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Why Boeing Is Likely to Come Back Strong Despite Facing Strong Headwinds Why Boeing Is Likely to Come Back Strong Despite Facing Strong Headwinds Excerpt: While Boeing (NYSE:) continues to face challenges, including manufacturing delays, regulatory oversight, and new trade tariffs, recent multi-billion dollar commitments from airlines in Taiwan and the ***, alongside analyst upgrades citing improved cash flow visibility, indicate the aerospace manufacturer may be turning a corner. Boeing has been going through a wildly turbulent time because of manufacturing difficulties, regulatory hurdles, and now looming tariffs from increasing trade tensions between some of the world’s largest economies. Through these considerable headwinds, the aerospace giant has also secured significant new orders and positive analyst commentary. This creates the possibility of an improved recovery as production stabilizes and international trade deals are established. Boeing’s Recent Issues and Tariff Impacts Boeing has dealt with several serious problems in recent years, the latest being the looming impact of trade tariffs amid the rise of multi-country trade disputes. In April, China ordered its airlines to suspend Boeing jet deliveries in retaliation for the U.S. imposing a 145% tariff on ******** goods. If this turns into an ongoing situation, it will not really help Boeing, as China is one of its largest growth markets, with Airbus already with a dominant share. The order affects planned deliveries to China’s three largest airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines – which intend to deliver 179 Boeing planes in China between 2025-27. In addition to the China situation, it appears that Boeing is still trying to work through the number of manufacturing issues, like a blowout in a new MAX 9 in January 2024 that triggered another round of regulatory scrutiny. This complication, along with very slow recovery from the 737 MAX situation after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed almost 350 people and caused an unprecedented worldwide grounding of the aircraft, will be a heavy burden on Boeing’s plans for growth. Since the blowout incident, Boeing’s shares have lost more than a third of their value and concerns about quality control and regulatory compliance remain top of mind for investors. The various obstacles are taking place against a backdrop of supply chain challenges – with more ongoing labor issues, including a recent strike by factory workers affecting scheduled production timelines and timelines. Boeing’s Recent Wins and Path to Recovery Although difficulties persist, Boeing has achieved several key victories that could pose a potential path to recovery. In its most recent win, Taiwan’s China Airlines has placed an order for 14 Boeing 777X wide-body airplanes, including 10 Boeing 777-9 passenger airplanes, but also included 4 Boeing 777-8 freighters, and has retained options for 5 additional 777-9s and 4 additional 777-8 freighters. This was part of the announcement that China Airlines committed to a total of 10 Boeing 777-9 passenger airplanes and 4 777-8 freighters for US $11.9 Billion at list prices, again part of a larger announcement made in December. Moreover, a significant deal took place in the International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways is planning to buy 32 new aircraft from Boeing as per a GBP9.8 billion deal worth USD13 billion for aircraft to be delivered starting in 2029. The group purchased Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and kept options for 10 more aircraft. This announcement came just one day after a US/*** trade agreement lifted tariffs on the aerospace industry. On another positive note, UBS added more fuel to the fire by raising their 12-month price target for Boeing to $226 from $207; citing a stronger free cash flow outlook and improved visibility on tariffs. UBS believes that tariff headwinds may not have a significant impact on Boeing’s recovery. The investment bank modeled out a 2026 free cash flow impact of just $453 million at full reciprocal tariffs, and $275 million at current tariff levels, which shows Boeing can weather the costs while maintaining its recovery path. UBS analysts pointed out that “Boeing has prioritized the continuity of supply over price negotiations” and that under full reciprocal tariffs, has estimated the direct cost impact will be under $500 million per year — which is reasonable to believe for companies of Boeing’s size; especially when they could see free cash flow improvement as they ramp up MAX production. Boeing’s Stock Gains as Firm Pilots a Turnaround Boeing (NYSE: BA) is trading at $192.88 in pre-market at the time of this writing on May 9, up 0.62% from yesterday’s close price of $191.70. (Yesterday, $BA gained a solid 3.31%). Boeing has been moving in a positive trajectory after yesterday’s increase of $6.14. Investors appear to be optimistic regarding Boeing following recent orders and analyst upgrades. The current price level is within the 52-week price range of $128.88 to $196.95, at the top of this price range. Boeing has a market cap of $144.54 billion, and a beta (5Y Monthly) of 1.40 indicating the stock is more volatile than the broader market. Boeing’s financial numbers reflect challenges, as the company has a negative profit margin of -16.58%, return on assets of -4.10%, and TTM diluted EPS of -$17.96. Boeing does have a strong cash position of $23.65 billion. YTD performance looks to have turned positive at 8.31%, above the S&P 500 YTD decline of -3.70%. Long-term performance has been mixed as evidenced by 1-year performance is now 6.29%, 3-year real returns are 28.74%, and 5-year performance is 43.66%. Analyst ratings for Boeing stock are mostly positive, with 24 out of 30 analyst ratings as either Buy or Strong Buy. *** This article was written by Shane Neagle, editor in chief of The Tokenist. To get trade ideas and pre-market insights delivered to your inbox every morning premarket, click here to sign up for Bull Whisper (free), brought to you in partnership with The Tokenist. Source link #Boeing #Strong #Facing #Strong #Headwinds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Officers who confronted Axel Rudakubana in Southport get award nod Officers who confronted Axel Rudakubana in Southport get award nod Jenny Coleman BBC News, Merseyside PA Media The officers were the first to arrive on Hart Street in Southport on 29 July 2024 Three police officers who were first on the scene to respond to the “unimaginable horror” of the Southport attacks have been nominated for National Police Bravery Awards. Sgt Gregory Gillespie, PC Luke Holden and PCSO Timothy Parry of Merseyside Police confronted and detained killer Axel Rudakubana after reports a man was attacking children with a knife. Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King were killed and 10 others were injured in the attack at a dance class in the seaside town on 29 July 2024. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the officers faced “the most harrowing situation Merseyside Police has ever had to deal with” with courage and professionalism. PFEW PC Luke Holden (l), PCSO Timothy Parry and Sgt Gregory Gillespie (r) The officers had been on duty working out of Southport police station when they each heard a radio transmission at midday requesting for officers to attend immediately at Hart Street. “In those frantic initial moments, they were unaware of the horrific events taking place”, Ms Kennedy said. “They dismissed any thoughts for their own safety, bravely detaining the offender while protecting and helping the victims and those inside.” Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January after admitting to the murders. Ms Kennedy described the award nomination as a “true testament” to the three officers for their courage and professionalism in the face of “unimaginable horror”, adding the force was “immensely proud”. “Our thoughts remain with the victims, their families, those who suffered serious injuries and all those involved in the appalling attack,” she added. Handout Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King were killed in the attack Merseyside Police Federation Chair Chris McGlade said: “In the face of the most challenging and perilous of circumstances, these three officers exemplified this commitment.” He said they they acted without “without hesitation” and had demonstrated “the highest levels of bravery”. “Their professionalism was unparalleled, and it is fitting that we acknowledge and honour their actions accordingly,” he added. The National Police Bravery Awards, which recognises the extraordinary acts of courage by police officers from forces across England and Wales, takes place on 10 July. Source link #Officers #confronted #Axel #Rudakubana #Southport #award #nod Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Get a Glance at the Leaked and Swiftly Removed Helldivers 2 Trailer Get a Glance at the Leaked and Swiftly Removed Helldivers 2 Trailer Sony accidentally leaked a Helldivers 2 trailer! Even though it was quickly removed, some players managed to save it. What do you think? Source link #Glance #Leaked #Swiftly #Removed #Helldivers #Trailer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lenovo Legion 9i With Intel Core Ultra 9 Chip, Up to GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU Announced Lenovo Legion 9i With Intel Core Ultra 9 Chip, Up to GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU Announced Lenovo Legion 9i was announced at the Tech World Shanghai 2025 on Thursday. It is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 chipset, complemented by DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 5 SSD. It can be configured with up to GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, which, along with the processor, can support a total power of 280W. Lenovo has equipped the Legion 9i with a Legion Coldfront Vapour thermal system for efficient heat dissipation. It features an 18-inch 240Hz PureSight screen that can display up to 4K resolution in 2D, along with optional 2K 3D support. Lenovo Legion 9i Price, Availability Lenovo Legion 9i price starts at EUR 4,499 (roughly Rs. 4,32,000). It will be available for purchase in Europe starting June 2025 and in North America in the fourth quarter (Q4) of the year. The company is yet to reveal the laptop’s pricing in the US. It will be available for purchase in a single Carbon ****** colourway and comes with a complimentary Xbox Game Pass subscription for a ******* of three months. Lenovo Legion 9i Specifications The Lenovo Legion 9i sports an 18-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,400) pixels LCD screen with a 240Hz refresh rate, 540 nits peak brightness, and 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. The display is VESA DisplayHDR 400, TUV Rheinland, and Dolby Vision certified, and comes with Nvidia G-Sync support. It is also available in another screen variant which offers support for both 2K 3D (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) and 4K 2D (3,840 x 2,400 pixels) resolution. As per the company, the gaming laptop is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, paired with up to 64GB of dual channel DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen5 SSD storage. It allows a maximum RAM expansion up to 192GB and up to 8GB of storage expansion. It runs on up to Windows 11 Pro. The chipset is complemented by up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with a 175W peak processing power. The CPU and GPU deliver a combined total of up to 280W combined for maximum performance. The Lenovo Legion 9i has been equipped with a Coldfront Vapour thermal system which comprises a vapour chamber, a hyper chamber, and a quad fan system. It is said to have dedicated fans for both the Wi-Fi card, as well as the SSD and RAM to improve heat dissipation during graphically demanding tasks. This system is claimed to keep the laptop quieter than 48dB even