Gigabyte has recently launched its Radeon RX 6800 series AMD GPUs for consumers amd they do look impressive but carry expensive price tag. The flagship model called AORUS Master based on the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU will cost a hefty $899 which is as much as $250 more than the AMD reference model.
Whereas the regular RX 6800 model will cost $719, which is around $140 more than the AMD reference GPU price. Gigabyte’s Radeon RX 6800 XT GAMING OC model will be retailing at 849 USD, making it again $200 expensive.
via VideoCardz
via VideoCardz
Only Gigabyte has revealed the pricing of their new AMD GPUs and others have remained quite. It is kind of expected that AIB partners will be pricing its GPU more than AMD’s reference GPUs but this kind of MSRP is quite unusual and you know there will be more price hikes by retailers due to the supply constraints.
As Videocardz have confirmed, Gigabyte will be launching more models including water-cooled GPU series and also bring custom RX 6900XT graphics card as well which may touch $1300 pricing as per rumours.
Apple’s M1 chipsets have been making news, and unsurprisingly, the performance of the new silicon from the Cupertino giant is winning our hearts. The most important advantage which the 5nm M1 chip from Apple brings to the table is tremendous battery life. Recently, Qualcomm’s president Cristiano Amon commended Apple’s efforts, stating that the tech giant’s new step could be the future of computing.
But we also know that Qualcomm is developing ARM-based chips for notebooks that will run Microsoft’s windows. And the chips will directly take on Apple’s future Mac lineup running M1 silicon.
Cristiano Amon stated that he was thrilled about Apple’s M1 chip’s announcement while also mentioning that this hardware’s introduction will help move the industry forward. He further added that “One of the great things about the M1, the way we look at it, we’re super happy with that announcement. Very happy. And kudos to Apple because it validates our belief. It validates our beliefs that you know that the mobile user is defining what they expect out of the PC experience.”
According to sources, the fastest SoC ever produced by Qualcomm is the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2. Unfortunately, it only provides a small performance gain over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8cx, and the chip was unveiled back in 2018. But we know that Qualcomm’s partnership with Microsoft in developing the notebook processor for the Surface lineup is still going strong.
“So that overall is a perfect sign. The ecosystem will move, and it showed that Microsoft and Qualcomm were on the right trajectory. It’s about battery life; it’s about connection, it’s about a whole different multimedia experience.”
Due to sudden lockdowns induces by the pandemic, people worldwide have turned towards technology to relieve themselves of boredom. But the sudden dependency on technology has proven to us just what major role devices like PCs and Smartphones play in our daily like.
According to a recent study conducted by CMR, the average usage of smartphones by Indians is estimated to have gone up 25% to almost 7 hours a day. It is mainly accredited to people’s increased dependence on gadgets for work/study from home and entertainment amid the pandemic.
The study conducted was commissioned by handset maker Vivo. And it stated that the average time spent on smartphones in a day has been on the rise, with average usage growing 11% to 5.5 hours in March 2020 (pre-COVID) from about 4.9 hours on average in 2019. The report titled ‘Smartphones and their impact on human relationships 2020’ was prepared and published by CMR.
The report further emphasized that the usage has grown by another 25% to 6.9 hours from April onwards (post-COVID). It indicated that since lockdown, Indians have spent more time on their smartphone for work from home. Whereas calling saw an increase in a 63% rise and OTT like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., has seen a 59% growth in time spent on smartphones.
“We all know smartphones are a great tool, especially in a COVID situation where we would have been rendered almost unproductive without smartphones…However, excessive usage of smartphones or anything else, when not used in moderation, can lead to adverse effects, and this is why we did the study.”
The study involved 2,000 respondents aged 15-45 years across the top eight cities, including four metros, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. And it consisted of 70% male and 30% female participants.
“Overall, smartphones are a great tool, but what it is leading to is a lot of addiction. For example, 84% of people check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up, and 46% of respondents said they pick up the phone at least five times in an hour-long conversation meeting with friends.”
