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
Investors Boost Bets on Emerging Quantum-Computing Stocks as Sector Gains Traction
Investors are shifting capital toward two obscure quantum‑computing companies, spurring a surge in market attention. The move reflects broader enthusiasm for advanced‑technology sectors, even as detailed financials remain undisclosed.
SES Partners with K2 Space to Launch Next‑gen ‘meoSphere’ MEO Broadband Constellation
SES announced a strategic partnership with K2 Space to develop the meoSphere medium‑Earth‑orbit broadband constellation. The rollout will begin with a Spring 2026 pathfinder on SpaceX’s Transporter‑16, scale to 28 satellites by 2029 and reach full operational capability in 2030, positioning...
Decathlon Doubles Order Capacity with Exotec Robots at European Warehouses
Decathlon, the world’s largest sporting‑goods retailer, announced that its seven European warehouses using Exotec’s Skypod robots have seen productivity surges, including a 100% increase in orders at its Portugal hub. The automation cut picker walking distance by up to 90%...
Cycling Desks Can Drive Students to the Vending Machine
Researchers at Université de Montréal examined how cycling‑desk intensity influences students' post‑lecture eating and drinking habits. In a three‑condition crossover study, participants either sat, pedaled lightly, or pedaled at moderate intensity while watching a documentary and then ate from an...
Switching Back to Qualcomm Notebooks After Cowork Surge
This is good. Since I’ve been using Cowork so much I wasn’t using the Qualcomm-based notebooks a lot. Time to pull them back out.

MusiBaby Speakers: Ultra‑Cheap, But Sound Is Just Okay
The MusiBaby Portable Bluetooth Speaker costs less than a burger and fries at your local bar, but does it sound good? I checked out two - a stereo pair - and found them middling, but typical for their very budget...

Want Wireless Android Auto for Cheap? This Motorola Adapter Is 60% Off Right Now
Motorola’s Sound MA1 wireless Android Auto adapter is currently on sale for about $35, a steep drop from its original $75 price. The USB‑A dongle lets drivers pair their Android phones via Bluetooth and 5 GHz Wi‑Fi, eliminating the need for...
AI Surge Threatens Handheld Gaming Amid Memory Crisis
The memory crisis is still a major issue with PC hardware, and handheld gaming devices may be in serious danger if the AI boom continues apace. https://t.co/Jpeyu50gNW

AI Wearables Are Here To Stay; Can NeoSapien Make The Most Of This Wave?
Bengaluru‑based NeoSapien launched Neo 1, a thumb‑size AI wearable that records conversations, creates transcripts and reminders, and retails for roughly $120. The startup recently closed a $2 million seed round backed by Merak Ventures and several angel investors, and claims to be...
ASUS Armoury & HP WMI Drivers Add More Laptops Ahead Of Linux 7.0-rc6
The Linux 7.0‑rc6 merge introduces new ASUS Armoury and NB WMI driver support for several ROG laptops, as well as HP WMI driver updates for the Omen 16 series. These additions bring GPU switching, fan‑curve control, hot‑key mapping, and power‑profile exposure to the kernel....

Master iPad Pencil Gestures: Simple Step‑by‑Step Guide
An Apple iPad pairs beautifully with an Apple Pencil, but the gestures to paste, scribble, and annotate images are surprisingly unintuitive. No worries, I gotcha covered. Here's how to do it all, step-by-step: https://t.co/A7HWnNAQSt #ipad #applepencil https://t.co/tuLD1R2OsS
Israeli‑Japanese Team Unveils Near‑Zero‑Power Graphene Switch for Brain‑Like Electronics
A joint Israeli‑Japanese research team has demonstrated a graphene switch that requires virtually no power to operate, a development published in Nature Nanotechnology. The device, built from nanometer‑scale graphene islands that slide over each other, could accelerate low‑energy computing and...