at 280W in performance mode. The laptop features a Lenovo AI Core chip and Lenovo AI Engine+, which work in tandem to adjust settings based on user scenario to deliver maximum performance during tasks like gaming and rendering. Additionally, the Lenovo Legion Space takes advantage of AI to sync the laptop’s RGB to match the in-game sound and on-screen visuals, aided by its six-speaker sound system with Nahimic audio. It also gets several software-dependent AI-powered gaming features such as Coach, Game Clip Master, and Game Companion. Connectivity options on the Lenovo Legion 9i include: 1 X USB Type A (USB 3.2 Gen 2, Always on USB 5V2A) 1 X RJ45 2 X Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gbps, DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery 3.0 140W) 1 X Audio Combo JackRight Side: 2 X USB Type A (USB 3.2 Gen 2) 1 X USB Type C® (USB 3.2 Gen 2) 1 X eShutter Button 1 X SD Card Reader 4.0 The laptop is said to have a Forged Carbon lid and an RGB keyboard with 1.6mm travel. It features a WASD switchable set. The Lenovo Legion 9i packs up to a 99.99Wh battery and is bundled with a 400W power adapter. Source link #Lenovo #Legion #Intel #Core #Ultra #Chip #GeForce #RTX #Laptop #GPU #Announced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘Planting a Seed’: Judge’s Chance Encounter with Young Boy Changes His Life Forever ‘Planting a Seed’: Judge’s Chance Encounter with Young Boy Changes His Life Forever Dante Wright grew up in Surry County, Virginia, with parents who did not finish high school. He recently recalled the day back in 1997 when, at 4 years old, he and his older brother Leon almost literally bumped into a woman, who then took a special interest in them. “I don’t know why I remember it, Wright told CBN News. “Maybe it was because it was so monumental in my life. But I recall it vividly. So, my brother took my bicycle and ran into the street, and I chased after him. And her vehicle happened to be coming by at the same time. So, if there were five seconds before or after, we would’ve missed her. And so, she stops in the street, puts us back into the yard, and goes to my mom and says, ‘Hey, your kids are out here in the street. This is very dangerous.'” The woman happened to be General District Court Judge Gammiel Poindexter. “They were in the middle of the road,” Poindexter said in an interview with CBN News. “You play this, you got to figure out how to do that, get the car stopped, shoo the kids off the road. And then I turned around and went into the house and met their mother.” Poindexter and her husband Gerald, an attorney, had already raised two sons who are also attorneys. But for some reason she felt compelled to build a bond with Wright and his family. “We would have weekends,” Poindexter explained. “We would do things together and I would take them to football games, and we would just do things for a while.” As time went on, family legal problems caused Child Protective Services to become involved, which led to Wright and his siblings being moved around for a few years. Judge Poindexter eventually lost contact with him. She later learned about the family’s situation after Wright entered high school when she arranged to take him into her home. “I don’t know if people know, particularly ****** boys, 15, people don’t take them into homes. They have to end up in shelters or group home and so much could happen there. And so, my husband and I say, ‘No, he’s too good for that.’ He needs something. He needs the best that he can get,” said Poindexter. Wright thrived living with the Poindexters. He graduated from high school with honors and earned an academic scholarship to Virginia State University. His next move followed a familiar path. “I think I was planting a seed for law school,” Poindexter said. “So, he did criminal justice, and he did very well. And by the time he finished that, he said, ‘I’m ready. I’m going to law school.'” In 2018, Wright graduated with honors from North Carolina Central’s school of law and passed the District of Columbia bar examination on his first attempt — something he saw as impossible. “I thought for certain I was going to fail the bar exam,” Wright said. “You think that at some point your luck is going to run out.” Judge Poindexter served in the courts until her retirement in 2007. But at Wright’s urging, she reconsidered retirement, and today they are law partners at Poindexter and Wright in Smithfield, VA. Wright credits his success to Poindexter, whom he often refers to as mom, a woman who took a chance on a kid she found in the road that paid off in the end. “I couldn’t understand that. I said, ‘Well, why would you do that? What was it about? What made you want to do it?’ And it’s just who she is. There’s no real reason for it. And sometimes you can’t explain everything that life occurs, and perhaps that’s divine intervention,” Wright commented. “Well, I’ll tell you this, he was a very special child,” said Poindexter. Source link #Planting #Seed #Judges #Chance #Encounter #Young #Boy #Life Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lithium gloom and Lacaze fills the room: The light and shade from Macquarie’s corporate conclave Lithium gloom and Lacaze fills the room: The light and shade from Macquarie’s corporate conclave In the ******** there was a papal conclave. In New York there was the Met Gala. In Sydney this week? There was the Macquarie Australia Conference. Source link #Lithium #gloom #Lacaze #fills #room #light #shade #Macquaries #corporate #conclave Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Officials scramble to rescue more than 1,000 stranded tourists after rare event sparks emergency: ‘Movement [is] nearly impossible’ Officials scramble to rescue more than 1,000 stranded tourists after rare event sparks emergency: ‘Movement [is] nearly impossible’ More than 1,000 tourists and hundreds of vehicles were temporarily stranded after massive landslides hit India in late April, prompting authorities to halt travel to the area. What’s happening? Multiple landslides occurred in the Indian state of Sikkim. As Business Standard reported, continuous rain on April 24 preceded the slides, which occurred at multiple points on at least two roads. Debris from the landslides, along with heavy flooding, caused many cars to be trapped and made “movement nearly impossible,” according to the outlet. Many of the tourists were stranded in the town of Chungthang and stayed one night in a gurudwara, a Sikh house of worship. The following morning, they were evacuated by authorities, who, per The Indian Express, were also able to get the vehicles across a reconstructed bridge that was reopened to traffic. Still, the threat of further slides and dangerous road conditions forced officials to stop issuing travel permits for a ******* and cancel permits that had been authorized in advance. This extreme weather event posed significant safety risks, damaged critical road infrastructure, and hampered the region’s tourism-based economy. Lukendra Rasaily, former chair of the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation, announced a couple of days later that “all the people were evacuated and no casualties have been reported. … the Border Road Organisation are working on clearing the roads. Lachung will open for tourists …” Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?Why are landslides concerning? Fortunately, there were no reported casualties in this case. But sadly, it isn’t the only recent example of extreme weather leading to treacherous landslides. Last summer, more than 200 people died in Ethiopia as a result of heavy rain and subsequent mudslides. In Brazil, catastrophic flooding and landslides caused more than 140 deaths and displaced more than 165,000 people. And one of the largest single-day rain events in the history of Kerala, India, led to a landslide that killed more than 250 people. As heat-trapping gases continue to be released into our atmosphere, rising global temperatures up the likelihood of landslides, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more. Experts see a trend of increased frequency and intensity of such climate shocks. What can be done? Scientists are still working to refine early warning systems local to the communities in India most vulnerable to landslides. Last summer, just 10 days before a disastrous event, the Geological Survey of India installed a system that leverages artificial intelligence to forecast slides and alert authorities as well as the public. According to The New Indian Express, “it failed to foresee the devastating landslide that struck Mundakkai, due to ongoing refinements and accuracy improvements.” When it comes to extreme weather, knowledge can truly be lifesaving. In 2024, a report from the United States Geological Survey said that 44% of the country is at risk of landslides. The agency’s map shows the likelihood of such an event where you live. If you are in a high-risk area, you can never be too prepared. The Red Cross offers a landslide-preparation guide, which includes knowing your risk and developing an evacuation plan. Understanding the root causes of extreme weather is another way to be prepared. From there, we can take meaningful actions to reduce our environmental impacts. Switching to electric vehicles en masse, encouraging our communities to go solar, and sharing knowledge with friends and family can make a difference. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Source link #Officials #scramble #rescue #stranded #tourists #rare #event #sparks #emergency #Movement #impossible Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Switch 2 can now be pre-ordered direct from Nintendo without an invite in some regions Switch 2 can now be pre-ordered direct from Nintendo without an invite in some regions Vits1d 19h ago The GPU in particular is very weak. It offers about 75% of the performance of the lowest Ampere-based RTX 3050M from 2020, and even compared to the already underwhelming and heavily criticized Ada Lovelace refresh, it falls behind by roughly 10%. In terms of relative performance, it sits somewhere between the PS4 and the Xbox Series S. It’s also important to note that it likely uses slower LPDDR5 memory, which further limits its bandwidth compared to traditional desktop or console setups, though in larger quantity. On the CPU side, things are much better. It uses the Cortex-A78C, which is a slightly more powerful variant of the A78 core found in older flagship mobile SoCs like the Snapdragon 888 (used in devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S21). The difference here is that the A78C features larger cores designed for sustained workloads, meaning better performance, though at the cost of higher power consumption. Even with DLSS doing much of the heavy lifting, there are already reports of relatively lightweight games like Street Fighter V running at native 540p. So, I wouldn’t bet on the Switch 2 keeping pace with next-gen titles. For the current generation, however, it should hold up reasonably well, though once again, that’s largely thanks to DLSS quite literally carrying the GPU on its back. What’s curious is that Nintendo seems to have flipped the usual console design priorities. Instead of favoring GPU power and cutting corners on CPU performance, as we often see, they’ve gone the opposite route: the CPU is fairly decent for its class, but the GPU is noticeably weaker than expected. This tells me that they might be preparing for a mid-gen refresh, or more likely a V2 variant with a more efficient GPU down the line. Source link #Switch #preordered #direct #Nintendo #invite #regions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon Is going after Google and Microsoft in quantum computing Amazon Is going after Google and Microsoft in quantum computing Another major player has entered the quantum-computing race: Amazon. The tech giant is the latest to make waves in the field with the February announcement of Ocelot, its own quantum chip. Amazon joins fierce competition from familiar rivals in cloud computing as