Framework’s laptops are getting smarter and easier to for typing
Framework’s laptops are getting smarter and easier to for typing
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Table of Contents
Framework Laptop 13
Framework Laptop 16
The concept of open-source, modular devices appears to be working well for Framework. Founder Nirav Patel detailed at a launch event in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, that the company has seen consistent year-over-year sales growth every year since its inception. He announced the brand’s progress while unveiling the latest version of its popular customizable PC, the Framework Laptop 13, and new developments for the Framework Laptop 16.
There has long been considerable excitement for new Framework Laptops, which haven’t been updated since 2022. Here’s everything you need to know about Framework’s new product lineup.
Framework Laptop 13
In 2025, the brand has updated the Framework Laptop 13 with the latest AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors, which supports such highlight features as Zen 5 cores, Radeon Graphics, and 50 TOPs NPU. There is also an option for the AMD Ryzen 9 processor, which includes up to 12 CPU cores, and 16 GPU cores.
Framework
The updated Framework Laptop 13 also includes a new thermal system with a single heat pipe, Wi-Fi 7 support, and display output support for the expansion cards– meaning the laptop can run up to four displays on the device. The laptop has a revamped keyboard with plastic replacing the metal on the mechanical structure of the setup. Framework noted the keyboard went through rigorous testing to ensure it was viable.
Software-wise, the Framework Laptop 13, supports Windows 11, featuring a Copilot key for AI functionality, but also works on Linux as a customization option. The laptop is typically DIY Edition compatible, allowing users to input custom hardware and software components onto a basic structure.
The 13.5-inch notebook supports an optional 2.8K 120Hz display, and a 1080p webcam, as well as the same 61-watt-hour battery featured in older models. Made of aluminum, the chassis also remains thin and light, at just 0.62 inches in thickness and 2.86 pounds in weight.
Framework also revived the translucent bezel for this Framework Laptop 13 model, in four color options– also pairing it with six new translucent USB-C expansion cards colors, as an aesthetics feature.
Preorders for the Framework Laptop 13 are available now, with the device going on ***** in April to the markets where the brand’s products are already available. The DIY Edition will sell for $899, while the prebuilt version will sell for $1,099. The mainboard will also be available on its own. Additionally, the brand will mark down the prior Framework Laptop 13 to $749.
Framework Laptop 16
The Framework Laptop 16 has been available for just over a year. The brand open-sourced the customizable input module system, which has allowed the Framework community to develop many unique projects, including an RGB LED matrix and e-ink display. However, one challenge the brand and community have contended with is keyboards. Particularly, the thinness of the laptop not being compatible with traditional mechanical switches; there’s no space for connectivity. Patel noted that the community experimented with many workarounds but wasn’t able to find any permanent fixes.
Framework
For the launch, Framework developed a solution, called the One Key Module, which is a fully self-contained mechanical and electrical switch, very similar to what you’d find in a mechanical keyboard, but it is as slim as a Framework Laptop 16 keyboard. The brand noted that developers can create ortholinear layouts and ergonomic designs with the One Key Module. It has already created its own ortholinear proof of concept on a Framework Laptop 16– and will be partnering with developers with the solution now and in the future.
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Lowe's beats Wall Street expectations as it starts to break out of sales slump – CNBC
Lowe's beats Wall Street expectations as it starts to break out of sales slump – CNBC
Lowe’s beats Wall Street expectations as it starts to break out of sales slump CNBCLowe’s stock jumps as same-store sales rise for first time in 2 years MarketWatchLowe’s Sees Return to Sales Growth That Trails Wall Street View BloombergLowe’s to follow Home Depot in reporting earnings as core DIY consumers pull back on spending Yahoo Finance
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Razer’s new Blade 18 serves a massive RTX 5000 performance leap
Razer’s new Blade 18 serves a massive RTX 5000 performance leap
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
An absolute beast
What makes the Blade 18 special?
Razer is kicking off the race for the fastest gaming laptops of 2025 with its new Blade 18 machine. The company says it is the most powerful Blade laptop it has ever made, and that it’s also the slimmest machine to offer Intel’s beefy HX-series processor.
The laptop will be available in three graphics configurations, which include the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, and the top-of-the-line RTX 5090 GPU. Storage options start at 1TB and go all the way up to 4TB, while RAM options on the table are 32GB and 64GB.
There are vacant slots for further memory upgrade, while the onboard M.2 slots will let buyers go up to 8TB of onboard storage. For folks who go with the top-end configuration with maxed out RAM and storage, they will have to part ways with a cool $4,899.99 for the laptop. Pre-orders are now live from Razer’s official store, which currently has the base model listed at $3,199.99 in the US.
An absolute beast
The Blade 18 comes equipped with Intel’s 24-core Ultra 9 275HX processor, which is based on TSMC’s N3B process node and delivers a peak frequency of 5.4 GHz in boost mode. On the graphics front, we get Nvidia’s latest and greatest, the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU.
Razer
Razer says the new Blade laptop will deliver an astounding 280W of total package power (TPP), tapping into the full 175W output promised by Nvidia for its top-of-the-line mobile graphics engine.
To handle the thermal load, Razer has also upgrade the heat management kit and equipped the Blade 18 with a large vapor chamber cooling system assisted by three fans and “the thinnest exhaust fins in its class.”
Port selection is also quite generous, and ahead of the curve. There are two Thunderbolt ports (one each from Gen4 and Gen5), HDMI 2.1, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports, an RJ45 Ethernet port, and a UHS-II SD card slot.
It natively supports 400W charging, but the in-built 99 WHr battery pack can also be charged via a USB Type-C cable with up to 100W peak output. The build is your usual CNC-milled aluminum, but unlike the previous-gen Blade 18, the 2025 version is only available in a single ****** trim with an anodized surface finish.
What makes the Blade 18 special?
The latest Razer flagship is the world’s first laptop with a dual-mode panel, allowing users to switch the resolution and refresh rate figures for the best experience. In its native state, the 18-inch panel sits at UHD+ (3840 x 2400 pixels) resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate.
Razer
For those who need that added dash of fluidity, the refresh rate can go all the way up to 440Hz by downgrading the resolution to FHD+ (1920 x 1200 pixels) preset. It can reproduce the full gamut of colors in the DCI-P3 range and supports gaming-focused niceties such as Nvidia G-Sync.
Razer has also revamped the keyboard foundations. On the Blade 18, the keys deliver a 1.5mm travel (35% better than the previous generation), and there’s also a new 10-key shortcut system on the number cluster. The 5-megapixel webcam also gets a mechanical privacy filter. Audio output is handled by a THX Spatial Audio-ready system that includes two tweeters and four woofers.
In addition to the Blade 18, Razer is also putting up the Blade 16 on the shelves, after originally showcasing it at CES earlier this year. The thinnest laptop ever made by Razer, this one offers up to an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and a QHD+ 240Hz OLED screen.
The Blade 16 starts at $2,799.99 for the entry-level model with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU.
