Phone and communications

Intel’s Xe DG1 graphics card has been spotted in a 3DMark benchmark, or at least the rumor mill believes that result is for Intel’s first crack at a discrete GPU.

As ever, we shouldn’t read too much into this given that it is just speculation that this is DG1, although the source is a reliable one, the ever-present TUM_APISAK. But even if the leak is on the money, remember that this is an early sample GPU, and won’t reflect the exact performance Intel may achieve with the final product.

At any rate, the purported DG1 graphics cards scored 5,538 in 3DMark’s Fire Strike test (paired with an Intel Core i9-9900K processor) and hit a graphics score of 5,960.

That’s not a massively impressive result, but as we’ve already mentioned, it must be treated with caution. It’s in the ballpark of a graphics card as old as the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, albeit a bit faster than that veteran GPU (which scored 5,402 for graphics in a 3DMark result highlighted on Twitter).

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As Wccftech, which spotted this, observes, it’s a fair way behind the GTX 1050 to pick out another example from Nvidia’s line-up – that previous-gen budget card is around 500 points to 800 points better than the DG1 depending on which 3DMark result you look at.

No cause for concern?

Anyhow, you get the idea – and as with a previous Geekbench result, which showed that the DG1 wasn’t much better than Nvidia’s low-end MX250, the overall vibe thus far is that Intel’s initial product is not going to be causing either AMD or Nvidia any sleepless nights.

That said, at least this new 3DMark leak shows the Intel GPU comfortably outdoing the likes of the MX350, by around a third in terms of that graphics score in fact.

Further remember that Intel’s first GPU is likely to be a testing the waters affair, and as we’ve previously heard via the rumor mill, it’s going to be a mobile part – in other words, a graphics card for laptops, not a GPU for a desktop PC. With further development, perhaps it could start to worry Intel’s rivals at least in the notebook arena – particularly when combined with the potential of Xe integrated graphics with Intel’s Tiger Lake mobile processors.

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Here's another reminder that the gadgets you buy aren't necessarily going to be supported forever: Amazon has decided to discontinue its Echo Look smart speaker/camera device, and existing Looks will stop working on July 24.

As reported by Voicebot.ai, people who've bought an Echo Look should already have been notified about the move, and a lot of the functionality first offered by the device has since made its way into other Amazon apps and hardware.

If you've never heard of the Echo Look before, the smart camera worked together with your phone and some computer learning magic to give you an assessment of how good your outfits looked.

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The device and its companion app could also help you keep track of what you wore when, and of course tapped into Amazon's various shopping services to help you pick out new outfits to suit you as and when needed.

Don't Look now

"When we introduced Echo Look three years ago, our goal was to train Alexa to become a style assistant as a novel way to apply AI and machine learning to fashion," Amazon said in an email to customers.

"Customers will still be able to enjoy style advice from Alexa through the Amazon Shopping app and other Alexa-enabled devices. We look forward to continuing to support our customers and their style needs with Alexa."

According to Android Central, at least some Echo Look owners are being given discount codes to get an Echo Show 5 for free, though that hasn't been confirmed by Amazon. The Echo Show devices can to some extent duplicate the functionality of the Echo Look.

While the Echo Look was hardly one of Amazon's biggest sellers, it's interesting to see the company abandoning an Alexa-enabled product even as it continues to get the smart assistant pushed into as many new devices as possible.

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Via Engadget

The Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones are reaching their lowest price ever this weekend at Amazon, where you can pick them up for just $159 / £120 – a neat saving of $40 and £58 respectively.

These are sitting at great value right now with the real selling point of the Beats Solo 3 being their fantastic wireless functionality and stunning 12-hour battery life. With Apple's much-lauded W1 wireless chip under the hood, these wireless headphones are made to pair seamlessly with iOS devices, although Android users shouldn't feel left out as they're fully supported as well.

They also feature the signature Beats bass response, which ensures that all your favorite tunes' low ends are rendered in an appropriately thumping manner. Audiophiles may prefer the more balanced mid-range on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II's, but for those bass junkies out there, nothing quite does it like the Beats – and they're under half the price of the Bose right now.

If you're looking for something a little less bulky, and a little cheaper, then there's also a fantastic Beats deal on the PowerBeats3 wireless earphones for just $89.95 (was $199) – a massive saving of $110 overall, and a perfect addition for any lockdown workout routine.

Not in the UK or US? Check out the best Beats deals in your region below.

The best cheap Beats deals this weekend

• Check out all the other great Beats deals over at Amazon
• Want the best deals this year? check out Amazon Prime Day 2020

While you're here, we recommend checking out our best Beats deals main page, where we're constantly on the hunt for all the best deals we can find. If you're looking for the Beats sister-line, then head on over to our best Apple AirPods deals page, where we're finding fantastic prices weekly on a whole array of deals. 