Google, Microsoft and others race after what they say could be their next frontier. While Amazon is widely known as an e-commerce giant, its business took a pivotal and profitable turn in 2006 with the launch of Amazon Web Services. AWS is now a more than $100 billion business and a key part of why Amazon is worth over $2 trillion. The company sees quantum as the next major growth area for its cloud services. “There’s a … strong business case for AWS or Amazon to get involved with quantum computing,” Oskar Painter, director of quantum hardware for Amazon Web Services, told CNBC. “Quantum computing is very much in line with that sort of business model where you would have off-premise quantum computing resources that can be made accessible through the cloud.” Part of the hype with quantum computing is the perceived payoff down the line. While still years away from commercial applications, McKinsey projects quantum could be a $173 billion market by 2040. “The opportunity to build just a supercharged part of AWS that can crack incredibly difficult problems, whether it’s related to drug discovery or cybersecurity … that is an opportunity for them to charge a lot more,” said Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management. CNBC’s Kate Rooney got an exclusive look inside the AWS Center for Quantum Computing located at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Founded in 2019, Amazon’s partnership with the university is starting to yield results, as it showcased the Ocelot quantum processor. Amazon says the chip, which it designed and fabricated in-house, uses a scalable architecture that reduces error correction by up to 90 percent. That’s a key obstacle in developing these machines. Google’s Willow chip, which was unveiled in December, also demonstrated improvements in this area. Ocelot uses “cat qubits,” named after the Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment. The company says the design intrinsically suppresses certain forms of errors, reducing the resources required for quantum error correction. “The heart of these quantum computing systems … it’s really this quantum processor” Painter said. “The details of how that happens is really what differentiates one hardware platform from another – and really is where the secret sauce is and where all the intellectual property is.” Munster said quantum-computing should be thought of as a new vertical within the AWS cloud business. “In the end, it will probably be solved and monetized through one of these big cloud platforms,” Munster said. “And AWS has a great shot at being successful there.” Watch the video as Kate Rooney goes behind-the-scenes at Amazon and learns how the company is taking on Google and Microsoft in the quantum computing race. Source link #Amazon #Google #Microsoft #quantum #computing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Deadzone: Rogue is a thrilling roguelite FPS now available via Steam Early Access Deadzone: Rogue is a thrilling roguelite FPS now available via Steam Early Access Prophecy Games’ new roguelite first-person shooter, Deadzone: Rogue, has received a huge fan response after launching into Early Access on Steam, racking up over 200,000 wishlists, a Top 10 Global Seller debut, and over 100,000 players in its first week. You only need watch the trailer to understand why the game’s receiving so much attention, with its slick visuals and explosive action displayed in one adrenaline-fuelled minute of absolute mayhem. As you jump into Deadlight: Rogue and set about your missions, exploring a derelict spaceship and unraveling a compelling narrative of AI gone wrong, you’ll encounter hordes of biomechanical enemies hell bent on blasting, smashing, and slashing you to a bloody pulp. Unfortunately for them, you’ll have access to an arsenal that exceeds over 30 unique weapons and a vast array of items, perks, and augments to make sure they’re the ones that get pulpified instead. Early Access includes Zones 1 and 2, which provide a batch of missions that offer hours of content and access to different sectors of the spaceship. The missions are never easy but dying is all part of the process in Deadzone: Rogue – each time you fail you’ll come back stronger and discover new and better loadouts to overcome the dozens of enemy types and bosses you encounter across multiple runs, either in solo or co-op modes (with teams of up to 3 players). The Full 1.0 Release of Deadzone: Rogue for PC will come with Zone 3, containing new enemies, weapons, and gameplay features after Early Access ends. If you’re eager to jump in then you can find Deadzone: Rogue available now on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Users can also check out the Deadzone: Rogue’s official Discord to stay up to date with its latest developments. Source link #Deadzone #Rogue #thrilling #roguelite #FPS #Steam #Early #Access Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 13 almost beat the MacBook Air. Here’s what it missed Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 13 almost beat the MacBook Air. Here’s what it missed Table of Contents Table of Contents A barely missed display edge The bad storage situation Limits itself to only the Snapdragon silicon Loses the surface design identity Microsoft is turning a new chapter for the Surface hardware, one where it competes against the best of Apple across different form factors. The latest from the company is a MacBook Air-wannabe laptop (down to the looks) and a tablet that borrows from the iPad formula. The new 13-inch Surface Laptop and the 12-inch Surface Pro tablet are curious additions to Microsoft’s lineup. The most perplexing part? Microsoft again went with Qualcomm (and Windows on Arm) instead of picking Intel and AMD, both of which now offer silicon ready for Copilot+ machines. An exception can be made for the tablet, but the new Surface Laptop is gunning straight for the MacBook Air’s crown. And it’s got some substance, too. It’s the thinnest and lightest Surface Laptop Microsoft has made to date, and it even eclipses Apple’s competing laptop with a better port situation and asking price. Microsoft Yet, despite all the on-paper finesse, it falls barely short of emerging as the better option, despite having the price advantage on its side. I quite like the package, but I wish Microsoft had gone the extra mile and given its latest a definitive edge on a few crucial parameters. A barely missed display edge The MacBook Air’s panel gets the job done without any major red flags. With some workarounds, you can even get past the controversial notch. But it’s not the best out there, neither qualitatively nor quantitatively. Microsoft The likes of Asus offer an OLED panel for less, and you can find a panel with a higher refresh rate for a lower ask. Unfortunately, the new Surface Laptop failed to surpass its Apple rival at either metric by going for a 60Hz LCD screen. It’s pretty surprising to witness, because the 13.8-inch variant offers a faster 120Hz screen with a more resilient glass layer on top, HDR support, and automatic color management. It’s not a bad panel, if my own personal experience with the 15-inch Surface Laptop is anything to go by, but there’s nothing standout either. If only the new 13-incher could go with a higher refresh rate, or OLED-type panel, it would’ve instantly scored a meaningful leg-up over the MacBook Air. The bad storage situation Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends Apple continues to get flak for its stingy storage situation, and rightfully so. If you’re paying a thousand dollars for a laptop, you deserve more than a paltry 256GB of storage. The status quo hasn’t changed all the way into 2025 for Apple. Unfortunately, Microsoft is not doing anything different either. I was hoping that the company would finally make a course correction with its next-gen hardware, but that didn’t happen aboard the new 13-inch Surface Laptop. Another issue is the storage type. If you pick the 256B model, you get an SSD storage, but the 512GB variant serves a UFS storage module. It’s not user-replaceable and will require a visit to a service center, if the need arises. Microsoft I have learned the storage lesson the hard way, and would never make the mistake again. By picking a 256GB laptop, it is almost a certainty that within a year, or two, you will need an external storage drive. Unless your work is heavily cloud-based, you shouldn’t go below 512GB if you intend to use a laptop in the long run. That’s a holy rule, more so in 2025 than ever, due to the space taken by AI modules required for local processing of tool such as Copilot or Apple Intelligence. Limits itself to only the Snapdragon silicon My experience with Copilot laptops — and Windows on Arm machines, in general — has been fairly smooth. But I fall in the lucky class of users where app compatibility is not an issue, and the raw emulation hit on performance doesn’t take a toll on my workflow. Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends There are tangible benefits to picking up an Arm chip. They are definitely more efficient, and the core reason behind the stunning battery life of laptops. Their single-core performance even leaves the likes of Apple’s M4 silicon behind on certain benchmarks. But limiting users to the Arm experience is not the most thoughtful approach, especially for creative professionals who seek the full x86 ecosystem of apps. Moreover, Intel and AMD are now both making chips that meet the baseline NPU performance criteria for Copilot PCs, ultimately offering a wider diversity for users to pick from. Games continue to be a prominent ****** in the Windows-on-Arm armor, and so is the spotty situation with the availability of Arm64 drivers for peripherals such as printers. The status quo is not all doom and gloom, but it’s not universally smooth either. Loses the surface design identity Microsoft Image Gallery/Microsoft Microsoft may not have managed to send shockwaves in the laptop market with its portfolio, but the Surface hardware has always been in a league of its own. The signature wedge-shaped look with sharp angles and flat sides gave them an unmistakable visual identity. The Alcantara keyboard is one of my favorite laptop design elements of all time. It looked stunning and felt fantastic to touch, though it was also a repairability nightmare. Microsoft has experimented with an all-metal approach, too, but without tweaking the fundamental looks. Microsoft In its quest to seemingly one-up the MacBook Air, Microsoft has unfortunately ditched its signature design and nearly aped its Apple rival. The 13-inch Surface Laptop goes for an industrial look that embraces curved sides on the base, an all-metal chassis, and some familiar colors, just like the MacBook Air. The latest from Microsoft doesn’t look bad. Far from it, actually. A fresh design is always a welcome change, but not when it goes back to a tried-and-tested formula on the very object you aim to surpass. The only positive takeaway is that the proprietary magnetic connector is gone in favor of USB-C and an extra USB-A port. Hopefully, Microsoft will manage to rectify a few of the internal missteps and give the next-gen model a tangible leg-up over its Apple rival, assuming it’s on the company’s roadmap. Source link #Microsofts #Surface #Laptop #beat #MacBook #Air #Heres #missed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Village in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir assesses damage after shelling from India Village in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir assesses damage after shelling from India Village in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir assesses damage after shelling from India Source link #Village #Pakistanicontrolled #Kashmir #assesses #damage #shelling #India Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 Flag Stratagem Is Peak and Its Doubters Are Undemocratic Traitors Helldivers 2 Flag Stratagem Is Peak and Its Doubters Are Undemocratic Traitors The upcoming “Masters of Ceremony” warbond for Helldivers 2 has revealed what might be the most divisive stratagem yet: the CQC-1 One True Flag. This glorious emblem of Super Earth’s managed democracy will soon be available for all loyal citizens to wield against the enemies of freedom. But not everyone is saluting with appropriate enthusiasm. Some so-called “patriots” are questioning whether a flag that seemingly offers no tactical advantages deserves a precious stratagem slot in their loadout. These doubters clearly don’t understand that the mere sight of Super Earth’s colors should be enough to strike fear into the hearts of bugs, bots, and squids alike. The One True Flag: patriotism or pointless? According to Arrowhead’s blog post, the flag “doubles as a spear to drive home the values of our glorious sovereignty.” It literally brings tears to our eyes. What more could a true Helldiver want? The ability to impale enemies with democracy itself is the ultimate expression of liberty. We’ve already reported the post above to High Command for high treason and suggest you do your part too. Any suggestion that Super Earth’s sacred banner is “nothing” borders on sedition of the highest order. The Ministry of Truth has been notified. Many community members have suggested the flag should provide buffs to nearby Helldivers—perhaps increasing movement speed, damage output, or reducing incoming damage through sheer patriotic fervor. After all, what’s more motivating than seeing your comrade charge into battle with the colors of freedom fluttering majestically? Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers Exactly! The righteous anger of billions of Super Earth citizens concentrated into one pointy end should be enough to pierce even the thickest Automaton armor in Helldivers 2. Physics and game mechanics be damned! Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers The flag’s penetration capabilities are still classified information, but we have it on good authority that the sharpened tip has been forged in the fires of liberty and quenched in the tears of freedom-hatin’ aliens. No armor can withstand the righteous fury of managed democracy. Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers This patriot speaks truth! Arrowhead (surely) wouldn’t waste development resources on a purely cosmetic stratagem. The flag must have hidden capabilities that align with future content—perhaps something to do with that mysterious mind control research, High Command has been teasing? Democracy’s secret weapon Remember that “Operation Sushi Bar” major order we completed last month? The one where High Command informed us that “our Federation is one step closer to a deeper understanding of mind control”? That can’t be a coincidence. As No_Collar_5292 suggests, the timing of the flag’s arrival suggests it might play a crucial role in upcoming operations: Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers The “Repatriated” theory, gaining traction in the community, makes perfect sense. What better way to reclaim our fallen brothers and sisters than by rallying them around the symbol of everything we fight for? Plant the flag, and watch as the Voteless minions flock to it, ready to be redeemed through service to Super Earth. High Command’s silence on this matter speaks volumes. If they were to confirm such capabilities, our enemies might develop countermeasures before we can deploy this revolutionary technology on the battlefield. Strategic silence is a weapon in itself, after all. Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers This Helldiver’s disappointment is understandable but potentially premature. Arrowhead has consistently surprised us with hidden mechanics and features. Comment byu/MrUnderman from discussion inHelldivers And this, fellow divers, is the spirit that makes Super Earth great! Even without additional perks, the symbolic value of planting our flag on the smoking remains of liberty’s enemies is reward enough for true patriots. Every flag deployed is another victory for managed democracy. What’s your take on the One True Flag stratagem? Will you be proudly carrying it into battle, or do you think it needs additional features to be worthy of a loadout slot? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Helldivers #Flag #Stratagem #Peak #Doubters #Undemocratic #Traitors Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Epson EcoTank ET-2980 review: a quick, low-cost all-in-one printer for families Epson EcoTank ET-2980 review: a quick, low-cost all-in-one printer for families Epson EcoTank ET-2980 MSRP $299.99 “Epson’s EcoTank ET-2980 is fast and offers great long-term value with a few tradeoffs to keep the cost low.” Pros Comes with three years of ink Fast short and long document prints Good print quality Low cost per page Attractive design with icy-blue tower light Cons Frequent paper jams on duplex prints Inconsistent photo quality Tiny display Table of Contents Table of Contents Specs Design Printing performance Special features Software and compatibility Price Is this the printer for you? Epson’s new EcoTank ET-2980 eliminates the hassle of replacing cartridges and minimizes the cost of ink with large ink reservoirs. It’s also one of the quickest tank printers. The best printers find the perfect balance of speed, quality, and cost. I went hands-on with the EcoTank ET-2980 to find out how it compares, who should buy it, and how much value it offers. Specs Epson EcoTank ET-2980 Dimensions 14.8 x 13.7 x 7.4 inches Weight 11.5 pounds Print speed 15.5 ppm (******), 8 ppm (color) Copy speed 11 cpm (******), 5.5 cpm (color) Print resolution 4800 x 1200 dpi Scan resolution 1200 x 2400 dpi Ports Hi-Speed USB Paper capacity 100 sheets Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/k/v/r (multiband) Design The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a compact and attractive printer. Alan Truly / Digital Trends The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a compact and attractive printer available in ****** or off-white to best match your decor. I have the white model with light gray accents that will blend in nicely with most homes. The ****** on ****** model might work well in a home office or room with a dark theme. The ink tanks are clearly visible, and it’s easy to see the supply levels at a glance. Epson marketing shows colorful stripes, but all four inks look dark gray through the translucent plastic. As an all-in-one that can print, copy, and scan, the EcoTank ET-2980 is quite compact with a footprint of 14.8 by 13.7 inches. The weight is minimal at just 11.5 pounds, making this a family-friendly printer that anyone can handle. The appearance is quite similar to the Epson EcoTank ET-2850, but even smaller and lighter. The newer and faster EcoTank ET-2980 also has a delightful highlight at the top of the ink tank tower, an icy blue rectangle that glows to alert me that the printer requires attention. An icy blue alert light catches my eye on the EcoTank ET-2980. Alan Truly / Digital Trends Otherwise, the design is quite utilitarian with a tiny color display that measures just 1.4 inches diagonally. Epson surrounded the display with 12 buttons that change settings and make copies. That sounds complex, but the usual arrow keys, back button, and OK button account for half of those. The control panel tilts so it works while standing or seated. The EcoTank ET-2980 has only one paper tray in the back that holds up to 100 sheets of paper. A width slider adjusts the tray to hold small photo paper and envelopes. The height with letter-size paper inserted is 10.4 inches. The output bin automatically extends nine inches from the front during printing. Printing performance The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is fast for an inkjet tank printer. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is fast for an inkjet tank printer. The first page flies out in about six seconds. That’s faster than the best color laser printers for one-off prints. That speed is possible because an inkjet doesn’t use heat transfer. Sustained speed on long monochrome documents can accelerate up to 15.5 pages per minute (ppm). Color pages print as fast as 8 ppm. That’s 50% faster than older Epson EcoTank models in the same class. Epson achieved this speed boost by fitting the EcoTank ET-2980 with PrecisionCore technology. That’s the same high-end print system found in small business printers like the super-fast 25 ppm Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850. Print quality is great despite the speed. Graphics are crisp, and even fine print is easy to read. The EcoTank ET-2980 is a great choice for color documents. However, I noticed some inconsistency with photo prints. Most pictures came out looking great, but some were disappointing. I noticed glossy photo prints often had a blue tint in the shadows. Plain paper prints could use more contrast. The best photo printers are optimized for pictures and sometimes use more than four inks to improve color accuracy. The EcoTank ET-2980 is prone to paper jams during double-sided printing. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends Overall, performance was good, but I ran into trouble when I tried printing duplex. Double-sided documents jammed frequently. The display guided me through clearing the jam via the rear panel for easy access to the rollers. Special features The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 includes a quick, high-resolution flatbed scanner. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends Epson is different from other leading printer brands. It no longer makes laser printers, focusing on improving inkjet technology. It also thinks differently about scanning. While many manufacturers include a 600 dots per inch (dpi) scanner in their all-in-ones, Epson doubles that resolution to 1200 dpi and has for many years. The EcoTank ET-2980’s scanner is quiet, fast, and can scan documents and photos at 200 to 1200 dpi. Lower resolution scans are often good enough, but I like having the option to go higher when I want to get the most detail from a small photo or capture fine print without hurting readability. I can also make color copies with the EcoTank ET-2980. Epson claims copy speed at 11 ppm in ****** and 5.5 ppm in color. However, I’d need machine-like speed and accuracy to lift the lid, swap pages, and close the scanner that quickly. For multi-page copies, it makes more sense to choose an all-in-one that includes an automatic document feeder (ADF). For example, Epson’s EcoTank ET-3850 is a larger and slightly more expensive PrecisionCore printer with an ADF. The ability to copy long documents is essential for some businesses, but not as important for home printers. Software and compatibility The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 includes four large bottles of ink. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends Epson’s quick start guide offers two paths to set up the EcoTank ET-2980, with the mobile app or manually. The printer’s display is quite small and only has a few buttons to navigate settings, so I installed the Epson Smart Panel app. From past experience, I know that’s usually the simplest method. Entering a long Wi-Fi password without a keyboard can be challenging. I used my iPhone for setup, but Epson supports Android, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. Everything flowed smoothly. The app guided me to fill the tanks with the four large ink bottles Epson includes with the printer. During the 11-minute ink initialization step, Smart Panel prompted me to connect the printer to Wi-Fi, which was quick and easy. I was able to step away for a few minutes, and the app alerted me when it was finished priming the ink lines. EcoTank ET-2980 initialization lowers levels, but that ink isn’t lost. Alan Truly / Digital Trends The ink levels, visible through the translucent tanks, give the appearance that the supply dropped by about a fifth. However, I didn’t lose any ink. It’s just drawn into the machine, ready for printing. For printhead alignment, I had to switch to the EcoTank ET-2980’s display and controls. It’s not hard to finish the process, but I had to look closely and make note of the special symbols to complete this step. Should I press the button with a triangle in a circle or the one with a line in a diamond? I think some people might need reading glasses or a magnifier app the see the difference in the on-screen display. Epson gave the EcoTank ET-2980 a tiny display and a couple of odd buttons. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends With the mobile app, setup was quite simple, and the software worked as expected, even when printing an envelope from my phone, something that’s nearly impossible with most printers. My Windows PC saw the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 immediately and had no trouble connecting via Wi-Fi. The printer also includes a USB port for a direct connection to a computer. Price The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is surprisingly fast for an entry-level inkjet. The $300 price makes it one of the most affordable inkjet tank printers on the market. Beyond the low initial cost, Epson includes enough ink in the EcoTank ET-2980 to print thousands of pages before you need to replenish supplies. When that time comes, you refill the tanks with bottles that hold about 90 cartridges worth of ink. The bundled EcoTank 502 ink bottles provide up to 6,600 monochrome pages and 5,500 color pages, adding significant value to the printer and reducing the cost per print to less than a penny. Each monochrome page costs about three-tenths of a cent, and color is a very affordable eight-tenths. Is this the printer for you? The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a fast, efficient, and economical inkjet tank printer at a great price. While that combination is hard to beat, it’s not the best all-in-one printer since it lacks an ADF. There are some strong competitors like HP’s Smart Tank 5101 that sells for $250. It could be more than a coincidence that I experienced troubling paper jams with that printer. Low-cost printers typically have less robust paper feed mechanisms. Epson’s own lineup includes the EcoTank ET-3850, a business-oriented printer with an ADF. For pictures, the Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 is a low-cost, six-color all-in-one with great photo quality. Still, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 offers a balance of speed, economy, and value that makes it a good choice for families. There’s great utility in a printer that can roll through thousands of pages without the hassle and expense of replacing ink cartridges. Source link #Epson #EcoTank #ET2980 #review #quick #lowcost #allinone #printer #families Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Decade-Long Search for a Battery That Can End the Gasoline Era A Decade-Long Search for a Battery That Can End the Gasoline Era On a frigid day in early January, as she worked in her office in the Boston suburb of Billerica, Mass., Siyu Huang received a two-word text message. “Spinning wheels,” it said. Attached was a short video clip showing a car on rollers in an indoor testing center. To the untrained eye there was nothing remarkable in the video. The car could have been getting its emissions tested at a Connecticut auto repair shop (except it had no tailpipe). But to Ms. Huang, the chief executive of Factorial Energy, the video was a milestone in a quest that had already occupied a decade of her life. Ms. Huang, her husband, Alex Yu, and their employees at Factorial had been working on a new kind of electric vehicle battery, known as solid state, that could turn the auto industry on its head in a few years — if a daunting number of technical challenges could be overcome. For Ms. Huang and her company, the battery had the potential to change the way consumers think about electric vehicles, give the United States and Europe a leg up on China, and help save the planet. Factorial is one of dozens of companies trying to invent batteries that can charge faster, go farther, and make electric cars cheaper and more convenient than gasoline vehicles. Transportation is the biggest source of man-made greenhouse gases, and electric vehicles could be a potent weapon against climate change and urban air pollution. The video that landed in Ms. Huang’s phone was from Uwe Keller, the head of battery development at Mercedes-Benz, which had been supporting Factorial’s research with money and expertise. The short clip, of a Mercedes sedan at a research lab near Stuttgart, Germany, signaled that the company had installed Factorial’s battery in a car — and that it could actually make the wheels move. The test was an important step forward in a journey that had begun while Ms. Huang and Mr. Yu were still graduate students at Cornell University. Until then, all their work had been in laboratories. Ms. Huang was excited that their invention was venturing into the world. But there was still a long way to go. The Mercedes with a Factorial battery hadn’t yet been taken out on the road. That was the only place the technology really mattered. Many start-ups have produced solid-state battery prototypes. But no American or European carmaker has put one into a production vehicle and proved that the technology could survive the bumps, vibrations and moisture of the streets. Or if any have, they have kept it a secret. In late 2023, Mr. Keller, a veteran Mercedes engineer, proposed to Ms. Huang that they try. “We’re car guys,” Mr. Keller said later. “We believe in things really moving.” Roots in China Ms. Huang stands out in a niche dominated by men from Silicon Valley. Some brag about their 100-hour workweeks; she believes in a good night’s sleep. “Having a clear mind to make the right decision is more important than how many hours you work,” she said. She is approachable and laughs easily, but also projects determination. She works from a sparsely decorated office in Billerica that looks out on a patch of forest crossed by power lines. The furnishings include a plain ****** bookcase, stocked with a few technical volumes, that she inherited from a previous tenant. Her diplomas from Cornell — a Ph.D. in chemistry and a master’s in business administration — hang on the wall. Ms. Huang grew up in Nanjing, China, where she was in an elementary school program that had her gather environmental data. The program instilled an interest in chemistry and an awareness of the vehicle exhaust and industrial pollution choking Nanjing’s air. She realized, she recalled, that “we need to grow a planet that’s healthier for human beings.” In a dormitory at Xiamen University on China’s southern coast, where she studied chemistry, she saw an advertisement for a Swedish exchange program. After spending two years there, she and Alex, whom she had known since they were students in China, were both accepted to doctoral programs in Cornell’s chemistry department. She arrived in Ithaca, N.Y., in 2009 with $3,000, which she had managed to save from her Swedish scholarship. They have both since become U.S. citizens. They were star students, said Héctor Abruña, a professor at Cornell known for his research in electrochemistry. He still has a picture on his office bookshelf of himself with Mr. Yu and Ms. Huang in their commencement robes. With an idea that grew out of Dr. Abruña’s lab and some seed money from the State of New York, Mr. Yu and Ms. Huang founded the company that later became Factorial while she was still completing her business degree. “They are extremely dedicated and extremely bright,” said Dr. Abruña, who continues to advise Factorial. “Straight shooters — zero BS.” Mr. Yu is now Factorial’s chief technology officer. The company is, in that sense, a family operation. Ms. Huang is reticent about their private life, declining to say even how many children they have. Initially the company focused on improving the materials that allow batteries to store energy. That changed after Mercedes invested in Factorial in 2021. Mercedes was looking for a ******* technological leap and encouraged Factorial to pursue solid state. The technology has that name because it eliminates the liquid chemical mixture, known as an electrolyte, that helps transport energy-laden ions inside a battery. Liquid electrolytes are highly flammable. Replacing them with a solid or gelatinlike electrolyte makes batteries safer. A battery that doesn’t overheat can be charged faster, perhaps in as little time as it takes to fill a car with gasoline. And solid-state batteries pack more energy into a smaller space, reducing weight and increasing range. But solid-state batteries have one big drawback that explains why you can’t buy a car with one today. Such battery cells are more prone to grow spiky irregularities that cause short circuits. Vast riches await any company that can overcome this problem and develop a battery that is durable, safe and reasonably easy to manufacture. Despite obvious differences between Factorial and Mercedes — the start-up has a little more than 100 employees, compared with 175,000 — Ms. Huang’s working style meshed with the culture at Mercedes and its roots in Swabia, the region around Stuttgart where people are known for their no-nonsense approach and restraint. Mr. Keller found Ms. Huang’s low-key, factual manner to be a welcome contrast to the hype and unfulfilled promises that are pervasive in the battery and technology industries. Factorial, he said, “has not been announcing, announcing, announcing and not delivering.” ‘Production hell’ It’s an axiom in the battery business that producing a cool prototype is the easy part. The challenge is figuring out how to make millions of solid-state batteries at a reasonable price. Factorial confronted that problem in 2022, setting up a small pilot factory in Cheonan, South Korea, a city near Seoul known for its tech industry. The project became, in Ms. Huang’s words, “production hell” — the same phrase Elon Musk used when Tesla was struggling to mass-produce a sedan and nearly went bankrupt. To make money, a battery factory can’t produce too many defective cells. Ideally the yield, the percentage of usable cells, should be at least 95 percent. Hitting that target is devilishly difficult, involving volatile chemicals and fragile separators layered and packaged into cells with zero margin for error. The machinery doing all this is encased in Plexiglas chambers and overseen by workers dressed in head-to-toe protective gear to prevent contamination. Dozens of companies are trying to mass-produce solid-state cells, including big carmakers like Toyota and smaller ones like QuantumScape, a Silicon Valley start-up backed by Volkswagen. Mercedes, hedging its bets, is also working with ProLogium, a Taiwanese company. Nio, a ******** carmaker, sells a vehicle with what it advertises as a solid-state battery. Analysts say the technology is less advanced than what Factorial is developing, offering fewer advantages in weight and performance. But there is little doubt that ******** companies are investing heavily in solid state. Nio did not respond to a request for comment. Every company has its own closely guarded recipes and manufacturing processes. “It’s difficult to say which technology will win,” said Xiaoxi He, a technology analyst at IDTechEx, a research firm. Partly because solid-state batteries are so difficult to manufacture, many auto executives are skeptical that they will make commercial sense anytime soon. Shares in many solid-state battery start-ups have plunged, and management turmoil is common. Factorial has insulated itself from the harsh judgments of Wall Street by never selling stock. Its funding comes from private investors including WAVE Equity Partners, a Boston firm, and partners that include the South Korean automaker Hyundai; LG Chem, a South Korean company that makes battery materials; and Stellantis, which next year plans to test Factorial batteries in Dodge Charger muscle cars. Projections of how soon solid-state batteries would be available have proved overly optimistic. Toyota displayed a futuristic prototype