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Mecha Break Beta Hit 300,000 Concurrent Players And Broke Servers
Mecha Break Beta Hit 300,000 Concurrent Players And Broke Servers
Late last week, Amazing Seasun Games launched the latest beta test for Mecha Break, a new co-op shooter game that’s basically Armored Core by way of Titanfall. If the initial wave of 300,000 concurrent players is any indication, Mecha Break could be well on its way towards being a hit. However, all of those players led to some of Mecha Break’s servers going down.
In a message on Mecha Break’s official social media channels, Amazing Seasun Games apologized to players for the server problems and promised to send out three batches of Ultimate Maintenance Box *15 via Mecha Break’s in-game mail.
Pilots, As our Open Beta went live earlier today, we were overwhelmed by your enthusiasm, witnessing over 300K concurrent players within hours. This posed a challenge to our server capacity and resulted in negative reviews from players. We apologize for any inconvenience and…
— Mecha BREAK (@MechaBREAK) February 23, 2025
The company also stated that the server issues “resulted in negative reviews from players.” As reported by IGN, that’s not the only reason Mecha Break is getting review-bombed. Some of the issues cited include the monetization practices of this free-to-play game. Many of Mecha Break’s perks can eventually be unlocked for free, but it may take an exceedingly long time for non-paying players to get the same advantages as the players who don’t mind spending the money.
Amazing Seasun also utilizes ACE, the kernel-level anti-cheat that’s unpopular among some players because it requires greater access to users’ machines. ACE can also sometimes affect the performance of the game itself. That alone has led to some of the negative reviews for this title. Regardless, Mecha Break has some passionately positive reviews as well that praise its gameplay and graphics, as well as the designs of the mechs.
Mecha Break’s open beta is currently available through Steam. The game will launch on PC and Xbox Series X|S this spring, with a PlayStation 5 port to follow later this year.
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*** suspension of aid over DR Congo war is ‘punitive’
*** suspension of aid over DR Congo war is ‘punitive’
The ***’s decision to suspend some aid to Rwanda is “punitive”, authorities in the East African country have said.
In a statement, the *** said it was against Rwanda’s support for the M23, a rebel group that has captured swathes of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a deadly uprising.
Rwanda used to deny backing the M23, but recently it has adopted a more defensive line, saying fighting near the border between DR Congo and Rwanda is a threat to its security.
More than 7,000 people have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since the conflict escalated in January, DR Congo’s government says.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the *** said the humanitarian situation in DR Congo was “critical” and that it would halt bilateral aid to Rwanda, “excluding support to the poorest and most vulnerable”.
Earlier this month, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Rwanda receives about £32m ($40m) of bilateral aid from the *** every year.
Along with the suspension of aid, the *** will impose other measures, such as looking into potential sanctions and suspending “future defence training assistance” to Rwanda, the statement said.
These measures will last until “significant progress” is made in ceasing hostilities and withdrawing Rwandan military personnel from DR Congo.
UN experts have previously estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are in eastern DR Congo.
Rwanda’s foreign ministry said the “punitive measures” announced by the *** government “in response to the conflict in eastern DRC – where the *** has now clearly chosen a side – are regrettable”.
“The measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.”
The *** has previously enjoyed good relations with Rwanda. In 2022, the two countries signed a multi-million pound deal, in which some asylum seekers arriving on British soil would be deported to Rwanda.
The deal faced legal challenges and was scrapped last year after after a change in the ***’s government.
DR Congo’s government has been campaigning for international powers to suspend aid and impose sanctions on Rwanda.
Last week, the US Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration, James Kabarebe.
The US accused Kabarebe, a former army chief, of being central to Rwanda’s support for M23.
Also sanctioned was Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23’s spokesman, as well as two companies he controlled in France and the ***, the US Treasury said.
Responding to the US move, Rwanda’s foreign ministry said the sanctions were “unjustified”.
The M23 says it is fighting to achieve better rights for the Tutsis, an ethnic ********* group in DR Congo, and to bring order to a failed state.
The rebels have captured eastern DR Congo’s two biggest cities, Goma and Bukavu.
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Dr Disrespect Erupts On Stream During Bizarre Breakdown Segment
Dr Disrespect Erupts On Stream During Bizarre Breakdown Segment
Guy ‘Dr Disrespect’ Beahm was shamed last year when he admitted to inappropriately messaging a minor on Twitch in 2017. That sequence made up the main reason why he was permanently banned from the platform in 2020. In the wake of the revelation, sponsors, friends, and peers alike all abandoned the controversial creator.
During a recent stream, Dr Disrespect erupted against those who have ‘disrespected him’ over the last few months. That long list of people includes NICKMERCS, Dr Lupo, Kai Cenat, and the entire ‘streaming network’ at large.
Despite having built an entire persona based on being disrespectful to others, Beahm is now struggling to contend with being shunned by the industry around him.
Crashing Out
In a perfect video posted on social media HUN2R, we see the best showcase possible of Dr Disrespect‘s recent mid-stream tirade. It’s a bizarre segment that lasts far too long, with Beahm calling out all his former associates while simultaneously bagging on several outlets, industry personalities, and the wider streaming community.
Dr Disrespect RANTS on stream saying:
– @NICKMERCS is a phony and a p*ssy
– @DrLupo has always copied him and is a rat
– “That’s how you get knocked tf out”
– “We didn’t admit nothing”
– @timthetatman and @ZLaner are good people, and he would accept their apology privately
-…
He labelled NICKMERCS ‘the biggest p*ssy in the world’, said that Dr Lupo is ‘a big-**** fake’, and suggested that publications are busy d*cksucking Kai Cenat’s content.
Hilariously, the creator said multiple times that he wasn’t going to say anything and wouldn’t address these ‘phony’ people before launching into a rant about some of the biggest names in the business.
Dr Disrespect said ‘We didn’t admit nothing’, reverting to the narrative that he didn’t cop to messaging a minor on Twitch.
What the f*ck did we admit? Some jokes and bantering? That’s what we said? Wake up – we didn’t admit nothing!
As the segment unravelled, Dr Disrespect became increasingly flustered, stating that for streamers like TimTheTatman and ZLaner to play games with him again, they’d need to publicly apologise for abandoning him in 2024.
It was just a few days ago that Guy Beahm posted on his personal social media profile requesting that Twitch unban him, stressing that he never should have been banned in the first place. It’s one hell of a rabbit hole here, folks.
And all this news comes after Dr Disrespect was dropped by prolific sponsors, removed from Midnight Society (which recently shut down), and signed a deal with Rumble that he seems to already be neglecting somewhat.
What a wild ride.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Valve is reportedly building a $1200 VR headset
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Apple’s foldable device has me worried about this one key problem
Apple’s foldable device has me worried about this one key problem
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Not enough for serious typists
We need an innovative solution
I’m a lover of mechanical keyboards, so ever since I learned that Apple is supposedly working on a foldable tablet-slash-laptop, there was one concern that piqued my interest above all others: what will it be like to type on?