Recently announcing their achievements, U.K. engineers are ready to begin their work on a comet-chasing spacecraft that will track down and map one of the celestial objects in three dimensions. According to sources, Thales Alenia Space, with three sites in the U.K., has won the contract to design and build the mother ship. The contract is from the European Space Agency and costs around 150 million-euro ($182 million). It is related to the company’s Comet Interceptor mission.
The mission aim’s to unlock the secrets of the early evolution of the solar system. Scientists are aiming to find the answers to questions such as how water came to be on Earth. According to sources, they want to do so by studying “pristine” comets on their first approach to the Sun.
Reports indicate that mission will most likely target a comet travelling from the Oort Cloud, which is a band of icy debris-about halfway between the Sun and the nearest another star. According to scientists, The mission “will not only further our understanding of the evolution of comets but help unlock the mysteries of the universe.”
As we know, Comets are the remains of the formation of planetary systems. These are much similar to Earth’s own solar system approximately 4.6 billion years ago. They are made from ice, dust, and rock, and they spew gases as they approach the Sun, creating a visible “tail.”
The Comet Interceptor will remain parked in orbit, possibly for years, until it picks up on its target comet. It will be then be set on a course to intercept the object deploying the two probes built by the Japanese agency. They will then make close passes to the nucleus of the comet and beam data back to the main craft.
Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United may last long until next summer as per new comments made by his agent Mino Raiola.
A few days back, Mino Raiola confirmed that his client’s stint at Manchester United has almost ended and he will not sign any new contract. In an interview with Tuttosport, Raiola said, “I can say that it’s over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United.
“Paul is unhappy with Man United as he is no longer able to express himself in the way that he would like and as he is expected to. Paul needs a new team, a change of air. He is under contract for the next 18 months and it will expire in the summer of 2022.”
“However, I think that the best solution for both Pogba and Man United is that he goes in the next transfer window. If not, the Old Trafford club knows that they risk losing him on a free transfer as it is not Paul’s intention to extend his contract.”
But after an excellent display in the Manchester Derby, Paul Pogba stated not to concentrate on anything else as he will fight with everything for Manchester United. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also bashed Pogba’s agent for his comment before a crucial Champions League game against RB Leipzig.
Mino Raiola to Sky Sport: "Pogba? I didn't talk about January, I expressed my opinion. I don't think I said a strange thing [about #MUFC]. In England everyone faints only because I said my opinion… let's leave Paul a little quiet. The new Pogba does not exist". 🔴 #manutd
But Mino Raiola commented on this again yesterday in the ‘Golden Boy Award’ ceremony. Raiola said, “In England, they’re very sensitive when you talk about Pogba. I’ve just expressed my thoughts.”
“I’ve said that Paul can leave in the summer, it’s hard to do top deals in January.”
It will be interesting to see the response from Manchester United after this comment from Raiola.
A few weeks ago, when LeBron James was asked on a podcast about the possibility of Pau Gasol reuniting with the LA Lakers, who signed his younger brother Marc Gasol in free agency this offseason, his response was short and vague. LeBron said, “We’ll see.”
During a recent interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Gasol made it clear that he wants to return to the NBA and would love the chance to do so with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also said he is hoping to play for Spain in the Olympics in the summer, assuming they materialize.
Gasol said, “There is meaning and history there.” “I’m not going to lie. It would be very special, and now that my brother (Marc) is there, even more special. But I’m not in a position now to be very demanding. I don’t have 10 offers on the table.”
The Gasol brothers playing against each other in an NBA match. Image Credits: SB Nation
The 40-year-old has not played in the NBA since March 2019, when he played 15 minutes and scored three points for the Milwaukee Bucks in a loss against the San Antonio Spurs.
Since then, he had been sidelined with a foot injury that has required numerous surgeries and lengthy rehab. Now he is healthy and wants to make a comeback attempt. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for him to progress to 5-on-5 games, and the best he has managed is playing 2-on-2 with workout partners that he has been able to bring in and pay to have tested for coronavirus, he said to Lowe.
