Brian Fagioli

In an inspiring move, Cooler Master, known for its PC components and gaming peripherals, has joined forces with SoLa Impact, an organization focused on affordable housing development in Los Angeles. This collaboration aims to provide the underserved youth of South LA with access to cutting-edge technology and digital learning resources.

At the center of this initiative is the SoLa Tech and Entrepreneurship Center, a 13,000 square foot facility dedicated to nurturing the next generation of tech-savvy professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders from Black and Brown communities. The center is equipped with over 100 computers, digital production and podcasting facilities, a Live Nation Music Jam Room, labs for entrepreneurship and creativity, gaming consoles, arcade games, and a state-of-the-art Esports & Gaming Arena.

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CRKD, the company behind the Nitro Deck and the recently announced NEO S, has unveiled its latest offering. Called “Nitro Deck+,” it is an enhanced version of the popular Nitro Deck designed for Nintendo Switch and OLED Switch consoles. The Nitro Deck+ aims to offer Switch gamers a more feature-rich and powerful experience in handheld mode, with zero stick drift and a comfortable design.

The Nitro Deck+ was announced during the IGN FanFest event and is a result of extensive community feedback following the original Nitro Deck's release. The new model features improved ergonomics, including an adjusted placement of the right thumbstick for more intuitive, symmetrical gameplay. A standout feature of the Nitro Deck+ is its ability to connect directly to a TV without an external dock, using an integrated USB-C output and an included USB-C to HDMI adaptor.

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In a new announcement by Google, Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan revealed that the Gemini conversational app (formerly known as Bard) has temporarily halted its image generation feature for people. This decision comes after user feedback highlighted inaccuracies and offensive content in some generated images.

Launched three weeks ago, the feature was built on the Imagen 2 AI model and aimed to provide diverse and accurate representations of people. However, it fell short, producing images that were not only incorrect but also potentially harmful.

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Google Pay, the digital payment service that has been around for over a decade, is being killed. Starting June 4, 2024, the standalone Google Pay app will no longer be available for use in the United States. But don’t worry, Google Wallet is stepping up to take its place, offering a platform for storing payment cards, transit passes, and more.

So, what’s the deal with this change? Google Wallet is apparently five times more popular than the Google Pay app in the U.S., so it seems like a pretty logical move. Until June 4, 2024, you can still manage your Google Pay balance in the app. After that, you’ll need to head over to the Google Pay website for balance management and bank transfers.

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YEYIAN GAMING, a provider of pre-built gaming PCs, peripherals, and components, has launched two new products: the SHIFT 3-in-1 RGB gaming mouse and the FlexCam 2K streaming camera. These products aren’t just designed for gamers, but content creators and influencers too.

The SHIFT 3-in-1 RGB Gaming Mouse features customizable options, allowing users to adjust mouse dynamics by swapping switches. It comes with RGB lighting, a DPI levels indicator, and wireless charging capabilities, all controlled through a customizable app. The FlexCam Streaming Camera offers 2K resolution, surround LED light, a built-in mic, and intelligent remote control. Both products are compatible with various operating systems and platforms and are designed with a modern aesthetic.

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In a world dominated by Windows laptops, the KDE Slimbook V emerges as a compelling alternative, blending cutting-edge hardware with the freedom of open-source software. This collaboration between Slimbook and KDE brings to the table a Linux machine that's not just about performance but also about user choice and privacy.

At the heart of the KDE Slimbook V lies an AMD 7840HS CPU, boasting 8 cores and 16 threads, ready to tackle everything from office tasks to code compilation. Paired with the impressive AMD 780M GPU, equipped with 12 cores and RDNA 3, this laptop promises smooth gaming and 3D rendering experiences, challenging the notion that Linux laptops can't keep up with their Windows counterparts in terms of graphics performance.

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Apple has launched a new sports app. The unimaginatively named Apple Sports not only provides real-time scores and stats for sports enthusiasts but also includes betting odds provided by DraftKings. This unexpected feature is sure to raise concerns among some users and observers who may be shocked by Apple's apparent endorsement of gambling, a move that seems uncharacteristic for a company usually associated with promoting good morals.

Apple Sports, now available for free in the App Store in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, is designed to offer a personalized experience for sports fans, with a focus on speed and simplicity. The app covers a wide range of leagues currently in season, including the MLS, NBA, NHL, and Premier League, among others. Additional leagues like the MLB, NFL, and WNBA will be added in the future.

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Today, Google launches Gemma -- a new family of open AI models designed to help developers and researchers build responsible AI applications. Developed by Google DeepMind and other teams across Google, Gemma models are built on the same technology as the Gemini models.