After all, we know that Apple is at least considering a device like this. The company was recently granted a new patent detailing just such a product, and a slew of reliable leakers and supply chain analysts have exposed Apple’s plans in remarkable detail.
And while we don’t know whether Apple is going to position this device primarily as an iPad or as a MacBook, in the end that all seems fairly irrelevant. Because really, you’ll almost certainly be able to use it in a laptop orientation.
To save space and weight, that probably means a virtual keyboard, which will obviate the need for a separate iPad keyboard. After all, if this product can be folded out to become a large 20-inch tablet, as the rumors and patents have indicated, that means it will be an all-screen device.
But that makes me rather worried: after all, a built-in keyboard in a foldable device surely means typing on a flat glass display. And as a fan of chunky, clicky, high-travel keyboards, that’s absolutely the last thing I want to do.
Not enough for serious typists
Digital Trends
While they’re fine for quick bursts, virtual keyboards are uncomfortable to type on for long periods of time. Tapping onto a solid glass surface with no give and movement is a sure-fire route to finger soreness, after all.
A secondary problem is the lack of physical feedback, which leads to a dull typing sensation. Apple has a way to partially fix this using haptic feedback — you can already enable this feature in iOS and iPadOS — but will it be enough to satisfy serious typists? I’m not convinced, especially when we consider the butterfly keyboard, which also offered little in the way of feedback and was a terrible typing experience from start to finish.
And there’s another issue: flat glass keyboards can also make you prone to mistakes. In the absence of defined keys with physical edges, landing your fingers on the right spots by touch alone is difficult. And if you have to keep looking down to hit the correct keys, you’ll be unavoidably slowed down.
Aside from haptic feedback, we know Apple is thinking about other ways to improve flat keyboards. One solution as detailed in a patent is a deformable glass structure that could morph and move as you type. While that would probably be better than typing on a totally smooth surface, I can’t imagine it will be able to compete with a more traditional keyboard.
We need an innovative solution
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a lot to like in the idea of a large, foldable device like this iPad-MacBook hybrid. It could be fantastic for productivity, giving you a product that would be able to easily transition between tablet and laptop forms depending on your most pressing needs.
But the keyboard remains a concern for me. If Apple can’t get it right, a key part of the offering will be flawed, potentially leading to people either buying an external keyboard or avoiding the device altogether.
Apple’s philosophy is to wait until it feels it has perfected a product before releasing it, and you’ll rarely see the company rushing to market just to compete with rivals (OK, Apple Intelligence aside). This gives me some hope that Apple’s foldable will come with an innovative solution to the typing problem — and if there’s one thing Apple excels at, it’s finding innovative solutions.
Of course, there’s no guarantee Apple will be able to overcome the obstacles sent its way by a flat glass keyboard. Just look at the butterfly keyboard — Apple’s typing tendencies aren’t always on the money.
For me, the keyboard will be the main test of this foldable device. It has to be enjoyable to actually use, especially if one of its main use cases is as a laptop. With the foldable expected to launch around 2028, I’ll be waiting with bated breath.
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MABA: Titans squash Saints in round 16 clash
MABA: Titans squash Saints in round 16 clash
Titans squashed Saints in a dominant display of basketball on Wednesday night during round 16 of the Manjimup Amateur Basketball Association Women’s A competition.
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New search for missing six-year-old schoolboy
New search for missing six-year-old schoolboy
Family handout
Kyran Durnin is believed to have been murdered more than two years ago when he was six years old
A property in Drogheda, County Louth, is being searched as part of the investigation into the suspected ******* of a six-year-old schoolboy who disappeared more than two years ago.
Kyran Durnin was reported missing from his home in Drogheda in August last year, but gardaí (Irish police) believe he may have been killed more than two years earlier.
They began a ******* investigation in October, saying they were treating Kyran as missing, presumed dead.
That same month they carried out a dig at his formed family home in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, but there was no sign of his body.
Kyran was originally reported missing alongside his mother, Dayla Durnin, in August 2024.
One of Kyran’s grandmothers claimed she had last seen them in her home in Drogheda and, at that time, she appealed for her daughter Dayla to contact her.
Dayla was later found alive in Great Britain without Kyran.
Gardaí investigating the schoolboy’s disappearance have made two arrests during the course of their inquiry so far.
A man and a woman were arrested two days apart in mid-December but they were both released without charge within a day of being detained.
The man, who was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s *******, was found dead at his home in Drogheda just days after his release from custody.
He was named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire.
Gardaí warn over ‘misinformed’ speculationAn Garda Síochána
Kyran lived with his family in Dundalk for a time but they later moved to Drogheda
Confirming the latest search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda, gardaí said they were “aware of ongoing extensive public commentary” on their investigation.
They warned that most of the speculation, rumours and theories on what may have happened to Kyran was “inaccurate and misinformed”.
“Such ill-informed public commentary is not only disruptive to the Garda investigations but also adds to the trauma experienced by victims families,” they added.
At the scene
A property in Drogheda, County Louth, is being searched as part of the investigation
Kevin Sharkey, BBC News NI Dublin Reporter
A Garda van and car are parked close to the house which is along a narrow residential street.
The area immediately around the house is cordoned off.
Gardaí are conducting their initial searches here out of public view.
It’s an old-style residential area with TV aerials on most of the rooftops and electrical and telephone wires criss-crossing the street.
While gardaí conduct their searches inside the house, local people are going about their normal daily business and mostly keeping their thoughts about this latest development to themselves.
Supposed move to Northern Ireland
Gardaí are conducting their initial searches out of public view
Kyran had been a pupil at the national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk until the summer of 2022.
He did not return to class after the summer holidays and it is understood authorities were told he was moving to Northern Ireland and to a new school in Newry.
Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child ******** and protection, said it received no referrals or concern about Kyran’s attendance or educational ******** between 2022 and 2024.
In early December, two houses were searched in Drogheda. One of the searches involved the use of a cadaver dog.
The results of the searches were not made public.
The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, previously said he had never seen a case like this in his 40-year career in policing on both sides of the border.
Timeline of Kyran’s disappearanceNewspics
Kyran is believed to have been last seen alive in the summer of 2022
2021-2022 – Kyran was a pupil at a national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk, but he did not return to the school after the 2022 summer holidays.
May 2024 – Kyran’s family moved out of their home in Emer Terrace in Dundalk, where they had been living for a number of years.
Unknown date in August 2024 – Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child protection, alerted gardaí about “a significant concern about Kyran”.
28 August 2024 – The approximate date of the last sighting of the boy and his mother in Drogheda, according to a missing person report made to gardaí.
30 August 2024 – Kyran and his 24-year-old mother Dayla Durnin were reported missing from their home in Drogheda.
4 September 2024 – Gardaí issued a public missing persons appeal, seeking help to find Dayla and Kyran.
16 October 2024 – Gardaí said they now believed that “Kyran is missing, presumed dead” and they confirmed they have begun a ******* inquiry.
