imagining it, Amazon Prime deliveries got even faster in 2024

Amazon Prime continues to be a service juggernaut in the tech industry as the company has broken a new record. According to a recent announcement, Amazon revealed it managed to deliver over two billion items in the first three months of 2024 through Prime. That’s more than the total amount of packages they sent out in Europe to members last year.

Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington stated in March that almost 60 percent of Prime orders "arrived the same or next day across" 60 of the largest urban areas in the United States. In London, Tokyo, and Toronto, "three out of four items" arrived at their destination in the same time frame.

This success in the US seems to be the result of the logistical changes Amazon made in 2023. They essentially divided up the country into “eight interconnected regions" to serve specific geographic areas. These regions have a “fulfillment center” housing a wide array of items, allowing the company to quickly deliver their stock right to your door. Amazon even claims that thanks to AI, it can predict “which items [people] in various parts of the country” want and when they want them. The tech giant also works with multiple sellers, both big and small, to get those brand-name products out fast.

It’s possible Amazon will demolish its 2023 Prime delivery record. The company is certainly on the way and Herrington says they’re “just getting started.” But will they meet this goal? Most likely. Recent moves hint that they’ll do it, but there’s a chance they'll fall short.

New services

Not too long ago, Amazon made some important business updates.

They launched a new grocery delivery service for Prime members on April 23. For $10, subscribers can get unlimited delivery on orders over $35 from local and specialty supermarkets – so long as the final bill is over $35. That’s the only requirement. People without a Prime membership can join the program as well at $5 a month. However, they must own a registered EBT (also known as food stamps) card.

Before that, the company said it was expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service to the Phoenix Metro Area in Arizona. It’s not running yet. Amazon still has to get all the “necessary permissions” from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) before it can take to the skies.

So with the grocery delivery program and a little help from a fleet of drones, the 2023 Prime delivery record could be smashed. However, we hesitate to be confident in Amazon's corner because of the layoffs we’ve seen in the past few years. The platform has taken a hatchet to its business. From 2022 through 2023, Amazon cut over "27,000 jobs across almost every area" of the business.

Granted, things have slowed down, but Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has said they’re not done cutting costs. Layoffs could ramp up in the near future.

Memorial Day is coming up in the US and that means discounts. If you want to stay up to date on whatever Amazon is planning, be sure to follow TechRadar's Amazon Memorial Day sales roundup for 2024.

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ChatGPT Plus just got a major update that might make it feel more human – here's how the new memory feature works

Artificial intelligence might seem a little less artificial today now that Memory is live for all ChatGPT Plus users.

After a few months of testing in both the free and pay versions of the generative AI chatbot, OpenAI chose to enable the feature, for paying customers only, in all regions except Korea and Europe.

ChatGPT's memory is exactly what it sounds like. During prompt-driven "conversations" with the AI, ChatGPT Plus can now remember key facts about the conversations, including details about you, and then apply that information to future interactions. Put another way, ChatGPT Plus just graduated from a somewhat disinterested acquaintance to a friend who cares enough to remember that your birthday is next week or that you recently bought a dog.

You can tell the system to implicitly remember something or just state facts about yourself that it will remember.

I know, it's the kind of thing that could make AIs like ChatGPT far more useful or completely terrifying. Up until now, we've mostly dealt with generative AIs that had intense short-term memory loss. Systems like ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Microsoft CopIlot could carry on lengthy, discrete conversations where they'd do a decent job of maintaining context (the longer the conversation, the wonkier this could get). If, however, you ended one conversation and started another, it was like meeting a completely different person who knew nothing about you or the conversation you had three minutes ago.

Unlike human memory, which can remember some things forever but easily forget others, ChatGPT Plus Memory is in your control.

Controlling ChatGPT Plus Memory

As I mentioned earlier, you can help ChatGPT Plus build its Memory by telling it things about yourself that you want it to remember. By doing so, you'll notice that when you ask, say, your age or where you live, it will be able to tell you. ChatGPT will also take those details and combine them with future queries, which could shorten your conversation and make the results more accurate and useful.

Memory is enabled by default. You can find it under Settings/Personalization. There's a toggle switch where you can turn it off.

To see all of ChatGPT Plus' memories, you select the Manage button, which sits right below the Memory description and toggle. Initially, even though I told ChatGPT Plus to remember things about me, my memory box remained empty. If I had found any in there, I could clear all of them or select only the ones I wanted to remove.

However, when I told ChatGPT "I really love houseplants," I saw a little notation appear right above its response that said: "Memory updated." When I selected that, the memory, "Loves houseplants", appeared below it, and right below that, a link to Manage memories.

