Hardware Blogs and Articles
Hardware Blogs and Articles
Hardware Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Imagination Technologies announced that its PowerVR Vulkan driver now runs on top of Zink in Mesa 26.1, delivering open‑source OpenGL support for PowerVR GPUs. The integration required completing Vulkan compliance gaps and adding Kernel Mode Setting Render Only (KMSRO) support, which allows separate GPU and display drivers. Mesa 26.1, slated for mid‑Q2, will include this milestone, and Imagination plans to extend the stack to Vulkan 1.2 and OpenGL ES compliance. The move signals a shift toward Vulkan‑only drivers that rely on Zink for legacy OpenGL workloads.
Intel has submitted a new graphics driver pull request to DRM‑Next ahead of the Linux 7.1 merge window. The update, led by engineer Jani Nikula, adds PHY PLL verification, Panel Self‑Refresh tweaks for Lunar Lake, DSC improvements, and numerous bug fixes. Crucially,...
Mintion has launched the V1 filtration system, a low‑cost add‑on for desktop FFF 3D printers that captures both nanoparticles and volatile organic compounds. The unit uses a three‑stage filter stack—coarse screen, HEPA H13, and activated carbon—driven by a centrifugal fan...
Cyber Acoustics launched the WC‑1000 webcam, a video‑only device that omits a built‑in microphone to avoid audio‑device conflicts in platforms like Teams and Zoom. The 1080p camera features autofocus, auto‑light correction, and multiple resolution options, targeting BPOs, enterprises, and remote...
Apple unveiled the AirPods Max 2, integrating the H2 chip found in its latest AirPods Pro and AirPods 4 lineup. The upgrade delivers 1.5× more effective active noise cancellation, a high‑dynamic‑range amplifier, and new features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation...
Rabbit Labs EU unveiled the Flipper Zero ESP32‑C5 multi‑board, a compact expansion that adds dual‑band Wi‑Fi 6, BLE 5, 802.15.4, a TI CC1101 sub‑GHz transceiver, GPS and a microSD slot to the popular Flipper Zero. Powered by the ESP32‑C5‑WROOM‑1U RISC‑V SoC, the...
A maker spent a week refining design files and printing a Lil Finder figurine, completing the 20‑hour job on a Bambu P2S printer. The project, done in collaboration with Basic Apple Guy, offers the .3mf file for free, encouraging the...
Apple surprised the market by unveiling the AirPods Max 2, its first over‑the‑ear headphones powered by the H2 chip. The new model delivers up to 1.5× stronger active noise cancellation, refined Transparency Mode, and enhanced Spatial Audio. Additional intelligent features include...
Lenovo’s new HID drivers for the Legion Go and Go S series are slated for inclusion in the Linux 7.1 kernel. Developed by Derek Clark, the drivers expose controller features such as rumble, haptic feedback, RGB LEDs, calibration and touchpad settings via sysfs...
Nvidia kicked off its 2026 GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, drawing more than 30,000 in‑person participants and an estimated 300,000 online viewers. CEO Jensen Huang outlined a roadmap that includes Vera Rubin AI and Vera Ultra platforms slated for...
SPhotonix showcased its FemtoEtch 5‑D optical data storage technology at the Library of Congress "Designing Storage Architecture" event, highlighting its high‑density, long‑life solution for archival needs. The presentation stressed the looming AI‑driven data explosion, projecting 527 ZB of stored data by...
NGX Storage unveiled NGX ExaScale, a software‑defined, scale‑out storage platform delivering true end‑to‑end NVMe performance over both TCP and RDMA. The system scales from three to thirty nodes, offering up to 80 petabytes of usable capacity and 200 Gbps throughput per node...
Other World Computing (OWC) unveiled a suite of storage and connectivity accessories tailored for Apple’s newly released MacBook Neo. The lineup includes a USB‑C Travel Dock with five ports and 100 W power delivery, the Envoy portable NVMe SSDs ranging from...
Avery Dennison introduced the AD IdentiFresh inlay series, a new RFID solution aimed at fresh‑food categories such as bakery, meat, deli and produce. The inlays feature a proprietary antenna design that improves read performance on densely stacked, high‑moisture items, especially in...
Synopsys hosted a Lithography VIP Symposium at SPIE 2026, featuring a panel on AI/ML in mask synthesis. Executives from photomask makers, fabs, and EDA discussed how GPUs and advanced AI are already addressing the exploding complexity of EUV mask design....
Researchers at DGIST unveiled a dual-modulated vertically stacked transistor featuring a graphene top gate and a micro‑hole bottom gate, achieving off‑state leakage as low as 10⁻¹² A. The design eliminates the need for expensive ultra‑precision alignment and operates at low temperatures,...