22 October 2024 – Kyran’s former family home and garden in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, is searched by forensic investigators, as well as nearby open ground.
24 October 2024 – the Dundalk search ends, with police adding that the results of the search were not being released for operational purposes.
31 October 2024 – Tusla declines to publicly release its review of its interactions with Kyran’s family, adding information it held on him was lost in a cyber attack.
10 December 2024 – A woman was arrested by gardaí investigating Kyran’s disappearance and ******* but is released without charge the following day.
12 December 2024 – A man was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s ******* but again was released without charge the next day. Two houses in Drogheda were searched.
17 December 2024 – The man who had been arrested and released – named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire – is found dead at his home in Drogheda.
26 February 2024 – Gardaí began a forensic search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda.
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This Cozy Game from Steam Next Fest Raised Over €300,000 on Kickstarter
This Cozy Game from Steam Next Fest Raised Over €300,000 on Kickstarter
Steam Next Fest kicks off with a few interesting titles, and cozy gamers get a sneak peek at the best upcoming cozy games, including Solarpunk, which raised over €300,000 on Kickstarter.
Solarpunk is a cozy survival game where you construct buildings, farm food, and make wonderful gadgets to progress, but its primary selling point is the ability to traverse floating planets and discover new things.
Solarpunk Mixes A Few of Its Cozy Inspiration Into One
Screenshot by Prima Games
The idea of Solarpunk came from a small team of two who were inspired by games like Minecraft, Dear Alice, Raft, Worlds Adrift, and Stardew Valley. The game mixes some games and borrows a few aspects, such as Raft’s multiplayer and exploration and Stardew Valley’s cozy farming system.
After finishing Solarpunk’s demo during the Steam Next Fest, it does feel like playing Raft, where you are constantly exploring islands and finding new things.
With hundreds or even thousands of games already in the genre, it is hard to separate yourself from some of the most iconic games. However, Solarpunk aims to use the skies as its main setting for exploration, giving it a unique feel as a cozy game.
Do You Want to Be a Master Farmer or a Flying Nomad?
Screenshot by Prima Games
Solarpunk is set as your typical survival-crafting game, where you scavenge for resources and build a base, but on a bunch of floating islands in the middle of nowhere. Locations wouldn’t matter as much since you don’t have enough freedom to choose, but it is also a good thing.
The limitation allows the player to get more creative with the space available and promote sky exploration. Each floating island might bring something new, which is part of this cozy game’s excitement.
Screenshot by Prima Games
Once you get the hang of the game’s aeronautics, you’ll crave those explorations as discovering new tech or gadgets from other unique floating islands feels fresh and engaging.
Setting up your first solar panel may feel a bit confusing since you will be dealing with cables, but the quality of life they provide makes farming way more fun.
You can try Solarpunk’s demo in Steam’s Next Fest only until March 3, 2025.
Prima Games is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
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BlackRock: The Behemoth’s Next Trillion Comes From Private Assets
BlackRock: The Behemoth’s Next Trillion Comes From Private Assets
The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock (NYSE:), posted another record year in 2024, with record inflows of $641 billion, amassing total assets under management (AUM) of $11.6 trillion. The finance sector behemoth continues to grow as it masterfully takes advantage of its enormous scale to bolster its revenue streams.
Its iShares ETF continues to be a growth driver. It’s also given investing legitimacy by offering one of the first major institutional ETFs of spot Bitcoin prices with its iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ:), which regularly tops over 42.85 million shares a day in trading volume. BlackRock has nearly double the AUM of its two nearest publicly traded competitors, State Street (NYSE:) and Invesco (NYSE:).
The Advantages of Scale
BlackRock’s gigantic scale comes with many advantages, such as offering lower management fees as fixed costs are lower. BlackRock is also expanding into less liquid private assets, which include private equity, infrastructure and debt. Private assets are a future growth driver, and BlackRock has backed this belief with a number of multi-billion dollar investments.
Laying the Foundation for Private Assets Growth Driver
It acquired Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for $12.5 billion. It purchased private debt specialist HPS Investment Partners for $12 billion. The company is a leading investment firm specializing in private credit, direct lending, mezzanine financing, distressed debt, private equity and alternative investment strategies.
BlackRock tied this all together by acquiring Preqin, a data and analytics platform for the alternative investments industry, serving over 48,000 institutional and professional clients across more than 90 countries. Its robust dataset tracks private capital performance, deal flow, fundraising, and fund performance metrics through its research teams of over 500 analysts in Beijing, New York and Dubai.
BlackRock Stomps Q4 Estimates
For the fourth quarter of 2024, BlackRock’s revenue rose 22.6% YoY to $5.68 billion, beating $5.58 billion consensus estimates. Approximately 14% of the revenue growth was driven by the positive impact of marketing on the average AUM, fees on AUM from the GIP transaction, organic base fee growth and higher technology service revenues and performance fees.
The company earned $11.93 per share, beating consensus analyst estimates by 69 cents. BlackRock saw $281 billion in its second consecutive record quarterly inflows. Full-year operating income rose 21% YoY.
BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink commented, “Our record organic growth and financial results do not yet reflect the full integration or pending acquisitions of GIP, HPS, and Preqin. All three of these businesses have a track record of delivering strong revenue growth, profitability, and margin expansion. And we’re steadily making organic investments ahead of the structural trends that we believe will drive outsized growth in the years ahead.”
BlackRock’s CEO Interview on CNBC: From Yields to AI Data Centers
BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink was interviewed on CNBC shortly after its earnings release. Fink is cautiously optimistic about the markets and believes private capital can unlock growth but also create inflationary pressures. He believed the 10-year yield could rise above 5%, which would create conversations about debt and deficits.
Fink still believes the Fed will ease shortly and expects the yield curve to get steeper. Fink also believes the United States will need 300 gigawatts of power for its artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
BLK Stock Is in a Rectangle Pattern
A rectangle is a consolidation pattern where a stock is trading below a flat-top upper trendline resistance and above a parallel flat-bottom lower trendline support. The stock will ping pong between the two parallel trendlines until it eventually breaks out through the upper resistance or breaks down below the lower support trendline.
BLK is chopping between the upper trendline resistance at $1,080.02 and the lower trendline support at $943.08, which are incidentally both Fib retracement price levels. BLK is chopping around the daily anchored VWAP at $1,004.97, currently trading under it. The daily RSI is chopping flat. (Fib) pullback support levels are at $943.08, $922.09, $892.22 and $874.43.
The average consensus price target is 14.94% higher at $1,120.67, and the highest analyst price target sits at $1,275.00. It has 10 analysts’ Buy and two Hold ratings. The stock has a 1.09% short interest.
Bullish investors can consider using cash-secured puts at the Fib pullback support levels to buy the dip. If assigned the shares, then writing covered calls at upside Fib levels executes a wheel strategy for income in addition to the 2.09% dividend yield.
