Today's Hardware Pulse
Nvidia driver hints at next‑gen DLSS 5 work
Nvidia’s GeForce Game Ready driver 610.47 adds three new profile options—Enable DLSS NR override, Enable DLSS NR SL override, and Override DLSS NR presets—suggesting continued development of DLSS 5 neural‑rendering technology. The earlier DLSS 5 reveal had sparked debate over AI‑driven image alteration, and the new driver hints at a quiet but ongoing effort.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Cyient Semiconductors raises $30M Series A
Apple Update Looks Like Czech Mate for Locked-Out iPhone User
Apple’s latest iOS 26.4 update unintentionally disabled the háček character on the lock‑screen Czech keyboard, preventing users from entering alphanumeric passcodes that include the symbol. University student Connor Byrne, who relied on a custom passcode containing the háček, was locked out of his iPhone 13 after upgrading from iOS 18 to 26.4. Apple support’s only remedy is a full device restore, which would erase his unsaved photos, and no fix has arrived in the subsequent 26.4.1 patch. The problem appears to affect other Czech‑keyboard users, exposing a broader accessibility oversight.
Physical Keyboards Return: Big Display, Tactile Typing
With physical mobile keyboards making a comeback, Clicks Tech has the best of both You keep the big display while also having a satisfying physical keyboard Available for iPhone, Moto & Google 17 Pro | Pro Max: collabs.shop/gf0nex Razr 2025 series: collabs.shop/7hmdbi
Plug-In Solar Panels: Lidl’s £200 Launch Could Transform UK Energy Habits
Lidl is rolling out a £200 (~$254) plug‑in solar panel kit aimed at UK households, joining a wave of residential solar adoption that now accounts for roughly 7% of the nation’s electricity. Over 180,000 homes installed solar systems in the...
Semiconductor Leap: China Looks to Next-Gen ‘2D Chip’ with 1,000-Fold Growth Speed
Chinese researchers have unveiled a wafer‑scale growth technique for two‑dimensional (2D) semiconductors that accelerates crystal formation by a factor of 1,000 compared with existing processes. The method promises to move 2D materials from laboratory samples to mass‑manufactured chips, enabling faster,...
DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Features a 1-Inch Sensor, But There’s a Hidden Catch
DJI is set to launch the Osmo Pocket 4 on April 16, 2026, introducing a rumored 1‑inch sensor that promises markedly better low‑light performance and flexible reframing across formats. The device also aims to deliver 4K video at 240 fps and 1080p at up...
Galaxy Z Roll 5G: Samsung’s Motorized Display Solves the Foldable Crease
Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Z Roll 5G, featuring a motorized 12.4‑inch rollable Dynamic AMOLED display that claims a zero‑crease experience. The device packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro processor, up to 16 GB of LPDDR6 RAM, an 8,000 mAh...
Separate Negative Runs, Group Positives for Cleaner Circuit
Realized late this afternoon that I had messed up on the Enterprise. In an effort to reduce wiring and tidy things up and I had grouped the negative runs. The MOSFET switches that I’m using switch on the circuit via...
Motherboard Updates Suddenly Become Mandatory: Secure Boot Certificates Are Forcing Manufacturers and Users to Take Action Before June 2026
Microsoft will retire the 2011 Secure Boot certificates in June 2026 (with additional expirations in October), replacing them with 2023 versions. OEMs such as ASUS and MSI have already warned that BIOS updates must include the new KEK and DB...
Samsung and AMD Strengthen Memory Partnership: HBM4 for MI455X and DDR5 for EPYC Venice Are Officially Confirmed
Samsung and AMD have formalized a three‑pronged memory partnership that includes Samsung's next‑gen HBM4 for the upcoming Instinct MI455X accelerator, DDR5 for AMD's sixth‑generation EPYC "Venice" CPUs, and exploratory foundry services for future AMD silicon. Samsung’s HBM4 will use a 1‑c...
MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro Leaked: New CPU Cluster, LPDDR6, and UFS 5.0 Point to a Noticeably More Aggressive Flagship SoC
MediaTek’s rumored Dimensity 9600 Pro chipset features a 2‑3‑3 octa‑core layout with two high‑performance “Canyon” cores and a clock speed approaching 5 GHz. The leak also claims support for next‑generation LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, marking a generational jump from the Dimensity 9500’s LPDDR5X...