Apple’s MacBook Neo Could Upend India’s Mid-Range Laptop Market, Say Experts
Apple has launched the MacBook Neo, priced at $599 globally and $499 with student discounts, with an Indian launch price of Rs 69,900 (about $840). The device retains premium features such as an aluminum body, 13‑inch Liquid Retina display, long battery...
Amazon Acquires Fauna Robotics, Adding $50,000 Sprout Humanoid to Its Portfolio
Amazon has purchased New York‑based Fauna Robotics, the two‑year‑old startup behind the $50,000 Sprout kid‑size humanoid robot. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, expands Amazon’s robotics reach beyond warehouse automation into the emerging personal‑robot market.
Samsung Frame Privacy Question
Smart TVs like Samsung's Frame collect extensive user data, prompting a Texas lawsuit that forced Samsung to curb telemetry and seek clearer consent. The case highlights growing regulatory pressure on manufacturers to be transparent about data practices. Consumers are turning...
Nvidia’s Shift From GPUs and AI ‘Inference King’ Economics
Nvidia’s GTC 2026 unveiled a strategic pivot from pure GPU dominance to a full‑stack AI inference platform that blends GPUs, its new Vera ARM CPU, and Groq LPUs. The company highlighted the NVL72 superchip system and the MGX ETL rack...

Nikolay Grebentsov: Entrepreneur Turning Real-World Needs Into Innovation
Nikolay Grebentsov, president of Nikovit Inc., is scaling a clean‑energy venture that sells affordable heat‑pump and mini‑split systems through its EZCOOL brand. Recent accolades—including the Best Entrepreneur in HVAC award and a Small Business Breakthrough Award—coincide with a push to...

A Cooling Tower With A Chronic Condition
Corewell Health Service Center in Southfield, Michigan replaced its decade‑old galvanized cooling tower with a 300‑ton high‑density polyethylene (HDPE) unit from Delta Cooling Towers. The metal tower suffered extensive corrosion and leaks, driving up water makeup and chemical losses, while...
Bidirectionality Is the Obvious BCI Paradigm
The article argues that brain‑computer interfaces must evolve from one‑way readers to truly bidirectional systems that both decode and write native neural representations. It highlights recent advances in high‑density electrode arrays that approach synapse‑scale resolution, and suggests optogenetic organoids and...

Prologis CEO Sees Prolonged AI, Data Center Tailwinds
Prologis CEO Dan Letter says AI‑driven data‑center demand will sustain growth, with a 5.7 GW power pipeline—1.8 GW secured and 3.9 GW in advanced stages—under lease discussion for the next three years. The company recorded its second‑largest leasing year in 2025 and expects...
Salute and Ecolab Target DTC Liquid Cooling Complexity in AI Data Centers
Salute announced a partnership with Ecolab to embed the latter’s Cooling‑as‑a‑Service (CaaS) into Salute’s Direct‑to‑Chip (DTC) liquid‑cooling operations. The joint offering streamlines management of the “tech loop,” the circulatory system that regulates coolant flow in AI‑focused data centers. By leveraging...

NORD Delivers Heavy-Duty Industrial Gear Units, Motors, and Controls for Mining Applications
NORD Drivesystems introduced its MAXXDRIVE industrial gear unit series, capable of delivering up to 2,495,900 lb‑in of torque for heavy‑duty mining equipment such as crushers, mills, and conveyors. The units feature a one‑piece UNICASE housing that resists dust, temperature swings, and...
Altera and Arm Collaborate to Deliver Efficient, Programmable Solutions for AI Data Centers
Altera announced an expanded partnership with Arm, integrating its data‑center‑grade FPGAs with Arm’s new AGI CPU built on the Neoverse CSS V3 architecture. The joint solution targets AI‑focused data centers, offering low‑latency, highly flexible and scalable compute platforms. Leveraging Altera’s established...