Image 1 of 4

Image 2 of 4

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Later, when I asked ChatGPT Plus how I might liven up my home, it answered, in part (I bolded the relevant bit), "Adding some houseplants is a great way to liven up your home! They not only beautify the space but also improve air quality and can enhance your mood. Since you love houseplants, you might consider diversifying the types you have...."

As noted, Memory is not free. A ChatGPT Plus subscription, which gives you, among other things, access to the GPT-4 model, costs $20 /£20 a month. I asked OpenAI if any version of Memory is coming to non-paying ChatGPT users and will update this post with their response.

Sure, ChatGPT Plus Memory nudges the generative AI in the direction of humanity, but there is, as far as I know, no way to go into anyone's mind and delete some or all memories.

While you can turn off Memories, you might like the middle option, which uses the new "Temporary Chat" to introduce short-term amnesia to the system.

To use it, choose the ChatGPT model you want from the drop-down menu and then select "Temporary chat". Now, nothing you share with ChatGPT Plus during that chat will be added to its memory.

Come to think of it, a real friend, who only remembers what you want them to, could come in handy.

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Leaked AMD Navi 4X GPU notes reveal up to 50% more powerful than RX 7900 XTX

A prominent hardware leaker has uncovered new patch notes revealing that the now-allegedly canceled AMD Navi 4X / 4C graphics cards would have been significantly more powerful than the current AMD flagship RX 7900 XTX.

Uncovered by Kepler_L2 (via Tweaktown ), new patch notes for AMD GFX12 supposedly showcase Navi 4X die models, the newer equivalent of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, which would feature up to 50% more shader engines, however, it's not looking likely that anything from RDNA 4 will be as quick as has been touted here.

Specifically, the patch notes reveal that Navi 4X / 4C die GPUs would have featured nine shading engines which is a significant upgrade over the six available from Navi 31 for a significant boost. RNDA 4 appears to be targeting the value crowd, so while the tech could have technically rivaled leading models from Intel, it's likely the top-end was cut due to wanting to keep the prices competitive.

It calls back to an earlier leak at the end of last year as the supposed RX 8900 XTX design had reportedly leaked. Documentation from Moore's Law is Dead showcased the Navi 4C config overview with an alleged patent for complex GPU architecture revealing up to 12 dies in parallel without a central or master die.

According to Videocardz, AMD decided to cancel the highest-end RDNA 4 GPU but no reason was offered. To speculate, this could have all come down to pricing. We've seen Nvidia's mid-range and top-end cards explode in MSRP in the generational gap between Ampere and Ada, so it's possible that Team Red wanted to avoid this from happening.

Cost is king in the new GPU market

While we're champions of bleeding-edge hardware, it's important to remember that the top-end will always be a luxury few can afford. There's no question that the RTX 4090 is the best graphics card from a raw technical perspective, but it outprices the RX 7900 XTX by nearly $600 at MSRP.

For AMD to compete at the top-end, as it sounds like the 4C GPU could have, we would likely have seen prices creeping up past the $1,000 mark, which its RX 7900 XTX avoided. Until the release of the RTX 4080 Super, AMD had cornered the mid-range market with its line of 1440p and 4K graphics cards for gamers, and losing that edge to compete on a power front likely would have done more harm than good.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

This super-cool music player is like an iPad and hi-res music streamer in one – and it works with Sonos and Bluetooth as well as wired speakers

Italian hi-fi maker Volumio has just launched a new audio device called the Motivo Streamer, Transport & Headphone Amplifier, which is best described as a high-res music streamer and iPad rolled into one compact and stylish package.

To control the device, Volumio has combined a sleek-looking 8-inch touchscreen with a retro-styled haptic control dial to make the whole entertainment experience feel more immersive. It boasts a range of software and hardware connectivity options, which means you can use it with any of the best music streaming services. It’ll also play nicely with your current home entertainment set up and a pair of the best noise-cancelling headphones, thanks to wide connectivity options.

Under the hood, you’ll find a Sabre ES9038 DAC (that’s a digital to analogue converter), which supports all of the best-quality high-resolution music files. It also boasts dual-output analogue XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced outputs.

With Volumio’s Premium software, which is included as part of the device, you’ll be able to access any of your favorite streaming services, including Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and more. In short, the Volumio Motivo is built for audiophiles and with wireless streaming compatibility to the best Sonos speakers and Google Cast speakers, it can fit seamlessly into wired or wireless setups.

