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System76 will disable Intel Management engine on its Linux laptops

System76 is one a handful of companies that sells computers that run Linux software out of the box. But like most PCs that have shipped with Intel’s Core processors in the past few years, System76 laptops include Intel’s Management Engine firmware. Intel recently confirmed a major security vulnerability affecting those chips and it’s working with […]

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Google bans (most) apps with lock screen ads from the Play Store

When you install a free app on your phone to use as a file browser, keyboard, or photo editor, you might expect to see some ads in the app. Developers have to get paid somehow, right? But you probably don’t expect to see ads show up outside the app. A few years ago Google banned developers from […]

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Google introduces $45 AIY Vision Kit for DIY computer vision hardware projects

Google is launching a new hardware and software kit aimed at developers and hackers who want to build products that incorporate computer vision… on a budget. It’s called the AIY Vision Kit, and it’s up for pre-order from Micro Center for $45, with an expected ship date of December 31st. You’ll need to spend a […]

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Amazon unveils new ways for developers to make money through Alexa, expands Alexa’s global reach

Amazon’s Alexa voice service is about three years old at this point, and developers have created thousands of “skills” that let you play games, control smart home gadgets, book a ride on a car share service, get recipes, and more. But Amazon’s been slow to actually give developers ways to get paid… which sort of […]

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Dell Vostro 14 5471 business laptop sports 8th-gen Intel Core and AMD Radeon R530 graphics

Intel’s 8th-gen “Kaby Lake Refresh” chips bring major CPU performance improvements to laptops by doubling the core count from 2 to 4. But their Intel UHD 620 graphics is pretty exactly the same as the Intel HD 620 graphics found in dual-core 7th-gen “Kaby Lake” chips. So if you want a laptop with higher CPU […]

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Crowdfunded Gemini PDA mini-laptop ship date pushed back to January, 2018

The Gemini PDA is a tiny laptop with a 6 inch screen, a MediaTek deca-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a QWERTY keyboard. It’s designed to dual boot Google Android and Linux. Planet Computer launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the Gemini earlier this year. Originally the company had planned to ship […]

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Deals of the Day (11-29-2017)

Missed your chance to score an Amazon Fire TV Stick for $25 on Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Amazon’s running a sale today that’s almost as good… if you’re in the market for a Fire TV Stick and an Amazon Echo Dot. Right now there’s a bundle deal that lets you pick up both for $60. […]