It is going to take some work to convince a team to use a roster spot on a guy who has not played in almost two years, let alone add him to the rotation. The pandemic also does not help Gasol as teams are going to be more reliant on depth than ever before.
Sony’s PS5 has made headlines not because of its performance or games but for its availability. People looking to get a console this holiday season have had a hard time in getting one due to the crazy demand vs the lower stocks.
In the meantime, a lot of scalpers on eBay have made good use of the platform and made huge profits selling these consoles at ridiculous prices. A data engineer Michael Driscoll has analyzed these scalping activities on the newer Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles.
They have sold 29,255 units of Microsoft’s new consoles on eBay for about US$23.5 million, however, Sony’s new PlayStation 5 have been well received by gamers because of its wide fanbase. This means the worst affected with scams on eBay were the PS5s both digital and disc editions. So, as per Driscoll’s research, these scalpers sold around 7,322 units of the PS5 Digital Edition while managing to sell a whopping 25,642 units of the disc variants via eBay until the start of December.
As we see in the price graphs, the disc version was sold at 200% of the original MSRP (US$499) while the Digital Edition hitting over 350% of its US$399 price tag. The prices have even crossed the $1000 mark where the Digital Edition was sold at US$1,025 and the regular PS5 for as much as US$1,101.
As per the total calculation, the total sales accounts for $34.75 million, where the scalpers and eBay making over US$19 million in profit. This is just an analysis of only one platform and actually if all of these malpractices can be taken into account and the total scam could be up to 10x times as reported in the analysis. Have you faced such issues as well? Let us know in the comments down below…
Poor refereeing is becoming a big issue in Indian Super League this season. Multiple teams have openly complained against the poor refereeing.
Chennaiyin FC, before their match against North-East United FC, posted a video on social media. In the video, they showed three penalty shouts that were denied. Chennaiyin FC captioned the video as, ‘Ready to give it our all and overcome all obstacles today!’
SC East Bengal boss Robbie Fowler, after the match against North-East United FC, demanded VAR in ISL. SC East Bengal already lodged a complaint officially to AIFF.
Fowler stated, “We have suffered in the last three matches so after yesterday’s match (Jamshedpur FC match) we have shared our feedback with AIFF, Hopefully, it will be taken into consideration to enhance the quality of referee to maintain the spirit of the game during the remainder of the tournament.”
“This is a process that is available to every club where they can share feedback about the officials with the federation.”
Today AIFF finally respond to all the complaints. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said, “To be honest, we’ve had problems with refereeing, not just this season but previously too. But the AIFF, FSDL, and PGMOL have started the process of improving referees, coaching them. It will take some time for the results to show.” “When PGMOL started the whole program, it took four to five years before the results started showing. We are working very closely together.”- he added.
According to AIFF, VAR will cost 15-20 lakhs per match and 15-20 crore per season. But it will take time to install.
Some suggest bringing foreign referees as well. In response, Kushal Das said, “It’s not easy to bring in foreign referees these days. Even if we do, that’s probably not a long-term solution. We need to have development here, referee coaching programs here. We have to look at a slightly long-term perspective and try to improve. The work has started.”
How long can you get foreign referees? The most important aspect is to develop our own referees. Even if you get foreign referees, they can officials only certain matches. It’s financially not feasible. The process of developing (referees) has already started and in due course, the result will show.”
Kevin Durant is back on an NBA court for the first time in 552 days.
On Sunday, the four-time shooting champion and former Kia NBA MVP suited up for the Brooklyn Nets, whom he joined via sign-and-trade all the way back in July 2019, merely weeks after he tore his Achilles tendon with the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Finals.
The injury forced Durant to sit out the entire 2019-20 season. In addition to his huge salary, it was a price the Nets were more than willing to pay in order to land a player with the sixth highest scoring average of 27.02 points, in NBA history.
Brooklyn’s preseason opening game against the Washington Wizards also saw the return of fellow big man Kyrie Irving, who missed all but 20 games of last season with a variety of injuries including a shoulder impingement that needed surgery. The Nets hoped the tandem could elevate them to serious championship contention.
