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Lilbits: Google Play Store Data safety labels, Steam Deck software update, and turning an old phone into a gaming phone

Valve has released a software update for the Steam Deck that brings bug fixes, localized keyboard layouts, and a lock screen. The Google Play Store has started rolling out the Data Safety labels for Android apps and games that Google had unveiled last year. If you’ve ever wanted a mobile phone with a rotary dial, […]

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QNAP NASbook TBS-464 is a compact NAS with room for up to 4 NVMe SSDs

Most Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are basically purpose-built computers designed to let you store large amounts of data on one or more hard drives. But the new QNAP TBS-464 is a compact model that measures just 9.1″ x 6.5″ x 1.2″ and doesn’t really have enough room for a bunch of hard drives. It still […]

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XFM memory spec paves the way for small, speedy removable storage

The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association has introduced a new data storage specification that could bring super-speedy, removable storage to compact devices that have typically had storage soldered to the mainboard until now. XFM Embedded and Removable Memory Devices provide an NVMe over PCI Express interface in a smaller, thinner form factor than the M.2 […]

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ADATA’s new external SSD support speeds up to 4,000 MB/s over USB4

This week ADATA is introducing a bunch of upcoming products, including DDR5 memory, an SDXC card capable of speeds as high as 800 MB/s, and new PCIe Gen 4 storage. But one new product that stands out is the ADATA SE920 external SSD, which the company says will use a USB4 2×2 interface to deliver speeds […]

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Radxa ROCK 3A is a Raspberry Pi-sized computer with an M.2 slot for NVMe SSD

The Radxa Rock 3A is a credit-card-sided single-board computer with a 2 GHz Rockchip RK3568 quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor, Mali-G52 graphics, and a neural processing unit. It looks a bit like a Raspberry Pi and has some similar features including a 40-pin GPIO header and USB and Ethernet ports. But Radxa’s little computer stands out […]

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Lilbits: Wireless Air Charging, E Ink color improvements, and VR is coming to the PS5

Chinese phone maker Oppo has announced it’s licensing its VOOC fast charging technology for use in automobiles, third-party chargers, and other products. But the company is also demonstrating a new wireless charging technology called Wireless Air Charging that makes it easier to charge gadgets when you place them near a charging mat, and not necessarily in […]

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WD’s new 4TB portable SSDs are speedy (and pricey)

A year after showing off an 8TB portable SSD prototype at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, Western Digital has yet to actually sell an SSD that large. Up until recently most of the company’s portable SSDs have topped out at 2TB. But now WD is doubling that number. The company is introducing new 4TB portable […]

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Lilbits: Cross platform edition (Stadia on iOS, Apple TV on Chromecast, HBO Max on Roku)

Apple doesn’t let developer submit apps to the App Store if they effectively include their own app store… and that means game streaming services like Stadia, Luna, GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming need not apply. But there’s an alternate path to streaming games on iPhones and iPads: the web browser. Amazon’s Luna game streaming […]

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Lilbits: Goodbye Galaxy Note, hello Ryzen Mobile overclocking

Once upon a time it was pretty clear what you were getting when you bought a Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone – it would be an expensive phone with a big screen, a big battery, a fast processor, and support for Samsung’s S-Pen digital stylus. But as smartphone screens have gotten larger (and prices higher), the […]

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Lilbits: Microsoft’s app store, Google’s 5G network, and Fedora for phones

Apple and Google have been taking a lot of heat for their app store policies recently, with developers bristling at the companies’ insistence that apps distributed through their respective stores follow very tight restrictions that many see as anti-competitive. Microsoft, meanwhile, also has an app store. You probably don’t use it very much, and developers have […]