Two Neat Features in the Gigabyte W775-V10-L1 We Saw
The Gigabyte W775‑V10‑L1 workstation, seen in Taipei, combines AI‑server hardware such as an NVIDIA GB300 accelerator, ConnectX‑8 100 GbE NIC and a Blackwell Ultra GPU within a 1.6 kW power envelope. A standout addition is a slim metal leak‑detection tray installed beneath...
PocketTerm35-Pi5 Handheld Linux Terminal with Raspberry Pi 5 and 3.5″ Display
WaveShare introduced the PocketTerm35‑Pi5, a handheld Linux terminal built around the Raspberry Pi 5 1 GB model. The device integrates a 3.5‑inch IPS touchscreen, a 67‑key silicone keyboard, and a lithium‑ion battery that can accommodate up to 5000 mAh. It offers full Raspberry Pi I/O,...
Stephan Rettenberger to Spotlight Next‑Gen Fiber for Scalable Data Centers at FTTH 2026
Stephan Rettenberger will appear on a panel at the FTTH Conference 2026 to examine how fiber technologies can meet the scaling, resilience and latency demands of modern data centers. The discussion targets the convergence of telecom and data‑center architectures amid...
Amazon Unveils $200 Billion AI Capex Plan for 2026, Aiming for $15 Billion in AI Revenue
Amazon disclosed a $200 billion capital‑expenditure program focused on artificial intelligence for 2026, with a goal of generating $15 billion in AI‑related revenue. The plan leans on AWS’s soaring AI run‑rate, new custom silicon, and massive power‑capacity expansion.
Google Chooses Intel Xeon 6 CPUs for AI Data Centers, Deepening Decades‑Long Partnership
Google announced a multi‑generation commitment to Intel’s Xeon 6 CPUs for AI training and inference workloads, extending a partnership that began nearly 30 years ago. The move comes as AI agents push CPU‑to‑GPU ratios toward 1:1, creating a quiet supply crunch,...
DeepSeek Targets Late‑April Launch of V4 LLM on Huawei and Cambricon Chips
DeepSeek announced a late‑April rollout of its V4 large‑language model, now re‑engineered to run on Huawei Ascend and Cambricon processors. The move underscores China’s push for AI self‑sufficiency as U.S. chip export restrictions tighten.
Google Unveils Gemini Interactive Workstation, Lyria 3 Pro, Gemma 4 and TorchTPU in Major AI Upgrade
Google rolled out a suite of AI upgrades—including Gemini Interactive Workstation with manipulable 3‑D models, Lyria 3 Pro for three‑minute music generation, the open‑source Gemma 4 model, and the new TorchTPU accelerator—across its product, cloud and developer platforms. The coordinated launch is designed...
Grateful for the DIY Arduino ESP32 Watch
@olleewatch , I love this dearly; thank you for making it. #tech #arduino #esp32 #watches #electronics
Track 1,800‑mile Journeys with Garmin’s New App
'One does not simply walk into Mordor' — it's 1,800 miles away — but you can measure it with a Garmin watch and this perfect 5-year-old smartwatch app. https://t.co/LVmzZfEBdr
Nio's William Li Urges Battery and Chip Standardization to Curb EV Supply Chain Waste
Nio founder William Li called for industry‑wide standardization of battery cells and semiconductor components at the China EV100 forum, estimating potential cost savings of over ¥100 billion (≈$14.6 billion). He warned that rapid model turnover has created supply‑demand mismatches, leading to hundreds of millions...
Plaud NotePin: AI Wearable Boosts Meeting Note‑Taking
I review the Plaud NotePin Wearable AI Note Taker device and find that there's a lot to like with this smart little gizmo. It's particularly helpful for meetings and lectures, as I demonstrate in this detailed video: https://t.co/Q45YtD8M9E #ai #aiWearable...
Cheap Scanner Lacks USB Port, Buyer Regrets Purchase
So glad the $500 printer / scanner combo I bought last year doesn't have a flashdrive port. So, so happy. /s (never, ever buying a scanner like this again. 🤬)
Oppo Announces Global Launch of Find X9s Pro with 200MP Hasselblad Camera
Oppo confirmed that its flagship Find X9s Pro will debut globally on April 21 at a live event in China. The phone ships with a dual 200‑megapixel Hasselblad camera system, a 6.3‑inch display with 1.1 mm bezels, and memory options ranging...