Nintendo Dropped a Switch 2 Update With a New Mode You'll Want to Turn On Immediately
Nintendo released firmware version 22.0.0 for the Switch 2 on March 16, introducing Handheld Mode Boost. The feature tricks Switch 1 titles into thinking they are docked, delivering 1080p resolution at 60 fps while in handheld mode. Enabling the boost cuts battery life by...
VisionOS 26.4 Brings NVIDIA CloudXR 4K Streaming to Apple Vision Pro
Apple’s visionOS 26.4 update introduces native CloudXR 6.0 integration, enabling foveated 4K streaming of RTX‑rendered content to Vision Pro from a PC or cloud workstation. The system tracks users’ gaze and renders full resolution only where they look, dramatically cutting bandwidth while preserving...

These Philips Smart Bulbs Made Me Rethink LEDs
The Philips ST19 Vintage Edison Smart LED bulbs combine classic Edison‑style design with modern smart‑home functionality. Reviewers praised the warm, adjustable color temperature, dimming capability, and music‑sync features, while noting that initial app pairing can be finicky. The bulbs integrate...
Polar Light Awarded €1.1m EU Grant for 18-Month 2ndGenMicroLED Project
Polar Light Technologies secured a €1.1 million (≈ $1.2 million USD) Eurostars grant for an 18‑month project called ‘2ndGenMicroLED.’ The consortium, which includes Germany’s Finetech GmbH & Co KG, will develop the first dual‑color micro‑LED micro‑display using a bottom‑up pyramidal GaN/InGaN architecture. The technology targets ultra‑compact,...

The EU’s Biggest Test for Device Makers: Replaceable Batteries
The EU has adopted a Batteries Regulation that will require all electronic devices placed on the market after February 2027 to feature easily replaceable batteries. The rule, initially focused on electric vehicles and micro‑mobility, now extends to consumer gadgets such as...

AI Agent Identity and Next‑gen Enterprise Authentication Prominent at RSAC 2026
At RSA Conference 2026, vendors highlighted password‑less authentication for both humans and AI agents, with Swissbit unveiling a biometric FIDO2 key that adds post‑quantum resistance, and RSA extending its identity suite to Microsoft 365 E7. IBM, Auth0 and Yubico introduced...

RAM Crisis Is Forcing Super-Popular Kids Console To Raise Prices Again
Nex Playground, the motion‑control console that captured the kids market, will increase its price by $50 on April 1, moving from $250 to $300. The hike marks the second adjustment in under two years and is directly linked to a global...

Motorized Keyboard Fader Cuts Cables, Boosts Convenience
I decided to go with the motorized fader on my midi keyboard instead of the faderport. Less cables Less desk clutter Overall, just more convenient.
Dyson's Cordless Vacuum Can Handle Kid and Pet Messes - and It's Nearly 30% Off at Amazon
Dyson’s flagship V15 Detect Plus cordless vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $599, a 29% discount from its regular $850 price, saving shoppers $250. The model features a laser that reveals microscopic allergens and a sensor that quantifies particle...

Optical Supply Gap Hits 20‑30% Amid Rapid 800G Demand
Interesting interview with a Sr Engineer in networking at AWS. Optical is ramping fast. Looking to shift to 1.6T but still can't get all the capacity they need at 800G. Diversified across vendors with InnoLight currently the most share....

Asset‑Seizing Forces Oppose Job‑Creating Datacenters
Datacenters create jobs and prosperity Is it a surprise that the forces that want to seize all assets also want to stop building all datacenters? https://t.co/d4JVZfWDLu

Fime Lab Can Now Test Against New EMVCo Biometric Card Specification
Fime’s EMEA laboratory has earned EMVCo recognition to test fingerprint sensors against the new Biometric Card Specification, enabling certified evaluation of reliability, liveness detection and user convenience. Fingerprint Cards AB became the first provider to have its complete fingerprint‑based payment...
NucBox K13 Packs Power, Dual‑Boot, Yet Overheats
GMKtec NucBox K13 offers Windows-Ubuntu dual-boot, OpenClaw AI with security flaws, Intel Ultra 7 power, but heat and reliability issues may persist. https://t.co/CjbZeRLqZF
Geekom Mini PCs: Tested, Reliable for Office and AI Workstations
We ran the tests and these are the Geekom mini PCs you'll want to check out, whether you need a reliable office machine or a content creation workstation that's AI-ready. https://t.co/ygFScqIQpS