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MABA: Warriors defeat Flint Tropics in dominant display of basketball in Manjimup
MABA: Warriors defeat Flint Tropics in dominant display of basketball in Manjimup
Warriors tuned up for the Manjimup Amateur Basketball Association men’s B round 16 match on Wednesday night with a 15-point victory over Flint Tropics at Manjimup Indoor Sports Pavilion.
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Valve is Aiming to Release a $1200 VR Headset by The End of 2025, It’s Claimed
Valve is Aiming to Release a $1200 VR Headset by The End of 2025, It’s Claimed
A new rumor has surfaced that suggests Valve will be releasing a new VR headset later this year for around $1200.
The rumor comes from Gabefollower, who has had a good track record of leaking Valve related information.
According to the account, they have confirmed with “several people” that Valve is aiming to release a new standalone wireless headset, which is codenamed Deckard, by the end of 2025.
Gabefollower continued to say that the current price of the headset (as a part of a bundle) is $1200 and will include some “in-house” games.
Despite the high-cost to the consumers however, it was said that Valve is likely to still lost money per unit, but Valve made the decision to ensure that the device offered the best possible experience.
“It will be using the same SteamOS from Steam Deck, but adapted for virtual reality. One of the core features is the ability to play flat-screen game that are already playable on Steam Deck, but in VR on a big screen without a PC,” he said.
As for whether or not a $1200 VR headset would work well in todays current climate remains to be seen, but at that price point, it doesn’t exactly open VR up further to broader audience. That being said, VR enthusiasts would likely wholeheartedly welcome a new, top of the line wireless headset.
What do you think of Valve releasing a new wireless VR headset at the $1200 price point? Would you be interested in buying one? Let us know down below and over in the official Insider Gaming Forums.
For more Insider Gaming, read about Xbox delaying Fable out of 2025 into 2026 and read Ubisoft’s response to Assassin’s Creed Shadows getting in the hands of players early. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
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Warner Bros cancels Wonder Woman video game and closes three studios | Games
Warner Bros cancels Wonder Woman video game and closes three studios | Games
Warner Bros Discovery is shutting down three of its video game development studios in a move aimed at boosting profitability for its gaming division amid a sluggish recovery in the market, a spokesperson for the company’s games unit said on Tuesday.
The studios to be closed are Player First Games, WB Games San Diego and Monolith Productions. Development on Monolith’s Wonder Woman game will also halt, following the shuttering. “Our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities,” the spokesperson said.
The decision to close the studios reflects wider challenges in the video game industry as gamers cut back on new purchases and instead opt for proven titles amid inflation squeezing discretionary spending budgets. Last month the company announced the departure of David Haddad, the former chief of the interactive entertainment unit, after a 12-year tenure.
Warner Bros joins the ranks of other major players such as Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony that closed offices last year in a bid to reduce costs.
The media giant will structure its development studios and investments to focus on core franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones, mirroring CEO David Zaslav’s comments in November about focusing on four “really powerful” games.
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The company’s big bet on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League last year fell short of expectations, with weak sales and poor reviews leading to the end of game updates in January.
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2 Dividend Power Plays to Cash-In on the Energy Revolution
2 Dividend Power Plays to Cash-In on the Energy Revolution
Often as dividend investors we buy stocks that provide us with income now. We take the current yield and happily collect the monthly or quarterly payout.
Sometimes, though, it is wise to punt a bit of current yield today in exchange for serious upside tomorrow. Especially when a megatrend is unfolding, as we have in the energy sector today.
A dual ***** in electric vehicles (EVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools is driving a transformation in power generation. New batteries are needed for storage. The grid is being tapped for more and more “juice.” This is a potential windfall for income investors who are tuned into this important energy transition.
Two payout plays are in prime position to cash in from this power revolution. We’ll discuss them in a moment. First, let’s appreciate the bullish setup.
The energy sector is undergoing a “transition of the century.” Trillions of dollars are flowing into new electrification and energy storage technologies. More and more EVs are hitting the road, with the global market for EVs projected to triple by 2033, regardless of the political environment.
Car makers are going “all in” on the transition from unleaded to electric:
General Motors (NYSE:) sold 50% more EVs year-over-year.
Ford’s (NYSE:) EV sales climbed 38% from a year ago.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:) deliveries are projected to rise by 15% in 2025.
The lithium-ion battery is the lynchpin of this trend. Lithium demand is projected to triple by 2035. Which means any supply shortage will spike prices.
Three-quarters (75%) of all global lithium production goes into batteries. This is up from 40% back in 2017 at the start of Trump 1.0.
And what’s different this time around for Trump 2.0? Elon Musk, of course, who is politically well-positioned to rev up electric vehicle sales.
1. Global X Lithium ETF
Global X Lithium ETF (NYSE:) is the simplest way to play the inevitable rise in lithium prices. It yields a shade under 1% today but the real action here is the potential upside. During the last lithium bull run from early 2020 to late 2021, LIT quadrupled.
But it is not a fund to buy and hold forever. After that move higher, too much supply came online, including a near-50% increase in 2024, and lithium prices tanked. LIT sold off along with them.
Industry forecasters remain bearish, which we contrarians like. There is also tariff risk here, which has scared off Wall Street suits. China has a substantial role in the lithium supply chain, and it recently imposed export controls on tungsten and indium, two minerals essential to battery technology.
Despite these bearish fundamentals, a funny thing happened in September—LIT quietly bottomed after a three-year downtrend. The news continues to appear bad for LIT, yet the fund has stopped slumping. This is often a promising signal that the worst is priced in.
Institutional investors have been avoiding LIT during its downtrend. Tariff worries have compounded the contagion. If the big money starts flowing back into LIT, it will move higher quickly.
2. Duke Energy
Lithium investing is volatile—better as a short-term trade than a long-term buy and hold. For investors who prefer a steadier ride and are slow to sell, blue-chip utility Duke Energy (NYSE:) is a “must have” for EVs that demand a robust charging infrastructure. The stock yields 3.6% and should benefit from electric cars as well as the ongoing AI *****.
More EVs hitting the road means more demand on the power grid. That’s one reason why Duke is expanding the charging infrastructure and investing in grid upgrades in its home Florida and North Carolina markets.
Then there’s AI. The data centers that power ChatGPT and friends are big-time electricity customers. Electricity demand from data centers already accounts for 5% of total US consumption, and growing AI will boost that massively.
Duke’s operations fuel data center expansion in Florida and North Carolina big tech hubs. Data centers are dream “whale” customers for utilities because not only do they consume a ton of juice, but they also sign long-term power agreements, providing predictable and stable revenue.
Sixteen months ago, Duke sold its commercial renewable energy business to Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE:). This move completed a strategic transition where Duke jettisoned its last remaining unregulated business. All of Duke’s remaining operations are under regulatory oversight. These wonderfully boring businesses produce steady, growing cash year after year after year.