Saramonic Air SE Delivers Reliable Audio Over Football‑Field Distances
Saramonic Air SE wireless microphone review, including tests and audio demo. This compact wireless lav mic system keeps a strong connection at distances beyond the length of a football field, giving vloggers tons of flexibility. My review: https://t.co/9xHsO8Y3WI #microphone https://t.co/hCCYfj6fPF
Framework Founder Calls PCs ‘Self‑Driving Cars for the Mind’ Ahead of April 21 Event
Framework founder Nirav Patel announced an April 21 product launch, arguing that PCs have become “self‑driving cars for the mind” and pledging to keep hardware ownership alive amid rising AI and cloud subscription models.
NY Creates Starts Installing First High‑NA EUV Lithography Tool at Albany
New York's NY Creates program announced that installation of ASML's high‑NA EUV lithography system will commence at the Albany Nanotech Complex. The effort is backed by a $10 billion partnership—$9 billion from industry and $1 billion from Empire State Development—aimed at cementing the...
Caltech‑Google Study Shows Small Quantum Computers Cut Memory Needs by Up to One Million‑Fold for ML
Researchers from Caltech, Google Quantum AI, MIT and Oratomic published an arXiv paper showing that quantum computers with fewer than 60 logical qubits can process large‑scale machine‑learning datasets using up to a million‑fold less memory than classical systems. The work...
Russia’s ‘Courier’ Robot Doubles Payload to 400 Kg in Field Test
The Russian Ministry of Defence released footage of the ground robotic complex “Courier” pulling a trailer and moving up to 400 kg of cargo, twice its standard 200 kg load. The test demonstrates the platform’s ability to operate across varied terrain while...
Generalist AI's GEN-1 Robot Hits 99% Success in Real‑World Tasks
Generalist AI announced the GEN-1 robot model, reporting a 99% success rate on real‑world tasks and a three‑fold speed boost over its GEN-0 predecessor. The system, described as an embodied foundation model, adapts to new tasks with roughly one hour...
Found 2015 Sandisk Photo Honors Jason Fox Family
I looked at a found 16GB Sandisk today. Saw this photo using my Mac and a Hyper+Drive accessory. I am used to using this accessory for flash drives; this is the 1st time to read a Sandisk. Photo dated 1/1/2015....
China Still Gorges on U.S. Chips in Trump Era as Huawei Struggles
U.S. semiconductor exports to China remained robust during the Trump administration, generating about $104 billion for 15 major chip makers, only a modest 4% decline from the prior year and a 17% rise over two years earlier. Meanwhile, Huawei’s ICT infrastructure...
Gartner Adds Their Mac Q1 Estimate to the Pile
Gartner’s Q1 2026 estimate shows Apple’s Mac sales jumped 12.7% year‑over‑year, reaching 6.7 million units and a 10.6% share of the global PC market. That places Apple in fourth position behind Lenovo, HP and Dell, up from a 9.8% share a...
Two Japanese Blu-Ray Suppliers Commit To Physical Media
Two Japanese Blu‑ray manufacturers, I‑O Data and Verbatim Japan, announced a reinforced partnership to keep producing Blu‑ray drives and discs despite a market that is rapidly shifting toward digital downloads. The alliance will focus on securing component supplies and developing...
Bipartisan Bills Target Semiconductor Export Controls and AI Workforce Upskilling
Senators Jim Risch, Pete Ricketts and Andy Kim introduced the MATCH Act to tighten export controls on semiconductor equipment, and Rep. Tim Walberg unveiled the A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 to fund AI‑centric upskilling. Both measures could...
Vertiv Shares Surge to $291 52‑Week High on Data‑Center Power Demand
Vertiv Holdings Co. (VRT) reached a 52‑week high of $291, a gain of 8.4% over the past month and 77.5% since the start of 2026. The rally follows a fourth‑quarter earnings beat and accelerating demand for data‑center power and cooling...
Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme 18‑core Chip in Asus Zenbook A16
Qualcomm introduced its flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme 18‑core processor in the $1,699 Asus Zenbook A16, positioning the chip as a high‑performance, power‑efficient alternative to traditional x86 CPUs. Early lab benchmarks show it competing with top AMD, Intel and Apple...
FAA, Pentagon Seal Deal to Deploy Counter‑Drone Lasers Along Mexico Border
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon signed an agreement on Friday that authorizes the use of high‑energy laser counter‑drone systems along the southern U.S. border. The deal follows a safety review that cleared the technology, aiming to curb more...