This Mini PC Packs Big Memory & Power for Work and Gaming — Now 48% Off
Amazon’s spring sale slashes the KAMRUI mini PC price to $399, a 48% discount from its regular $769 tag. The compact system packs a high‑performance processor, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, and a 512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, plus support for triple 4K...
CPU Prices Surge as PC Component Costs Spike
The cost of all key PC components is being hit, as apparently, CPUs are now in the firing line. https://t.co/Q7gfwtRsye
China Rolls Out AI Electric Mining Trucks, Automating Industry
China Deploys #AI-Powered Electric Mining Trucks, Driving Heavy Industry Toward Full #Automation by @IntEngineering #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #ArtificialIntelligence #Automation #Automotive #Transport https://t.co/IEENy7uDyD
Lace Lithography Raises $40M to Pursue Helium Atom Beam Chips at Atomic Resolution
Lace Lithography, a Microsoft‑backed Norwegian chip‑making equipment startup, closed a $40 million Series A round led by Atomico. The funding will accelerate its helium‑atom beam lithography platform, which promises feature sizes ten times smaller than today’s EUV tools and a test tool...
Cars Becoming Computers, Will Need 300 GB RAM
Cars are rapidly turning into computers as Android Automotive update will soon make it the ‘brain’ of your car, but Micron says vehicles will soon need 300GB of RAM to function. https://t.co/tApQvUtSay

Bactery Named to Fast Company’s List of Most Innovative Companies of 2026
Bactery, a UK‑based spin‑out, was named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026 for its soil‑powered microbial fuel cell that replaces disposable batteries in precision‑ag sensors. A single unit harvests electrons from bacteria breaking down organic matter, delivering the...

Samsung Galaxy Book5 360 Drops By $400 for a Limited Time
Samsung’s 15.6‑inch Galaxy Book5 360 convertible is now $949.99, a $400 discount for a limited spring promotion. The device features an Intel Core Ultra‑7 CPU, ARC 140V integrated graphics, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD, delivering solid performance for streaming, light creative...
Taiwan Semiconductor Introduces AEC-Q-Qualified 1200V SiC Schottky Rectifiers in SOD-128 Packages
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSC) launched automotive‑grade 1200 V silicon carbide Schottky rectifiers in SOD‑128 packages, offering 1 A and 2 A versions. The diodes, TSCDFS01120G2H and TSCDFS02120G2H, claim industry‑leading performance and AEC‑Q qualification for high‑reliability applications. They target compact power‑train functions such as auxiliary...

Mexico Bets on Supercomputer to Combat Extreme Weather Events
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a plan to build a public supercomputer dedicated to climate modeling, aiming to improve forecasts and early warnings for extreme weather. The initiative will partner with Barcelona’s Supercomputing Center to standardize Mexico’s weather data, leveraging...
Arm Unveils Its First Full‑scale Datacenter CPU
A deep dive into Arm’s first full-fledged datacenter CPU. $ARM $NVDA $TSMC $AMD $INTC https://t.co/2LhQgo6i3s

Deep Discounts on Eero Routers: Upgrade Now?
Some deep discounting on eero routers right now. Both the Prime Week or whatever this is discount plus a stacked discount for upgraders without recycling current ones. Do I pull the trigger? https://t.co/qEkHzuI46y https://t.co/J1UQ0jkhHL
Razer's New Blade 16 Has Intel's Latest Chips and Ultra-Fast RAM
Razer unveiled the 2026 Blade 16 laptop, swapping AMD for Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 386H processor and adding LPDDR5X‑9600 MHz RAM. The thin 16‑inch model retains a 240 Hz QHD+ OLED display, now 100 nits brighter, and ships with NVIDIA GeForce...
Google Post Triggers DRAM and NAND Rally
So the DRAMs $MU / NAND $SNDK smoked today on a Google post dated last night Yet the abstract is from April 28 2025 Deepseek Bs moment https://t.co/It0N68O7YX