A “tariff-powered cap” on long-term interest rates is also a tailwind for Duke shares. Utility stocks tend to trade like bonds, which means they rise as interest rates—especially long rates—fall. As we discussed last week, the parade of tariffs will likely cement a ceiling in long-dated rates.
The Centre for Economic Policy Research found that contrary to the headlines, tariffs do not boost inflation. Rising prices require a hot economy—and a trade war does the opposite. Slower growth brings lower rates, and as investors look for safety in stocks, they buy utilities like DUK.
Which is why we are looking to load up on DUK and its battery-powered teammate LIT now—before these megatrends become obvious to vanilla observers.
These catalyst-powered dividends are set to soar as these trends play out in plain sight. And they are not alone. I also like five more big payouts with serious price upside ahead
Disclosure: Brett Owens and Michael Foster are contrarian income investors who look for undervalued stocks/funds across the U.S. markets. Click here to learn how to profit from their strategies in the latest report, “7 Great Dividend Growth Stocks for a Secure Retirement.”
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DOGE humiliated by brutal fact-checking, walks back bogus savings claims
DOGE humiliated by brutal fact-checking, walks back bogus savings claims
Elon Musk’s DOGE team removed key items from its “wall of receipts” after journalists fact-checked their boasts of billions in savings from cuts to federal programs and exposed sloppy errors and outright falsehoods. Rachel Maddow reports on the walk back taking place shortly after a withering rebuke from a federal judge for not complying with an order to allow funding to continue, all amid the embarrassment of having to un-fire federal workers recklessly let go without consideration for the necessity of their role.
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He Only Got the Job Because He Had Worked for Call of Duty
He Only Got the Job Because He Had Worked for Call of Duty
Call of Duty and Battlefield games bring some of the best gun gameplay to the gaming industry. While Call of Duty is heavily inclined towards its campaign and story, BF is literally a large-scale battle arena with players going for each other’s throats. The BF franchise features a lot of heavy-hitting titles but one game from the series takes the lead in providing the best experience and that is Battlefield 4.
Battlefield 4 was the second best-selling game back when it was released | Image Credits: Electronic Arts
The title was crafted by a former Call of Duty writer and although there is lively competition between both the production houses of the games, this legendary narrative designer does not see the rivalry at all. Let’s delve deeper and find out who he is.
Battlefield 4 was co-written by former COD writer
The game was co-written by former COD writer | Image Credits: Electronic Arts
Battlefield 4 was released back in October of 2013 and however the campaign of the game failed to captivate the players, the multiplayer mode was met with extremely positive reviews. The title became a commercial success selling more than 7 million copies by May 2014, becoming the second best-selling game in the United States.
The man who was behind this masterpiece is Jesse Stern, the co-writer of Call of Duty Modern Warfare games and he was also the former co-executive producer of a popular drama series, NCIS. In a 2013 interview between Paul Semel and Stern, he revealed how he never thought of himself as a very important addition to both franchises.
I don’t know. I don’t consider myself that much of a lynchpin of either series. I think they do exceptionally well without me.
Stern had left NCIS before working for DICE, the development team of Battlefield games, and he owes his thanks to the director of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Jason West who while talking to DICE about BF 4, mentioned Stern.
I had just left NCIS and was actively looking for video game gigs. Around that same time, a couple of the guys from DICE ran into Jason West. They wanted something that was more linear for Battlefield 4, something more cinematic, and they asked Jason how they had done it with the Modern Warfare games. Jason’s always very nice to me, and always gives me more credit than I deserve, so he told them everything they had done, and then said, “And we had Jesse.” To which the DICE guys said, “Who the hell is Jesse?”
This interaction was the reason why Stern got the opportunity to work in Battlefield 4 and made the story a legendary one. Later when Stern was nervous to reveal his new position to Respawn, the development team of Call of Duty, Jason West replied that he was the one who got Stern the job.
Great story writing can even transcend rivalry
Jesse Stern shaped both the Call of Duty and Battlefield narrative | Image Credits: Electronic Arts
Jesse Stern’s contribution from writing for TV to shaping the narrative of both Call of Duty and Battlefield is a testament to his expertise in storytelling. Despite his humility towards his work in both games, he defined how action games should immerse the player into the world and give them the experience of a lifetime.
While the rivalry between COD and BF will be constant, Stern’s work proves that great storytelling can even transcend competition. His role in Battlefield 4 added a very unique touch to the game’s campaign and although the title is famous for its multiplayer, his contribution to the story of the game remains an important element in the game’s legacy.
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Project Motor Racing confirms delightfully obscure Gillet Vertigo and new track
Project Motor Racing confirms delightfully obscure Gillet Vertigo and new track
90s and 00s GT race fans rejoice, another iconoclastic racing machine is on the way to Project Motor Racing alongside a ********* race circuit.
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#AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside | Trump administration
#AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside | Trump administration
After seeing Elon Musk’s X post on Saturday afternoon about an email that would soon land in the inboxes of 2.3 million federal employees asking them to list five things they did the week before, a clandestine network of employees and contractors at dozens of federal agencies began talking on an encrypted app about how to respond.
Employees on a four-day, 10-hours-a-day schedule wouldn’t even see the email until Tuesday – past the deadline for responding – some noted. There was also a bit of snark: “bonus points to anyone who responds that they spent their government subsidy on hookers and blow,” one worker said.
Within hours the network had agreed on a recommended response: break up the oath federal employees take when hired into five bullet points and send them back in an email: “1. I supported and defended the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
“2. I bore true faith and allegiance to the same,” and so on.
It was only the latest effort by a growing and increasingly busy group banding together to “expose harmful policies, defend public institutions and equip citizens with tools to push back against authoritarianism”, according to Lynn Stahl, a contractor with Veterans Affairs and member of the network. Increasingly, the group is also trying to help each other face the thousands of layoffs across the federal government.
Calling themselves #AltGov, the network has developed a visible, public-facing presence in recent weeks through Bluesky accounts, most of which bear the names or initials of federal agencies, aimed at getting information out to the public – and correcting disinformation – about the chaos being wrought by the Trump administration.
With 40 accounts to date, their collective megaphone is getting louder, as most of the accounts have tens of thousands of followers, with “Alt CDC (they/them)” being the largest, at nearly 95,000 followers.
The network has also formed a group and a series of sub-groups on Wire, the encrypted messaging app, to share information and develop strategies – as played out on Saturday.
A post from the #AltGov account for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Composite: Alt CDC (they/them)/Bluesky
The #AltGov hashtag has roots in the first Trump administration, perhaps most famously through the “ALT National Park Service” account on what was then Twitter, according to the journalist Amanda Sturgill, whose book We Are #AltGov: Social Media Resistance From the Inside documents the earlier phenomenon. (That account, with its 774,000 followers, has since moved to Bluesky. Its online presence is parallel to and separate from the #AltGov network.)
The original #AltGov Twitter accounts were dedicated to “sharing information about what was happening inside government – which usually doesn’t get covered as much, because it usually works”, Sturgill said. Examples included the first Trump administration’s deletion of data and separation of families through immigration policies, she said.