Researchers Unveil Sensor‑integrated Joint‑on‑chip Platforms for Real‑time Disease Monitoring
A team led by Mantegazza and Paola Occhetta published a paper describing how embedded optical, electrical, mechanical and biochemical sensors can turn joint‑on‑chip (JoC) systems into real‑time monitoring platforms. The breakthrough addresses the long‑standing reliance on endpoint analyses and promises...
Harvard AI Decoder Cuts Quantum Error Rates by Thousands
Harvard University scientists introduced Cascade, a convolutional neural‑network decoder that processes quantum error‑correction data up to 100,000 times faster and lowers error rates by several thousand‑fold. The breakthrough, detailed in a new arXiv pre‑print, could shrink the qubit counts required...
Study of EUV Nanostructures Using AFM With High-Aspect Ratio Tip (Purdue, Intel, Bruker)
Researchers from Purdue, Intel and Bruker published a paper showing that atomic force microscopy (AFM) with high‑aspect‑ratio diamond‑like carbon tips can map 40 nm‑pitch extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist patterns, but the measurements are distorted by complex tip‑sample dynamics. By applying force‑mapping...
Photonic Packaging Resistant to Extreme Environments (NIST, Johns Hopkins, U. Of Maryland)
Researchers from NIST, Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland have unveiled a new photonic chip packaging technique that uses direct hydroxide catalysis bonding of a V‑groove fiber array to the chip. The method tolerates extreme conditions—from cryogenic 3.8 K to...
Remote Control Technology Has Come a Long Way
Remote control for broadcast transmitters has evolved from basic STL/TSL links that only reported power levels to sophisticated cloud‑based platforms that deliver real‑time temperature, voltage, generator status, and live video. By leveraging SNMP, modern systems like American Amplifier Technologies' EmPower...
Efficient Harvesting of Irregular and Low‐Frequency Mechanical Energy via Hybridized Electromagnetic‐Triboelectric Systems
The review introduces a hybrid electromagnetic‑triboelectric nanogenerator (HE‑TENG) that merges the high‑current output of electromagnetic generators with the high‑voltage, low‑frequency efficiency of triboelectric nanogenerators. By coupling these mechanisms, the system achieves a broadband frequency response and superior conversion efficiency for...
PDN Challenges In DRAM-Based Compute-In-Memory Systems (UT Austin)
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin released a technical paper analyzing power delivery network (PDN) challenges in DRAM‑based compute‑in‑memory (PIM) systems. The study introduces a unified taxonomy that classifies PIM‑induced current behavior by temporal (burst versus sustained) and...
This 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Station Is a Cheap Spring Refresh for Apple Users — Now $16.12
GETPALS has reduced the price of its 4‑in‑1 wireless charging station by 38%, now selling for $16.12 versus the original $25.99. The compact dock simultaneously powers an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, targeting users entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. Its...
Apple Overtakes Samsung in Q1 2026 Mobile Share
Q1 2026 Mobile Market Share Samsung maintained a 20% market share like Q1 2025, however Apple surpassed it with a 21% market share Samsung remained stagnant because of a late flagship and midrange launch. Apple continues with strong flagship sales and...
Customize ChatGPT Voice with OpenClaw's Talkable Claw
I'm having a Her moment over here with my OpenClaw. It's literally the craziest thing in the world to be able to just talk to your claw and have fully customizable voice. Did you ever want to improve your ChatGPT...
Apple’s Mac Mini Farm Beats Cloud AI Efficiency
Marco Arment's Setup as the Canary in the Coal Mine—or, Rather, as the 50 Mac Mini Server Farm Vastly More Efficient than the NVIDIA-Powered Cloud-Bound Hyperscalers. Or, why John Giannandrea’s stewardship of Apple’s AI strategy may have meant that Apple...
Apple Enables External GPUs for AI on Mac Mini
Apple approves TinyGPU driver, letting Mac Mini and Apple Silicon users connect external GPUs to accelerate demanding AI workloads. https://t.co/DSHkMtbpWK
Arlo Solana: Solar Smart Cam Arrives, Subscription Model
Arlo Solana solar-powered smart cam on the way. Could also be the spiritual successor to the Arlo Go line. Similar in function to the Eufy S220, except Arlo's business model is subscriptions. https://t.co/2mo7ItD5kf https://t.co/87KvSSDNvE