in 2020, but the company is still years away from selling a car with a solid-state battery. Kurt Kelty, a vice president at General Motors in charge of batteries, is among those who will believe it when they see it. “We’re not banking on solid state,” Mr. Kelty said. ‘I don’t even know if we can make it’ In the beginning, Factorial’s prototype assembly line in South Korea had a yield of just 10 percent, meaning 90 percent of its batteries were faulty. Despite her preference for a good night’s sleep, Ms. Huang often had to wake up at 4 a.m. to deal with problems at the factory, which was operating around the clock. She was in South Korea at least once a month. “There were always issues,” she said. “There was a point, I was like, I don’t even know if we can make it.” By 2023, Factorial had produced enough cells suitable for an automobile that Mr. Keller, a soft-spoken, amiable man who has worked at Mercedes for 25 years, began thinking about installing them in a car. The cost and the risk of failure were high enough that he sought approval from his bosses. Armed with PowerPoint slides, Mr. Keller went to Ola Källenius, an imposing Swede who is chief executive at Mercedes. Mr. Källenius’s office is at the top of a glass and steel high-rise in the middle of a sprawling manufacturing and development complex beside the Neckar River in Stuttgart. Mr. Keller argued that road testing would help determine, among other things, whether the batteries would work with air cooling alone. If so, that would eliminate the need for a heavier, more costly liquid-cooled system. Mr. Källenius signed off on the project, reasoning that a tangible goal would motivate the team and hasten development. He drew an analogy to Formula 1 racing. “If you’re chasing the leader, and suddenly you can see him, you get faster,” Mr. Källenius recalled. Ms. Huang was a bit surprised when, in late 2023, Mr. Keller told her that Mercedes wanted to put the cells in a working vehicle. “We didn’t realize it was coming so soon, honestly speaking,” she said with a laugh. But by June 2024, Factorial had managed to produce enough high-quality cells to announce that it had begun delivering them to Mercedes. In November, the factory in South Korea hit 85 percent yield, the best result yet. Ms. Huang and the Korean team celebrated by going out to a barbecue joint. Mercedes still had to figure out how to package the cells in a way that would protect them from highway dirt and moisture. And it had to integrate the battery pack into a vehicle, connecting it to the car’s control systems. The Factorial cells had one big drawback that made them hard to install in a car. They expanded when charged and shrank when discharged. In Mr. Keller’s words, they “breathed.” Mr. Keller turned to engineers on the Mercedes Formula 1 racing team, who are accustomed to quickly solving technical problems. They devised a mechanism that expanded and shrank with the cells, maintaining constant pressure. By Christmas 2024, a team working at Mercedes’s main research center in Sindelfingen, outside Stuttgart, texted Mr. Keller those two words: “spinning wheels.” ‘Finally I see you’ Mr. Keller confessed that he got a little emotional when his team sent him the video of the car. He waited until after Christmas to forward it to Ms. Huang with the same two words. Several weeks later, the Mercedes engineers took the car with Factorial’s battery, an otherwise standard EQS electric sedan, to a company track for its first road test. The engineers drove the car slowly at first. They carefully monitored technical data displayed on the dashboard screen. They drove faster and faster until, by the fourth day, they reached autobahn speeds of 100 miles per hour. The battery didn’t blow up. In theory, it can power the car for 600 miles, more than most conventional cars can travel on a tank of gasoline. Mr. Keller had been keeping Ms. Huang apprised of the progress, but she was still surprised when, during a meeting on marketing strategy in February, people from the Mercedes communications department mentioned that they had written a news release announcing the achievement. “Do you want to take a look?” they asked. She certainly did. The first successful road test with a Factorial battery was an enormously important moment, one they had been anticipating for years. Yet the teams at Mercedes and Factorial did not throw parties to celebrate. They still had work to do. The next step is to equip a fleet of Mercedes vehicles with batteries, perfect the manufacturing process and do the testing required to begin selling them. That will probably take until 2028, at least. Many experts don’t expect cars with solid-state batteries to be widely available until 2030, at the earliest. In April, Ms. Huang finally found time to travel to Stuttgart and ride in the car herself. It was a clear spring day, with greenery sprouting in the ******* countryside and flowers beginning to bloom. Mercedes employees escorted her to a garage in Sindelfingen, where the automaker also has a large factory complex. Ms. Huang had seen many photos of the car, but she still felt a thrill when the garage doors opened. It felt “like a long-lost friend,” she said. “Like, ‘Finally I see you!’” A Mercedes driver took her for a spin on the test track, zooming down an asphalt straightaway then around a banked curve that, Ms. Huang said, felt like a roller coaster. Inside the car, there was no way to perceive the difference with the Factorial battery compared with a conventional one. “But it’s just so special because it’s with our battery.” Source link #DecadeLong #Search #Battery #Gasoline #Era Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Monster Hunter Wilds Players Are Still Having Trouble With Barrel Bowling Monster Hunter Wilds Players Are Still Having Trouble With Barrel Bowling Month in, the Barrel Bowling is still giving a headache to plenty of Monster Hunter Wilds players. How can you improve? Source link #Monster #Hunter #Wilds #Players #Trouble #Barrel #Bowling Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Huawei’s Kirin X90 may be the company’s “Apple Silicon” moment — Matebook Pro 2025 features in-house hardware and software Huawei’s Kirin X90 may be the company’s “Apple Silicon” moment — Matebook Pro 2025 features in-house hardware and software Yesterday, Huawei unveiled its Matebook Pro 2025 laptops, powered by HarmonyOS, the firm’s newly developed operating system, independent of Linux and Android, breaking free from Microsoft’s shackles. At the event, ******** enthusiasts had a go with the machine. They discovered it reportedly features a new SoC from Huawei’s chip subsidiary HiSilicon, the Kirin X90, built on a custom Arm-based design. This might be Huawei’s “Apple silicon” moment, integrating its devices with in-house software and hardware, though compatibility with already-developed applications remains an open question. Following sanctions imposed in 2020, the US significantly limited Huawei in its ability to work with international chip designers and manufacturers. Within a short span, the firm was forced to rely on indigenous alternatives, sourcing chips from its HiSilicon division, with manufacturing primarily handled by China’s SMIC. Unlike Loongson’s chips, which employ its custom LoongArch architecture, Huawei’s cores utilize off-the-shelf Arm Cortex designs, and now its own Arm-based Taishan V-series architectures. Huawei’s laptops have mostly been powered by hardware from AMD/Intel, with a few exceptions. While Huawei showcased its upcoming HarmonyOS-powered Matebook Pro laptops, enthusiasts found evidence that the Kirin X90 SoC powers them through the system information. Further details by leaker Digital Chat Station suggest the Kirin X90, codenamed Charlotte Pro, wields a 10-core (4+4+2) / 20-thread layout. The design is said to mirror the Kirin 9010, found on Huawei’s Pura 70 series mobile phones. Therefore, the four prime cores will likely utilize the Taishan V121 architecture. In contrast, the performance cores step down to Taishan V120, and the efficiency cores probably use a standard Cortex design, likely the Cortex-A510. Kirin X90 pic.twitter.com/QMM3zuTKWDMay 9, 2025 There aren’t many performance indicators yet, but server-oriented designs, likely the Kunpeng 930, of the Taishan V120 architecture, match AMD’s Zen 3 in single-core performance. The Kirin X90 will still probably be built using SMIC’s aging 7nm process node, which is the likely bottleneck. Having their own OS and silicon makes Huawei less dependent on Western tech. It ensures tighter integration within its ecosystem, leading to better optimization, reliability, faster development, and performance. So, how many developers will port their existing apps to HarmonyOS? That depends on how well the platform takes off. Compatibility layers are a solution, but in the end, if Huawei wants a bite of Apple’s market share, it needs a strong ecosystem, including essential daily apps. That being said, building homegrown software alternatives is also an option that fits China’s ambitions of tech autarky. No matter what, we can expect to see some actual performance tests of the chip once the Matebook Pro comes out on May 19. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Huaweis #Kirin #X90 #companys #Apple #Silicon #moment #Matebook #Pro #features #inhouse #hardware #software Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trial date set for man accused of bank ******* Trial date set for man accused of bank ******* A man charged with ******* after a stabbing inside a city centre bank will provisionally stand trial in the New Year. Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur, 47, of Western Road, Derby, was charged with the ******* of Gurvinder Johal, 37, who was stabbed inside Lloyds in St Peter’s Street just after 14:30 BST on Tuesday. Appearing via video link at Derby Crown Court from HMP Nottingham, Mr Cabdiraxmaan Nur was told by Judge Shaun Smith KC through a Somali interpreter he will provisionally stand trial on 19 January 2026. No application for bail was made. Judge Smith KC told Mr Cabdiraxmaan Nur on Friday: “In the meantime, you will be remanded into custody.” The judge said the custody time limit would be extended from November until the end of January 2026 in order for reports to be submitted in sufficient time for any trial – which is expected to last “two to three weeks”. The defendant was told he will appear at Derby Crown Court again on 15 August. Derbyshire Police said a second man in his 30s, who was arrested in connection with the incident, was released without any further action on Thursday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed it had received a referral from the force in relation to the case, but later said: “We have now notified the force that it did not meet the threshold for a referral and was therefore not valid.” Source link #Trial #date #set #man #accused #bank #******* Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Europa Universalis V Preview | TheSixthAxis Europa Universalis V Preview | TheSixthAxis TSA goes hands on with Europa Universalis V. Source link #Europa #Universalis #Preview #TheSixthAxis Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Art market offers investors ‘escape’ from volatile stocks Art market offers investors ‘escape’ from volatile stocks A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The art market is about to face its biggest test since the November elections, with more than $1 billion of work coming under the hammer in New York next week. Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips are together offering 295 works for a low-end estimate of $952 million combined, according to ArtTactic. That would mark a 2% increase over last year’s spring auction total, and dealers and art advisors say the final amount is likely to top $1.1 billion. Any gain would be a welcome change for a global art market that has been in decline for two years. Despite strong stock markets in 2023 and 2024, higher interest rates and inflation fears have put pressure on prices and sales. The auction houses and dealers blame supply. They say there just haven’t been any marquee sales, like the Paul Allen or Macklowe collections of years past, to attract bidders. And they say living sellers are holding onto their top works until prices rebound. Others say the economic weakness in China, war in Ukraine and slowdown in Europe has reduced the number of big collectors opening up their wallets for trophy works. The current tariff uncertainty and recession fears may cause collectors to further pause any big purchases. The headliner of the week is a Giacometti bronze bust being offered at Sotheby’s for between $70 million and $90 million. Sotheby’s is also selling a collection of 40 works from the private collection of famed artist Roy Lichtenstein. Christie’s is selling works from the collection of Louise and Leonard Riggio, who built the Barnes & Noble bookstore chain. The collection, which is expected to fetch over $250 million, includes Mondrian’s “Composition With Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, ****** and Blue,” likely to sell for over $50 million. It also includes a rare Picasso and Magritte. Christie’s is also selling works from the collection of Anne and Sid Bass estimated at over $60 million. In an exclusive interview with Inside Wealth, Christie’s CEO Bonnie Brennan said collectors view art as a safe haven in an uncertain world, and sales are poised for a rebound. “I think art is always a place people come back to for a source of peace, of calm, of stability,” she said. “We’ve seen great interest this season because it is a bit of an escape.” Here are some of Brennan’s comments on the May sales and the state of the wealthy collector. On turmoil and tariffs “The last few weeks have been a real roller coaster. We are a market that thrives on stability, so these are times where we’re trying to navigate and give our clients assurance. One thing that works in our favor is that in times of volatility people look to tangibles. You see that reflected in the price of gold right now. We saw it in 2009 with the ***** of Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent’s collection, which at the time was the highest collection total ever. That was February 2009, a terrible time in the market. One thing we feel very confident about is that we have great material that’s fresh, that’s well priced. The market has said that’s what they’ve been waiting for. We hope there will be that flight to quality we’ve seen in the past.” On the impact of stock market volatility “We are sensitive to the markets. It would be inaccurate to say anything else. But we don’t see a direct correlation. We study the markets and the history of the way our markets interact. Sometimes we lag behind. Given the volatility in the financial markets, a lot of people feel safer in buying high-quality blue chip [art] works. It’s a safer place to put their money. And so that’s why we feel very confident right now, particularly because we have such great blue chip works. The global sales that we’ve had even since the tariff announcement early April, with great strength in Paris, gives me hope that if we can continue to fill the pipeline with great supply, we will continue to see demand.” On the problem of supply “The supply that we have this year is so strong. We didn’t have the same supply last year. We don’t have a problem with demand, it’s always been an issue of getting the supply to present to the global audience that we have. “January was a great sort of unlocking of supply. I was busier this January than I have been in the last 10 years. Then we went around the world for our sales, London in March, Hong Kong at the end of March, Paris in April — all of those sales centers, we saw a real excitement.” On the $250 million Len Riggio collection “Our business is not just about art, it’s about storytelling. And we feel so lucky that this season we have such great stories to tell. The biggest story of the season will be the story of Len and Louise Riggio. I love it because it’s an American story. It’s a story of a self-made man. He bought a college bookstore and he transformed it into what many of us, certainly our generation, remember as the greatest bookseller, Barnes & Noble. “Len was always in the second row of the ***** room with his paddle raised. You never knew what he was going to bid on. We loved having him in the ***** room. He would bid on a dinosaur. He would bid on a Mondrian. And that real passion as a collector — somebody wasn’t telling Len what to buy. He came and saw and bought what really spoke to him in the moment.” On the next generations of collectors “We have to build the next generation of collectors in order to keep our business going. We’ve been around for 250 years, but we have to sustain our future by making sure that young people feel that we are relevant to them. How do we do that? We do that in what we sell. Twenty-first century art is an example of that. We started that category several years ago so that we could celebrate the voices of younger artists, artists of color, under-represented artists, female artists. That’s what young people told us. They wanted technology. They’re digitally native. They don’t want to talk to us, they don’t want to call, and they want to do everything in an easy, seamless way, on their phone. They want to bid online. So 80% of our bids last year came from online tools. “I think when we look at the young people, we have to educate them. We have to bring them in through digital art and interrupt their path with maybe some of the more traditional things. If we can encourage people to come here instead of Tiffany’s, say to buy a ring, and on that path to buying an engagement ring or an anniversary present or a watch, show them great prints by Lichtenstein or Warhol at a price point that they can afford. Those are the kernels, the seeds that build the garden of a future collector.” On the global map of demand “This May we will see strength from America. America is very much the backbone. Almost half of our business comes from [the U.S.]. But we have to stay focused on Asia. Asia is usually between 20% and 30% of our sales. I think we’re going to potentially see increased activity from Europe because of the strength of the euro and the pound against the dollar. There could be perception that things are a bit of a discount for them in the May sales.” On selling celebrity “One of the categories that’s been most surprising to me is musical instruments, the passion for guitars. Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler. All those sales introduced us to a new audience of buyers. I really see the power of celebrity, which has been in place for a long time, as an opportunity to do so many of the things we want to do. We want to introduce Christie’s to a broader audience. We want to be responsive to what younger buyers want.” A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The art market is about to face its biggest test since the November elections, with more than $1 billion of work coming under the hammer in New York next week. Source link #Art #market #offers #investors #escape #volatile #stocks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Key Features, Accessories Leak Online Ahead of May 13 Launch Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Key Features, Accessories Leak Online Ahead of May 13 Launch Samsung has revealed key features of the Galaxy S25 Edge including the use of Corning’s Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display protection and a 200-megapixel main rear camera. The company has also confirmed that it will come with Galaxy AI features. The slim handset from Samsung is set to launch on May 13. Now, ahead of the launch, several key features and accessories for the smartphone have leaked online. The Galaxy S25 Edge will join the existing Galaxy S25 lineup. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Key Features, Accessories Surface Online Some official-looking marketing materials for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge have been shared by Android Headlines. The upcoming handset is seen in three colourways in the leaked images. Notably, previous leaks had claimed that the phone will be offered in Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Icyblue, and Titanium Silver shades. The leaked images suggest that the 200-megapixel primary rear sensor of the Galaxy S25 Edge will support 2x optical zoom. It is expected to be accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter with autofocus and a 12-megapixel selfie camera. The handset will likely have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. In the images, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge appears to have a display with slim, uniform bezels, and a centred hole-punch slot at the top. The display is confirmed to get Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protection. The leaked images also tease the slimness of the handset. It is tipped to be 5.85mm thick and weigh 163g. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 onboard storage. It may ship with Android 15-based One UI 7 and a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display. The phone may be backed by a 3,900mAh battery with 25W charging support. It has been tipped to support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity as well. The report also included leaked images of an anti-reflective screen protector and alleged Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge protective cases. Among them are silicone, transparent silicone, and ‘Kindsuit’ cases. The former two are seen in variations of ******, blue, and grey. The handset is expected to ship with a SIM ejector tool and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable in the box. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is tipped to be priced at EUR 1,249 (roughly Rs. 1,19,000) for the 256GB storage option, while the 512GB variant may cost EUR 1,369 (roughly Rs. 1,30,000). It is set to launch globally on May 13 at 9am KST (05:30am IST). Source link #Samsung #Galaxy #S25 #Edge #Key #Features #Accessories #Leak #Online #Ahead #Launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Joint statement on the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration | News Joint statement on the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration | News Today, in Luxembourg, the birthplace of Robert Schuman, we celebrate the historic declaration of 9 May 1950, which laid the foundations for the European Union as we know it today. Seventy-five years ago, in a continent that was re-emerging from the devastation of the Second World War, visionary leaders decided to pool the production and markets for coal and steel to ensure lasting peace in Europe. Their simple yet ground-breaking endeavour – to replace historic rivalry with shared sovereignty, through economic and political integration – paved the way for an era of prosperity, peace, democracy, solidarity and cooperation in Europe. Over time, more and more countries decided to join a common European project, testifying to the appeal of shared values, democracy and unity among the peoples of our continent. Today, our work towards peace in Europe, the very essence of the Schuman declaration, is not finished. Europe is once again facing major challenges. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has brought war to our doorstep. Global tensions are on the rise. Climate change is affecting the lives of millions of people in Europe and around the world. We reaffirm our deep commitment to a European project that unites our peoples, as well as to enlargement as the European Union’s best geopolitical investment. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure continued economic prosperity, enhanced economic competitiveness and social progress for European citizens. We are taking unprecedented steps to strengthen our security and defence and our strategic autonomy. We are determined to uphold a rules-based international order, to strengthen multilateralism and to act as a reliable global partner. Europe is master of its own destiny. We support Ukraine in all its efforts towards a just and lasting peace. The spirit of the Schuman Declaration lives on. It will continue guiding us as we join forces to ensure peace, prosperity, solidarity, and cooperation in Europe. Source link #Joint #statement #75th #anniversary #Schuman #Declaration #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