The people behind those accounts also banded together to “provide services the government wasn’t providing” – like helping coordinate hurricane relief and distributing masks during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those efforts were often coordinated in Twitter group chats.
It was “a movement, more than an organization”, Sturgill said – and the same could be said of the current version, which moved its social media presence from X (formerly Twitter) to Bluesky “because of the Elon mess”, said Stahl, referring to Musk’s 2022 purchase of the app. “It’s not safe to organize [on X] anymore,” she added.
The current iteration has not been reported on to date, but the numbers of the Bluesky #AltGov accounts have doubled in recent weeks without media attention, Stahl said. The group internally vets all members “to make sure people work where they say”.
An #AltGov account compiles funny potential answers for Elon Musk’s request request for federal workers to send an email of five things they accomplished in the week. Photograph: Alt Fish and Wildlife Service/Bluesky
“#AltGov dates from the first Trump administration, but it’s even more needed now,” said an employee at Fema, the disaster response agency, who requested anonymity to avoid being targeted at work. She recently launched an #AltGov Fema account on Bluesky. With nearly 13,000 followers, the account says it’s dedicated to: “Helping people before, during, and after (this democratic) disaster”.
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“Every federal employee takes an oath,” said the Fema employee. “When I did it, I teared up.” She said one reason she decided to join #AltGov was because “information [from the federal government] is so compromised right now. Everything is going on behind closed doors.”
As an example, she mentioned the moment nearly two weeks ago when Trump and Musk brought attention to her agency, claiming that Fema was spending $59m on housing immigrants in New York hotels. The administration fired four Fema employees. So she turned to Bluesky and posted on the #AltGov Fema account:
Fiction: FEMA paid $59 million last week for ******** immigrants to stay luxury hotel rooms in NYC
Fact: FEMA administered funds allocated by Congress via the Shelter and Services Program (for CBP) [Customs and Border Protection] which reimburses jurisdictions for immigration-related expenses. FEMA just sends the payments.
“The official story the federal government was telling was a lie!” the #AltGov member told the Guardian. “Of course they didn’t throw CBP under the bus – because to them, those are the people who lock up immigrants.”
Stahl, the federal contractor, said that #AltGov members are also increasingly turning their attention to what she called “action plans” for everyday citizens, such as calling members of Congress and attending town halls. “The idea is to get regular people aware of what’s happening … [and] maybe even inspire some people to run for office,” she said.
And as Musk’s Doge swings its “chainsaw” through federal payrolls and piles up layoffs, #AltGov members also are using encrypted chats to figure out how federal employees can help one another. “[A]re we thinking of gathering resources for terminated folks,” one #AltGov member recently asked on Wire. “We are gonna need food bank info and benefits and anything the [federal] unions don’t cover.” Others weighed in on building a website to cover such information.
Sturgill said the first go-round of #AltGov was “interesting … [because] it kind of stood up a different way of governing by putting it in direct contact with people – a ‘government with the people’. Whether this [version] can take it further depends on how much of the government is left.”
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What We Know About the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
What We Know About the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
Ukraine has agreed to a deal to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, an American and a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday, after an intense pressure campaign from President Trump.
Terms of the agreement
The final details of the agreement, including the amount of money that Ukraine will pay the United States, are not yet known.
But a draft agreement discussed on Tuesday no longer included the demand that Ukraine contribute $500 billion to a fund owned by the United States. It also did not include a clause requiring Ukraine to pay back the United States twice the amount of any future American aid.
The Ukrainians became more comfortable with the deal in the past few days after the Americans removed some of the more onerous conditions.
The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute to a fund half of its revenues from the future monetization of natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas. The United States would own the maximum financial interest in the fund allowed under American law, though not necessarily all. And the fund would be designed to reinvest some revenues into Ukraine.
Security guarantee
Mr. Zelensky had repeatedly pressed for security guarantees for his country in exchange for mineral rights, as Russia’s war has entered its fourth year. But draft agreements reviewed by The New York Times included no such security commitment.
Approval process
A final translated draft of the agreement was sent to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to the American official.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart, the American official said, are expected to sign the agreement first and then Mr. Zelensky is expected to go to Washington for a signing with Mr. Trump.
What’s at stake
Ukraine controls more than 100 major deposits of critical minerals, according to a study by the Kyiv School of Economics, along with modest oil and natural gas reserves.
Titanium is used in construction, airplanes, orthopedic implants and as an additive in paint and cosmetics, including sunscreen, among many other things. Titanium mines in central Ukraine account for about 6 percent of global production, according to Ukrainian media.
Lithium is a crucial element in batteries, including those in electric vehicles, and in other industrial products, including some medications. Ukraine has a third of Europe’s total reserves, although some sites are in war-contested areas. Before the war with Russia, Ukrainian officials suggested to Elon Musk that he invest in Ukrainian lithium mines.
Uranium is used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. Ukraine has the largest uranium reserves in Europe.
Rare earths are a group of more than a dozen metals, much less abundant than titanium or lithium, that are used in many high-tech sectors, including green energy, electronics and aerospace. Ukraine has substantial reserves that are mostly untapped, and it is unclear how expensive they would be to extract.
Reporting by Constant Méheut, Andrew E. Kramer, Maria Varenikova and Alan Rappeport.
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How to follow the Amazon’s Alexa event today
How to follow the Amazon’s Alexa event today
It’s sort of out of character for Amazon to be hosting a devices event in February, as opposed to its usual Fall launch. But this morning (February 26) at 10am ET, the company is holding a presentation in New York City. As it’s done in the past, Amazon won’t be livestreaming this event, and you won’t be able to watch Panos Panay and his colleagues present to members of the media. Don’t worry about FOMO, though. Engadget will be attending and liveblogging the event, so if you follow our updates it’ll almost feel like you’re right there with us!
We’ll have commentary and contextualization on the announcements, as well as the in-person vibes and quality of snacks. Our Sam Rutherford will be sharing pictures, too, so you won’t miss a thing. Scroll down to see what we’ve posted so far, and keep this page open all day for the latest updates! I recommend having drinks or snacks handy while you follow along with us.
Live1 update
Wed, February 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM GMT+2
Hello everyone and welcome to our liveblog of Amazon’s devices event. We’re so pleased you’re here with us today. The company will be properly kicking things off at 10am ET, and at that time you’ll find our senior reporters Jeff Dunn and Sam Rutherford joining me on this liveblog. Jeff will be bringing you most of the text while Sam will be adding photos to our coverage. I’m helping too, I promise.
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I have good news and bad news about Windows 11 24H2’s new update: it introduces nifty features and fixes… but also includes another ad
I have good news and bad news about Windows 11 24H2’s new update: it introduces nifty features and fixes… but also includes another ad
Windows 11 24H2 just received a new optional update
It has some interesting new features and fixes, but also brings in an advert
That PC Game Pass ad in the Settings app will very likely be coming to all Windows 11 users next month with the March patch
Microsoft has deployed a new (optional) patch for Windows 11 24H2 and it does some important work, introducing some useful touches and critical fixes – but there’s a catch in that an advert has strayed in here.