This was the first time we saw Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the floor, for the same team, together. Image Credits: Newsday
Durant wasted very little time getting to work, blowing past a closeout at the 3-point line to dunk for the match’s initial points.
Durant said, “It felt great to be back in the routine and be back on the floor and feel like a player again.” “It felt great. Everybody’s texting and calling and asking how I’m feeling. I can’t wait until that’s over with so I can get back in the swing of things and just feel like one of the guys again,” he added.
Head coach Steve Nash, also making his preseason debut with the Nets, said, “It’s another thing to come back and look as explosive and mobile and skillful as he has after a long layoff. I’m incredibly proud of him.”
Amazon.com Inc. owned Zoox Inc., a self-driving startup, revealed a fully autonomous electric vehicle which the startup describes as a driverless carriage or robotaxi that can drive day and night on a single charge.
The vehicle can carry as many as four passengers and contains two battery packs, one under each row of seats. With a max speed of 75 miles per hour, it has a motor at each end and travels in either direction. The battery packs generate enough energy for the vehicle to run 16 hours before recharging, the company said. With plans of commercialisation of the technology in mind, Zoox is considering an option to launch an app-based ride-hailing service in cities like Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Zoox’s Robotaxi seats four. Image via: Zoox
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Zoox Chief Executive Officer Aicha Evans said, “This is really about re-imagining transportation. Not only do we have the capital required, we have the long-term vision”. Evans also admitted that he is planning to launch ride-hailing services in other countries.
Without revealing any exact costs, the executives said that the rides would be “affordable” and prices will be competitive with services operated by Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. The company did not confirm any launch date either. In a video released Monday, CEO Aicha Evans used Zoox’s app to hail the vehicle outside Fairmont hotel in San Francisco and went on a ride around the block.
Zoox was acquired by Amazon in June for an undisclosed sum. It is one of several companies competing to get fully autonomous vehicles on the road, an achievement that’s taking longer than anticipated. Most of the competitors are working on testing retrofitted conventional cars on public roads, and only a few are commercially deployed. One of the tech giants Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving unit Waymo started a completely driverless taxi service in suburban Phoenix in October. Cruise LLC, backed by General Motors Co., is also testing autonomous cars. Recently, in San Francisco, Cruise LLC. tested autonomous cars without safety drivers, using a fleet of electric vehicles based on the Chevy Bolt.
Quite a few of Zoox’s quirky-looking mint-green vehicles are already being built, despite being years from deployment, at a facility in Fremont, California. The eventual production capacity of the factory is 10,000 to 15,000 units annually, executives said. Suppliers send the major components such as the drive unit, battery pack, body, and so on, pre-assembled, and Zoox then does puts the final touches by assembling them in stages, a process it compares to building a Lego set. Executives denied revealing any information about the battery supplier.
For a company that has been working on an autonomous passenger vehicle since its founding in 2014, the unveiling of a production car marks a significant step. Chief Technology Officer Jesse Levinson admitted to Bloomberg TV that sometimes Zoox was “ridiculed” for what it was trying to do.
“Unlike many of the concept cars other companies have shown in the last several years this vehicle has passed all the FMVSS crash tests,” Levinson said, referring to tests required by U.S. regulators.
Alike Zoox, GM’s Cruise also unveiled a battery-powered shuttle, called the Origin, in January. It also does away with — pedals, rearview mirrors, steering wheel– many of the controls present in conventional cars.
Zoox’s robotaxi is smaller but similar overall. On each corner, a “sensor pod” is present and has a 270-degree field of vision consisting of a spinning laser sensor and other lidars and as well as cameras to help it navigate. Sitting atop of the vehicle is a pair of front-facing cameras, with other less-visible sensors mounted on the sides.
Zoox’s vehicle’s safety features include airbags which would help in the survival of the passenger in the event of a crash, which Zoox says is unlikely given its confidence in the technology. The company can manually take control of the vehicles remotely and interact with passengers in real-time. Zoox has said that for any privacy-related issues, passengers will have the option to blur images captured by the on-board camera.