Gemma models are available in two sizes: Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, each with pre-trained and instruction-tuned variants. Google is also releasing a Responsible Generative AI Toolkit to guide the creation of safer AI applications. The toolkit includes a safety classification methodology, a model debugging tool, and best practices for model builders.

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The Xbox Insider Program, initially known as the "Xbox Preview Program," marked its 10th anniversary in a blog post today. Over the past decade, the program has served as a platform for Xbox enthusiasts to provide feedback and participate in previews, ostensibly contributing to the development of Xbox products and services.

While the program has been touted as a way for fans to directly influence the future of Xbox, it raises questions about the ethics of relying on unpaid labor for product testing. Participants, often referred to as Xbox Insiders, essentially act as beta testers, identifying bugs and suggesting improvements without any form of monetary compensation.

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Micron has unveiled the Crucial T705 solid state drive. This PCIe 5.0 SSD is built using the company's advanced 232-layer TLC NAND technology, aiming to maximize the potential of Gen5 performance levels. It offers sequential read and write speeds up to 14,500MB/s and 12,700MB/s respectively. These speeds are promise quicker gaming experiences, faster video editing, and more efficient 3D rendering and AI application processing.

In terms of design, the T705 SSD features a premium black aluminum heatsink. This design choice is not just for aesthetics; it serves the practical purpose of dissipating heat efficiently. The SSD is engineered to operate without the need for noisy fans or liquid cooling systems, which could be an advantage for users seeking a quieter computing environment. Additionally, the T705 SSD is backwards compatible with Gen3 and Gen4 motherboards.

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Acer has announced the latest additions to its Swift series, the Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14. These laptops are designed to offer a blend of AI power and innovative features in a stylish, thin, and light package. Seriously, folks, they are both quite stunning.

These new models are equipped with AMD Ryzen 8040 Series processors, up to AMD Radeon 780M Graphics, and Ryzen AI technology, providing versatile performance and support for Acer’s AI-powered capabilities such as Acer PurifiedVoice, Acer PurifiedView, and the new Acer LiveArt photo-editing feature.

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CORSAIR has released the K65 PLUS WIRELESS. This keyboard features a compact 75% profile, which saves desk space while including essential arrow and utility keys for convenient game controls. It comes equipped with pre-lubricated CORSAIR MLX Red linear switches, known for their smooth operation and crisp responsiveness. These switches are hot-swappable, allowing users to customize the keyboard with their preferred switches.

In addition to its performance capabilities, the K65 PLUS WIRELESS is designed for a satisfying typing experience. It incorporates two layers of integrated sound dampening to reduce internal noise, resulting in quieter keystrokes. The keyboard is adorned with PBT dye-sublimated keycaps in midnight gray and silver accents, making it a stylish choice for daily use.

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Plugable has launched its latest offering, the USBC-6950M. This is a USB-C dual 4K HDMI adapter specifically designed for Apple Silicon Mac users seeking to expand their screen real estate beyond the laptop’s native capabilities. While it is designed for Apple Silicon Mac computers, it is not limited to them -- it is compatible with Chromebooks and Windows laptops too.

The USBC-6950M enables users to connect dual 4K 60Hz displays to their Macs effortlessly. It should be a great option for business travelers, hybrid office users, or anyone aiming to boost the productivity, really. It provides a seamless dual-display experience without the need for a full docking station, making it a convenient solution for those on the move.

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A new intelligent SIM card technology, known as rSIM (Resilient SIM), has been introduced in partnership with global operators Deutsche Telekom IoT and Tele2 IoT. The rSIM technology is designed to enhance network connectivity for IoT devices by offering an “always on” solution that aims to improve network resilience.

The rSIM is the world's first resilient SIM card that checks its own network connectivity and automatically switches between mobile operator profiles when disruptions occur. This technology allows two independent mobile operator profiles to be stored on a single SIM card, effectively upgrading a Single SIM device to a Dual SIM. By switching to a backup mobile operator profile in the event of an outage, rSIM aims to reduce the risk of disconnection, providing a potential solution for uninterrupted internet access for IoT devices.

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Wyze customers experienced a service disruption last Friday morning due to an outage originating from their partner, Amazon Web Services (AWS). This incident temporarily disabled Wyze devices, preventing users from accessing live camera feeds and event recordings. The company has since apologized for the inconvenience this caused.

During efforts to restore camera functionality, a security issue emerged. Approximately 13,000 Wyze users inadvertently received thumbnails from cameras that were not their own, and 1,504 users interacted with these thumbnails. In some instances, users were able to view event videos from other accounts. Wyze has confirmed that all affected users have been notified and reassured that the majority of accounts remained unaffected.

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