McKay’s clutch goal seals gutsy AFL win over Saints McKay’s clutch goal seals gutsy AFL win over Saints Harry McKay has capped his outstanding game with the match-sealing goal as Carlton beat St Kilda by 15 points in an AFL arm wrestle. McKay kicked his third goal from an acute angle late in the last quarter as the Blues bounced back from last week’s bad loss to Adelaide, winning 11.11 (77) to 9.8 (62). The MCG clash featured a crowd of 65,680 – easily a St Kilda-Carlton home and away record – for the annual “Spud’s Game” in honour of late Saints great Danny Frawley. Carlton were outstanding, rallying from a succession of injuries that left them with one fit player on the bench at half time. McKay had 19 disposals and 10 marks, while captain Patrick Cripps was also outstanding. Amid speculation about St Kilda trying to lure him after this season, Carlton ruck Tom De Koning engaged in an engrossing duel with Rowan Marshall and racked up seven clearances. Harry McKay seals it from the boundary #AFLSaintsBlues pic.twitter.com/0wpx65pq9d— AFL (@AFL) May 9, 2025 Blues key forward Charlie Curnow injured his knee at training during the week, he kicked three goals – all in the first half. The injury woes came elsewhere for the Blues. First, Mitch McGovern came off second-best in a clash with Liam O’Connell, and was subbed out of the game before being taken to hospital with a chest injury. The Blues jumped out to a 24-point lead in the second term and were piling the pressure on St Kilda. But as St Kilda started drawing level in contested possessions and gaining more territory, the Blues’ interchange bench started looking like a casualty ward. Blake Acres went off with a shoulder injury, then Lachie Cowan was forced out with hamstring tightness. Nick Haynes, close to best afield in the first half, was left with a sore head after an accidental knock and Carlton ended the second term with only one available player on the bench. Haynes and Acres were able to start the third term, while Saints young gun Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was also struggling with leg problems. But Wanganeen-Milera stayed on the field and had a game-high 30 possessions. Cooper Sharman kicked his second goal and the Saints drew to within six points, but Carlton stood firm under the pressure. McKay kicked his second goal late in the quarter from a generous free kick and the Blues retained their halftime lead of 14 points at the last change. It was a dour arm wrestle in the third term. After 28 stoppages in the first half, there were a whopping 35 in the quarter. In a significant blow for St Kilda, small forward Jack Higgins was subbed out at three-quarter time, with club officials citing illness. Source link #McKays #clutch #goal #seals #gutsy #AFL #win #Saints Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 9-11) 3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 9-11) Table of Contents Table of Contents Balatro Ark: Survival Ascended Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Our favorite thing about the start of a new month is getting our hands on a fresh batch of PlayStation Plus Essential games. While we only get three new entries per month, whereas the Extra and Premium subscribers get sometimes a dozen games added to the catalog, they are ours to “keep” so long as our subscriptions are active. They also tend to be of higher quality, with this month being a standout in our eyes. For this upcoming weekend, we know you won’t have trouble finding something in our list to have fun with but might struggle to decide which of these games you want to dedicate your time to. That’s a good problem to have while we wait for Doom: The Dark Ages, but also have a little extra time with Lost Soul Aside getting delayed to the end of August. Balatro Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you know what Balatro is and just how addictive it is. If, for whatever reason, you didn’t believe us when we sang its praises, now is the time to get in on the fun. Or, if you already played it on another platform, now you can earn a shiny new Platinum Trophy. Either way, this is one of the easiest games to recommend you play this weekend no matter what type of gamer you are. This is also a great game to introduce to friends and family thanks to how approachable it is. Just be aware you might not get the controller back for a while. You can take it in short bursts or marathon it, and the simple rules but deep levels of strategy keep it interesting each and every ante. Balatro is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Mobile, and PC. Ark: Survival Ascended If you’ve been subscribed to PS Plus as long as we have, then you probably have a huge stack of survival games already, including another version of this one! However, Ark: Survival Ascended is more than just an expansion or remaster, but is a complete graphical remake of the original game with all the new content packed in. We all dream about living in a world with dinosaurs, and this game lets you start out cowering and fighting for your life to taming and building your own dino army. It is a brutal world, especially in the online servers with up to 70 players who may or may not be friendly but is fun every step of the way. Ark: Survival Ascended is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun We mentioned the new Doom game up top for a reason, and that reason was to give us an excuse to talk about Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. This game sticks to the classic boomer shooter look and feel with the trappings of the 40K universe. If you have any fond memories of fast-paced, gory, power-fantasy shooters set in giant maze-like levels full of secrets, you will have a blast with this game. It is so easy to pick up and instantly start having fun with. The graphics are intentionally retro but with clear design sensibilities that evoke the look of old-school shooters but will still look appealing today. And, most importantly, the sound and feedback of every weapon is pitch-perfect. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC. Source link #PlayStation #games #play #weekend Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia keeps hiding its bad cards, and that’s a problem Nvidia keeps hiding its bad cards, and that’s a problem Table of Contents Table of Contents Hiding in plain sight Hiding behind fake frames Nvidia knows better Nvidia’s shenanigans surrounding its RTX 50-series graphics cards seem almost never ending. Beyond driver issues, missing ROPs, melting power cables, and supply issues, it seems steadfast in its plans to hide the graphics cards that we all know are going to underwhelm. It didn’t send out review samples for the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, and now it’s restricting reviewers from testing the upcoming RTX 5060 by not releasing any compatible drivers until launch day. Nvidia has been shady and underhanded with its handling of the entire RTX 50 series, and it only seems to be getting worse. Hiding in plain sight When the RTX 5060 Ti debuted, its 16GB version received generally positive reviews. It was a capable card at a fair-ish price, with enough VRAM to satisfy the needs of gamers and the latest games at 1080p and 1440p resolution. With DLSS upscaling and frame generation support, it was even capable of a little light 4K gaming; An arguable first for an XX60-series GPU from team green. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is a great little card for SFF builds, but its 8GB counterpart is very underwhelming. Kunal Khullar / Digital Trends But that was only the 16GB version. The 8GB version was decidedly worse due to its lack of VRAM and susceptibility to performance issues related to the PCIe generation of the slot it was plugged into. That left it seriously underperforming at higher resolutions, and falling notably behind the 16GB in even 1080p gaming, despite their otherwise comparable specifications. But you’d never have known that before the cards’ launched, because Nvidia didn’t send out any 8GB samples of the card. It’s now doing the same thing with the RTX 5060, but this time locking reviewers out of testing it by limiting their access to drivers, which is arguably worse. Nvidia now expects them to do unboxings and talk about the card, and even talk about how they can’t test it; And even get us talking about it here. It’s bad publicity for a card that will probably underperform if Nvidia is being this cagey about it, but it’s still publicity. Nvidia: “We’re not hiding the RTX 5060, we’re very proud of it and gamers will love it” …also Nvidia: “We’re going to launch the RTX 5060 on May 19th during Computex, and although reviewers have cards right now we won’t be releasing the driver until they go on *****” pic.twitter.com/Cw0mJnSgUp — Hardware Unboxed (@HardwareUnboxed) May 8, 2025 On top of that, Nvidia is launching the RTX 5060 during Computex, where there will be a lot of other tech-related stories doing the rounds which will help bury any bad launch day coverage. But for gamers, they’ll see an affordable RTX 50-series card on the shelf, and buy it. Well they better, right? Stock has been so low they’re lucky to even have the chance. And that leaves them making an uninformed decision, leading to potential buyers’ remorse at best, and unplayable games at worst. Hiding behind fake frames But this has been the entire saga of the RTX 50-series. Nvidia might be seriously burying the performance of its new 8GB graphics cards in 2025, but it wasn’t forthcoming about the performance or capabilities of any of its graphics cards this generation. These just don’t reflect reality. Nvidia Jensen Huang stood on the stage at CES in January and told the world that the RTX 5090 was twice as fast as the RTX 4090 and that the RTX 5070 could match the performance of the RTX 4090. Neither were even remotely true, with the 5090 performing about 30% faster than the 4090, and the 5070 more like a 4070 Super than a 4090. With multi frame generation in a few select games, sure, these cards could go well beyond their predecessors, but not across a wide range of games or settings. Jensen knew this when he made those claims. And he said it anyway. Nvidia knows better That’s the thing that stings about this all, too. Nvidia knows what it’s doing. It knows the 8GB versions of the 5060 Ti and 5060 aren’t going to be up to scratch, but instead of marketing them in ways that highlight this problem but lean into their strengths, it just chooses to hide it. Not even just pretend it’s not a problem, but take active steps to hide it from the gamers who will be disappointed when they buy it and find the games they want to play don’t run as they should. It knew the performance uplift of the higher-end RTX 50-series cards wouldn’t be that impressive, either. But instead of highlighting the strengths that were there and setting expectations at a manageable level, it overpromised and underdelivered. Because by that point, the cards are already sold out. It doesn’t care. Nvidia has made it abundantly clear in recent years that its focus is on AI and datacenters, and gaming is just a way for it to fun-wash its sinking reputation. Jensen isn’t cool, his cards aren’t impressing, and Nvidia is being ever shadier about the way it milks what it seems to see as a captive audience. It knows better and should do better. But at least now, so do we. Skip the RTX 5060 until we can see how it actually plays, and don’t buy anything Nvidia sells on marketing hype alone. Source link #Nvidia #hiding #bad #cards #problem Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]