I say advert, Microsoft would doubtless call it a recommendation, but it’s all about pushing other services from the firm, whatever label you pin on it. And in the case of this new KB5052093 preview update, it’s for PC Game Pass, and you’ll see it in the Settings app.
Microsoft explains: “Some of you might see a new referral card for a PC Game Pass subscription on the Settings home page. With it, you can invite friends and family to try PC Game Pass for free. If you qualify, the card only appears when you sign in to your PC using your Microsoft account.”
Other additions will prove much less controversial, such as a useful ability to be able to share files from a jump list on the taskbar. (If you right click an app on the taskbar, the menu that pops up is the jump list, allowing quick access to various useful functions in a context-sensitive manner).
There’s also some laudable work in the accessibility stakes, with Narrator getting fresh bits of functionality with its scan mode, such as a shortcut to ‘skip past link’ which will take you straight to the text after a link, and another that lets you jump straight to a list in a document.
Microsoft has also changed Windows 11 to allow multiple apps to access a webcam simultaneously. As the company explains, this has been developed for people with hearing disability to allow “video streaming for both a sign language interpreter and the end audience at the same time.”
There are a bunch of bug fixes here, too, with a lot of tinkering going on with File Explorer (the windows that show your folders and the files in them). Some of the more important cures include ensuring the context menu invoked with a right click doesn’t appear in a sluggish manner when working with cloud files, and improved performance when opening folders that have a large quantity of media files.
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Problems with scanners not being properly recognized by Windows 11 have also been fixed, and a bug that caused the system volume to be ramped up to maximum when the PC wakes from sleep has been squashed (an unwelcome intrusion that doubtless woke up the owner of the computer on a few occasions, as well as the system). Indeed, Windows 11 has suffered a number of audio-related bugs in the recent past.
(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Analysis: Optional becomes mandatory next month, and that likely includes this new ad
As I outlined earlier this week, it’s apparent that File Explorer does need some considerable work in its Windows 11 incarnation, and it’s good to see some of that happening here. And the accessibility changes are obviously welcome, with this being an area Microsoft continues to score well in, too, so that’s all good.
The not-so-good is that advert, of course. The Game Pass ad was recently spotted in beta builds of Windows 11, when I went on a bit of a rant about it – and sadly, it appears to be motoring very swiftly through onto the release version of Microsoft’s OS. This preview update for February is not something you have to install – it’s optional – but it will transform into the March patch for Windows 11 next month. At which point, you will have to download it (and it’s unlikely the advert will be removed at the last minute).
True, the ad won’t appear for everyone, only those signed into a Microsoft account who are PC Game Pass subscribers. And arguably, you might even want to give your friends a free trial of the service (for two weeks), so they can join you in tackling some of the best coop games, perhaps. But still, I can’t help but feel frustrated with Microsoft continuing to push its own services in parts of the Windows 11 interface, when this is an OS that people have already paid quite a chunk of money for.
If Windows 11 was completely free (not just for Windows 10 upgraders), then ad-supported would be fine and perfectly understandable – but it isn’t free, so instead users are kind of getting the worst of both worlds. And I’ve never quite understood why Microsoft doesn’t get this.
Clearly, though, things aren’t going to change for the foreseeable, as integrated ads in the form of recommendations or suggestions is an angle Microsoft seems intent on exploring more often these days.
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Southwest Airlines flight abruptly rises to avoid another plane crossing Chicago runway – WSYR
Southwest Airlines flight abruptly rises to avoid another plane crossing Chicago runway – WSYR
Southwest Airlines flight abruptly rises to avoid another plane crossing Chicago runway WSYRSouthwest jet attempting to land at Chicago Midway Airport nearly collides with a private plane on the runway CNNVideo captures near-miss between Southwest Airlines plane, jet on runway at Chicago’s Midway Airport WGN TV ChicagoNear-miss Midway Airport: Video shows Southwest flight 2504 from Omaha, NE abort landing in close call with Flexjet aircraft ABC7 ChicagoTwo Planes, in Washington and Chicago, Abort Landings to Avoid Collisions The New York Times
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Nvidia says around 1 in 200 of its new Series 50 GPUs are missing some render units
Nvidia says around 1 in 200 of its new Series 50 GPUs are missing some render units
Nvidia has confirmed user reports that some of its new Series 50 GPUs are missing some render units, affecting performance.
Last week users started suggesting that their new RTX 5090 graphics cards were arriving with fewer Render Output Units (ROPs) than they should.
Specifically, the RTX 5090 is supposed to have 176 ROPs, but some users have been reporting that their card only has 168, eight fewer than it should.
Others then pointed out that their new RTX 5070 Ti cards, which are supposed to have 96 ROPs, instead only had 88 – again, eight fewer than on Nvidia‘s official specs.
TechPowerUp then checked its review unit of the RTX 5090 and confirmed that it too was also missing eight ROPs, something it estimated results in a performance drop of 4.54%.
After testing Elden Ring running at 4K with maxed out settings, the site found that its affected RTX 5090 was producing an average of around 174 frames per second, compared to around 185-190 FPS on unaffected cards.
While at the moment a difference of 10-15 FPS may seem negligible given how high the numbers are, as games continue to get more graphically detailed over time and these average frame rates begin to drop the difference in performance may become more noticeable.
More than 700 games now use the RTX feature of Nvidia’s cards for ray tracing and neural rendering.
The company has now confirmed that there is an issue with some of its cards, and that the issue affects all currently released 50 Series models. It estimates that less than 0.5% of cards are affected, meaning around 1 in 200.
“We have identified a rare issue affecting less than 0.5% (half a percent) of GeForce RTX 5090 / 5090D, RTX 5080, and 5070 Ti GPUs which have one fewer ROP than specified,” the company said in a statement to The Verge. “The average graphical performance impact is 4%, with no impact on AI and Compute workloads. Affected consumers can contact the board manufacturer for a replacement. The production anomaly has been corrected.”
Nvidia’s global PR director Ben Berraondo also told The Verge that no other Nvidia GPUs are affected, and neither is the soon-to-be released RTX 5070.
Users who have an RTX 5090 / 5090D, 5080 or 5070 Ti can download GPU-Z – a small system utility which shows information about the installed video card and graphics processor – and run that to check whether their card has the right number of ROPs.
If the card is unaffected, a 5090 should have 176 ROPs, a 5080 should have 112 ROPs and a 5070 Ti should have 96 ROPs.
If it’s instead showing 168, 104 or 88 ROPs respectively, the card is affected. Users can then either contact the card’s manufacturer for a replacement, or keep it and make do with its reduced performance.
Nvidia started released its 50 Series of GPUs last month, with the RTX 5090 – its most powerful graphics card ever – retailing for $1,999.
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