Hasta La Gadget!

With the fast adoption of Thunderbolt 3 and now Thunderbolt 4, users have never had more opportunities to expand their computer connectivity. Whether it is for ultrafast storage or 4K displays, Thunderbolt docks are the ultimate docking stations these days. The Anker PowerExpand Elite Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a fixed-location dock, but it is compact if you want to bring it along and build a neat work setup in your hotel […]

Anker PowerExpand Elite Thunderbolt 3 Dock Review

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MediaTek has announced two new processors (aka system on chips, or SoC), the Dimensity 920 and Dimensity 810, to power upcoming 5G smartphones. Both are manufactured with an advanced 6nm semiconductor process and seem designed to yield excellent ratios between speed, power usage, and cost.

As their names indicate, they address two different market tiers and the 920 is the more powerful one. For reference, the 900-series tend to be utilized in $500-$600 smartphones. The list of features is quite long, but here are the ones I find most interesting:

The Dimensity 920 adds 4K HDR video capture and will further democratize this much-needed feature. Still photography has had HDR support for years, and everybody needs HDR for their 4K videos, so that’s a welcome addition.

Intelligent display refresh rate (up to 120Hz) support can optimize battery life usage while giving an ultrasmooth experience to users when it matters. Once you’ve had a taste of 90Hz or 120Hz, it’s hard to go back to 60 Hz.

The new 5G modem optimizes more network scenarios and should yield a better average 5G experience, which is the endgame for all broadband connectivity. Peak speeds don’t matter as much because they require an “ideal connectivity scenario,” but improved experiences every time you use your phone is what matters.

Finally, an optimized GPU design has improved power efficiency and gives a 9% gaming speed boost*. It’s hard to verify this, but generally, chip makers do provide accurate information, and this seems feasible, so I’d trust MediaTek on this one. *when compared to the Dimensity 900.

The MediaTek Dimensity 810 addresses slightly different concerns since it is targeted towards lower-priced phones ($350-$500), but the general theme is the same: more bang for your dollars.

There’s a higher emphasis on improved “perceived performance,” such as app loading speed, for example. Some of that is due to CPU or storage bottlenecks that are prime targets for cost-cutting. MediaTek’s new chip aims to improve this situation.

For gamers, The Dimensity 810 is pitched as having better thermal management. Software thermal management is more critical in affordable phones because you can’t spend money on fancy cooling solutions and materials. For example, expensive phones have vapor chambers or materials that transfer heat better (for a price).

Dimensity 810 supports up to 64MP cameras, including camera systems with a dedicated bokeh (background blur) sensor.

The camera quality has become “the” battleground for smartphone OEMs, and we are seeing incredible progress on that front, at a rate never experienced before in recent years. We use our CAMERA HW benchmark to determine how powerful a phone’s camera hardware is.

Phones powered by these new processors should land in the third quarter of 2021

MediaTek Dimensity 920 and 810 Processors For Upcoming 5G Phones

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Why are we having a celebrity showering debate?

A new study from Yale University has found that common social media features like “sharing” and “likes” are unintentionally training users to act outraged online, the reason being that other users are more likely to engage with posts that are more extreme. Users who like and share these posts have the side effect of teaching the person they “liked” to … Continue reading

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Twitter has once again temporarily stopped accepting new verification applications from users. This latest pause follows after the company briefly opened the process to the public in May and then subsequently closed it down some eight days later.

At the time, the company said it was doing so because it was “rolling in” verification requests. It took until June for Twitter to sort out the backlog. This time around, the company has a more encouraging excuse. It said it’s taking time to implement tweaks to both the application and review processes, but stopped short of detailing the work it’s doing.

We imagine this latest pause also has something to do with the fact Twitter briefly verified a fake Cormac McCarthy account. Under the company’s public verification rules, an account holder is required to provide evidence like a government-issued ID to prove they’re who they say they are. The holder of the phony McCarthy account apparently didn’t do that.

“For those who have been waiting, we know this may be disappointing,” Twitter said. “We want to get things right, and appreciate your patience.” As before, the company hasn’t said when it plans to start taking applications again.