Researchers at DGIST have demonstrated the first AI semiconductor that uses electrically controlled hydrogen‑ion migration to perform both computation and memory in a vertical two‑terminal device. The hydrogen‑based resistive switching replaces traditional oxygen‑vacancy mechanisms, delivering uniform, stable operation over more...
KNDS and EOS Defence Systems have signed a teaming agreement to develop and market remote‑controlled weapon stations integrating KNDS’s medium‑calibre guns with EOS’s counter‑UAS platforms. The partnership will focus on land and naval applications, featuring the ITAR‑free 30×113 multi‑purpose gun...
The post contrasts MQTT’s broker‑based, TCP‑reliable publish‑subscribe model with CoAP’s lightweight, UDP‑driven request‑response approach for IoT communication. It highlights MQTT’s QoS guarantees, broker scaling challenges, and CoAP’s low‑overhead, battery‑friendly design, including the observe pattern that mimics pub‑sub without a broker....
Apple unveiled the $599 MacBook Neo, the company’s first sub‑$600 Mac, sparking debate over its effect on the broader Mac lineup. At the same time, supply‑chain leaks confirm a delay for the anticipated OLED MacBook Air, while rumors surface of...
Pilot Photonics, an Irish integrated‑laser specialist, has partnered with Finchetto to supply its nanosecond tunable lasers for the development of the world’s first fully optical passive network switch. The switch aims to slash data‑centre power consumption by up to 20×...
Colin Furze has built a hoverboard‑style longboard that hovers using the repulsive force of four massive neodymium magnets. The device restricts motion to a single vertical axis, eliminating lateral instability by employing rear‑mounted pins and linear bearings. After early prototypes...
Turk Telekom has opened a 5G Technology and Innovation Centre at its Gayrettepe headquarters in Istanbul. The 600‑square‑metre hub serves as a live‑lab showcasing real‑world 5G applications and demos. It offers a test environment for startups, corporates, universities and public institutions...
Gigabyte unveiled the BRIX‑BRU9‑386H, the first mini PC in its line to ship with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 386H “Panther Lake” processor. The compact 119 × 113 × 34 mm device supports up to 128 GB of user‑replaceable DDR5‑6400 memory, a rare capability among ultra‑low‑power CPUs. It offers...
GameMT’s EX8 handheld launches at $139.99, offering a MediaTek Helio G99 CPU, 6 GB RAM, and 128 GB storage. Its 4.88‑inch 1080p 3:2 screen and active 20,000 RPM cooling set it apart from other budget emulators. The device can comfortably emulate PS1, Dreamcast,...
AMD’s upcoming RDNA 5 GPUs shift focus from sheer transistor counts to smarter instruction scheduling, targeting the under‑used dual‑issue capability of VALU units. By extending LLVM’s GFX13 backend with new fused‑multiply‑add forms, the compiler can more reliably pair instructions for parallel...
GreenBoost is an open‑source Linux kernel module that extends NVIDIA GPU VRAM by allocating pinned system RAM and NVMe storage as CUDA‑accessible memory. It pairs a kernel driver with an LD_PRELOAD shim that intercepts allocation calls, redirecting large buffers to...
Amazon Web Services announced a multiyear partnership to deploy Cerebras Systems’ Wafer‑Scale Engine (WSE) chips for AI inference in its data centers. The move adds a purpose‑built inference accelerator alongside AWS’s own Trainium processors, targeting ultra‑low latency and high‑throughput workloads....
Samsung launched its Galaxy Book6 lineup, featuring the premium 16‑inch Book6 Ultra with optional Intel Core Ultra X7 358H and NVIDIA RTX 5060 graphics, priced from $2,500 to $3,000. The more affordable Book6 Pro starts at $1,900 for the 16‑inch model and $1,600...
Apple continues to ship its 14‑inch and 16‑inch MacBook Pro models with legacy 96 W and 140 W power adapters, despite the newer M5 chips demanding more energy. Independent testing shows the 14‑inch model caps power intake at 97 W, causing a 10‑15%...
Jay’s DIY Zeus supercomputer, built for roughly $8,500, offers a high‑performance alternative to traditional cloud AI services. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 CPU, 128 GB of RAM, 14 TB of storage and an Nvidia 5090 GPU, it runs on Unraid OS with Docker...
Testing Ubuntu 26.04 on the Acer Swift 14 AI equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite revealed multiple regressions. The qcom‑firmware‑extract tool now refuses the device, and the generic Linux 6.19 kernel only provides LLVMpipe software rendering, while the Qualcomm‑specific X1E kernel stalls at a gray screen....
The Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni, priced just under $900, delivers flagship‑level suction of 30,000 Pa and a 27 cm Ozmo Roller that outperforms many premium models in mopping tests. Its fast‑charging system and sizable water tanks enable extensive area coverage without...
Modern flagship smartphones now match entry‑level laptops in CPU speed and RAM, prompting questions about their viability as primary computers. However, the Android operating system and Google’s tightening security policies prevent many essential desktop applications and limit sideloading of arbitrary...
OpenRazer 3.12, the latest open‑source driver suite for Razer peripherals on Linux, was released today. The update adds native kernel support for several recent Razer products, including the BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless HyperSpeed keyboard, Mouse Dock Pro, Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz,...
Linux kernel 7.1 will introduce a new ioctl, DRM_IOCTL_AMDXDNA_GET_INFO, that exposes real‑time power‑estimate data from AMD Ryzen AI NPUs. The same update adds column‑utilization metrics, allowing user‑space tools to see how busy the NPU is. These changes arrive via the...
Google Quantum AI researchers have added an inductive shunt to transmon qubits, eliminating offset‑charge sensitivity that caused measurement‑induced state transitions (MIST). The shunt provides an alternate current path, allowing dispersive readout without large detuning or extensive calibration. Tests at 10 mK...
Huawei unveiled the MateBook Fold Ultimate Design, a foldable laptop that expands from a 13‑inch chassis to an 18‑inch OLED workspace while weighing just 1.45 kg with its detachable keyboard. Launched in mid‑2025, the device features a dual‑layer OLED panel, a...
Keychron has launched the C0 HE 8K, a left‑handed, one‑handed gaming keyboard priced at $59.99. The device features 35 keys, an ABS chassis, aluminium plate, and Ultra‑Fast Lime magnetic Hall‑effect switches with 25 g actuation. It includes an ergonomic angled space bar,...
AI‑driven data‑center expansion is turning optical interconnects into a strategic bottleneck as bandwidth requirements climb to 800 Gbps and beyond. The constraint centers on indium phosphide (InP) substrates, which are essential for high‑speed electro‑absorption modulated lasers and other photonic components. A...
AMD released a guide outlining two local‑AI hardware paths—RyzenClaw and RadeonClaw—designed to run large language models entirely on Windows without cloud services. The RyzenClaw configuration uses a Ryzen AI Max+ system with 128 GB memory, delivering about 45 tokens per second and supporting...
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider builds 26100.8106 and 26200.8106, adding native support for monitor refresh rates exceeding 1,000 Hz. The update marks the first time the OS handles four‑digit refresh rates, aligning software with emerging ultra‑high‑refresh displays. Philips and AOC have already...
MacStories Weekly issue 504 bundles three distinct tech stories. Apple announced an iPad Air powered by the new M4 chip, promising notable performance gains over the M2 generation. The newsletter also showcases a DIY bookmark manager built in Notion that leverages...
GMKtec introduced the second‑generation EVO‑T2 Desktop AI Supercomputer, built on Intel’s Core Ultra X9 388H and X7 358H processors using the 18A (1.8 nm) Panther Lake architecture. The compact system delivers up to 180 TOPS of AI compute and can run local large language...
Smart home technology is now being leveraged to safeguard a house’s structural integrity. Devices such as moisture leak sensors, smart hygrometers, termite monitors, automated water shutoff valves, and foundation crack detectors provide real‑time alerts and even autonomous responses. By integrating...
At GDC 2026 NVIDIA unveiled a custom fork of the open‑source Godot engine that adds native RTX support and real‑time path tracing. The fork, released under the MIT license on GitHub, modifies the rendering pipeline and material system to enable...
SMLight’s coordinator lineup now spans USB‑only dongles, PoE‑enabled units, dual‑radio MR models, and full‑stack Linux hubs. The SLZB‑07 series provides basic Zigbee or Thread connectivity, while the SLZB‑06 adds Ethernet, PoE and USB passthrough via an ESP32‑S3 controller. The SLZB‑MR...
Marvell Technology announced an expanded 1.6‑terabit optical DSP portfolio built on its 3 nm process, adding four new products—Ara T, Ara X, Petra and Aquila M. The lineup targets AI‑driven data centers by improving power efficiency, link reliability, gearbox flexibility and built‑in security. These...
Marriott International deployed Chainway’s MC51 UHF handheld as part of an RFID Linen Management System, embedding washable tags in sheets, towels and robes. The solution automates inbound receipt, housekeeping issuance, and outbound handover through bulk scanning at key checkpoints. MC51’s...
At Synopsys' Converge keynote, Sassine Ghazi introduced "agentic AI" as a practical layer that augments engineers rather than replaces them, addressing the mounting complexity of chip and system design. He outlined a five‑level autonomy roadmap (L1‑L5) that moves from simple...