The Volumio Motivo audio device on a wooden surface. — (Image credit: Volumio)

Slick styling and Smart suggestions

We’ve covered Volumio’s products before, and we always fall for its blend of state-of-the-art audio that’s housed in modern designs with artisanal touches. But new technology from Volumio makes its latest products even more appealing because they bring AI smarts to your listening experience.

We first covered the company's ChatGPT-powered Supersearch tool in 2023 when it was added into the Volumio Integro super-compact all-in-one hi-fi box. But Supersearch will also be available in the Volumio Motivo, too. What makes it interesting is that it claims to bring you smarter recommendations via ChatGPT, and then play them from your streaming service of choice.

When we first wrote about Supersearch we did say that, of course, you can just use the ChatGPT app and ask it for music recommendations, but this experience is much slicker and more straightforward. The Motivo also comes with Volumio’s 'Infinity Playback' tool, which continues to bring you music you’ll like once you reach the end of the recommendations. Sure this all sounds similar to the experience you’ll already get from the likes of Spotify and Tidal, but again, having all of these features built directly into one product makes it infinitely easier.

We don’t have pricing or availability details about the Volumio Motivo just yet, but it’s not going to be cheap. The Volumio Integro launched for around $1,400 / £1,025 / AU$2,499 and although it’s a different sort of device, it should give you a rough idea about what to expect.

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2PB SSD storage in your computer? Why not — storage firm debuts tech that can support up to 32 drives, perfect if you want to use 61.44TB Solidigm SSDs or even bigger PCIe 5.0 ones in the future

HighPoint has unveiled the industry’s first 8-Channel PCIe Gen5 x16 NVMe Switch and NVMe RAID product lines.

Powered by Broadcom’s PEX89048 IC, these are designed to cater to high-demand, data-intensive applications and integrate Broadcom’s Gen5 PCIe switching technology to utilize x16 lanes of Gen5 host bandwidth, direct from the CPU, across Intel and AMD platforms.

HighPoint says this unique architecture enables each AIC/Adapter to maximize transfer performance for up to 8 independent device channels, and support as many as 32 NVMe devices via backplane connectivity.

Synthetic Hierarchy

The Rocket 1600 series NVMe Switch uses native inbox drivers, meaning that a 2PB solution is possible using Solidigm 61.44TB SSDs, providing they already work with the system in question.

HighPoint's PCIe Gen5 NVMe AICs high-performance switching architecture integrates Broadcom’s 48-Channel PEX89048 switch IC to provide x16 lanes of dedicated PCIe Gen5 upstream bandwidth, ensuring x4 lanes of downstream bandwidth are available for each NVMe device channel. HighPoint says “The innovative hardware architecture enables our Gen5 NVMe product series to deliver up to 64GB/s of transfer bandwidth, minimize latency, facilitate consistent, robust I/O throughput.”

The PCIe Gen5 and Gen4 Switching Architecture employs a technique known as a “Synthetic Hierarchy” to isolate the host system’s operating system from any PCIe physical changes. It enables the AIC/Adapter to directly manage resource allocation to the downstream PCIe channels and provide true hot-swap /hot-plug capability.

The NVMe Switch Series consists of the Rocket 1628A, which is a PCIe Gen5 x16 to 4-MCIOx8 NVMe switch adapter, the Rocket 1608A, a PCIe Gen5 x16 to 8-M.2x4 NVMe switch AIC, and the Rocket 1528D, a PCIe Gen4 x16 to 4-SlimSASx8 NVMe switch adapter.

HighPoint’s RocketRAID 7600 PCIe Gen5 NVMe RAID AICs and Adapters are built on the foundation of the Rocket 1600 Switch series, and provide RAID capabilities using HighPoint’s drivers, which are compatible with qualified NVMe drives from the company’s ecosystem partners. The Rocket 7600 Series AICs/Adapters can directly support up to eight M.2 or U.2/U.3/E3.S NVMe SSDs.

The NVMe RAID Series includes the Rocket 7628A, a PCIe Gen5 x16 to 4-MCIOx8 NVMe RAID adapter, the Rocket 7608A which is a PCIe Gen5 x16 to 8-M.2x4 NVMe RAID AIC, and the Rocket 7528D, a PCIe Gen4 x16 to 4-SlimSASx8 NVMe RAID adapter.

HighPoint says its PCIe Gen5 NVMe AICs will begin shipping globally in Q3 2024.

Saturday, April 27, 2024

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, April 28 (game #56)

I wouldn't describe today's NYT Strands puzzle as a particularly difficult one, but that doesn't make it easy either; very few of them could be called that. But don't worry! I have help for you below in the form of several hints to get you started. Check them out if you need them, scroll down to my commentary if not.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #56) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Coming clean