Still on the hunt for that lockdown gaming rig? Some first-rate cheap gaming laptop deals can be had this weekend from the likes of Dell, Amazon and Best Buy. 

Our pick of the bunch is this Asus ROG G531GT for $897 (was $999), which is currently enjoying a neat $100 discount. Without a doubt, the highlight here is the Core i7-9750H – an incredibly fast processor that you don't often see for under $1000, let alone $900. A GTX 1650, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD round out the rest of the components to offer one speedy competitor for the money. While a faster graphics card would be nice, having an Intel Core i7 makes this Asus great value overall.

Though, if you did want that faster graphics card, then consider this Dell G3 15 for $949.99 (was $1149). With this Dell, you can upgrade to a GTX 1660Ti, which is significantly faster, though you'll have to sacrifice that Core i7 for an i5. If you'd like to skip the compromise altogether then this Asus Zephrus for $1099 (was $1199) is a Ryzen 7 equipped beast that offers both a GTX 1660Ti and a top of the line processor to boot.

If you feel like really splashing out, then there's also this insane $500 saving to be had on an Alienware M15 R1 at Dell for $1,749.99 (was $2,249). With an RTX 2070, Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, this is one powerful elite level machine that carries a hefty price tag to match.

Not in the US? Check out the best gaming laptop deals near you just below.

The best gaming deals this weekend

• Amazon – gaming laptop deals for as little as $897
• Dell – save up to $500 on a gaming laptop deal
• Best Buy – gaming laptop deals starting at only $729
• Want the best deals this year? check out Amazon Prime Day 2020

Want to see what else is around? Head over to our best gaming laptop deals page, where we're constantly on the hunt for the fastest and cheapest machines we can find. If you're simply looking for a laptop for streaming or browsing, then our cheap laptop deals page is another fantastic resource to check out.

Hisense 4K TV deals are seeing new price lows at Argos this weekend, with the exclusive Roku-based display on offer for as little as £299 right now. That means you can secure a cheap 4K TV for even less right now, and pick up a size above what we usually see at this price. 

These sales begin at 50-inches right now, so you're getting far more screen real estate for your cash on top of a cheaper price point. For just a little change more, you can, however, upgrade to the 55-inch model at a reduced price of just £329. Once you move past 55-inches, prices start to climb, but you can still grab yourself a massive 65-inch 4K TV for under £450 this weekend. 

Hisense are well known for producing cheap 4K TVs with some fantastic display properties hidden in that low price tag. You're picking up all the usual features of a 4K TV in 2020 – Ultra-HD resolution with HDR and a powerful sound system, just at a much more budget-friendly price point. If these models aren't shaping up right now, however, you can always take a look at the latest cheap TV deals from around the web. 

Not in the UK? We're rounding up all the latest 4K TV deals in the US and Australia further down the page. 

Cheap 4K TV deals 

• Shop all 4K TV deals at Argos
• Shop all 4K TV deals at Currys

Looking for something a bit more premium? Check out the best OLED TV prices and deals from around the web. Or, if you want to kit out your new display, take a look at the latest Fire TV stick deals and sales. 

The rumors were true: a McLaren official has confirmed that there won’t be another OnePlus McLaren edition. 

The luxury automaker recently dropped the OnePlus logo from its Partners page, leading to speculation that the refined and pricey OnePlus McLaren editions had been cancelled. The car company finally confirmed that there wouldn’t be another partner-produced version of a OnePlus phone in a statement sent to Android Authority:

“Our partnership with OnePlus, which came to its scheduled conclusion recently, has been a highly successful collaboration between two iconic and innovative brands,” McLaren’s statement read. “Since the start of this partnership in 2018, OnePlus has been a supportive, valued partner and we wish them well and hope to see them in the future.”

We’d seen exactly two of the fancy editions starting with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition in 2018 and followed with the OnePlus 7T McLaren Edition. 

At CES 2020, the phonemaker showed off the OnePlus Concept One that featured McLaren window tech to hide its rear cameras, but that wasn’t a consumer-ready device. Since we hadn’t heard whether a new McLaren Edition would accompany the next OnePlus 8T generation, we weren’t sure if we’d see another again. That question seems to have been answered.

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The best time to cancel a fancy OnePlus McLaren edition?

Of course, we’re not in the best market for costlier versions of flagship phones anyway, and each generation of the once-affordable OnePlus handsets have been pricier than the last.  

Thus, it was probably time for the OnePlus McLaren editions to reach the end of the road anyway and stop trying to compete with the likes of the Huawei Mate 30 Porsche edition and the Oppo Find X Lamborghini. But given the seemingly amicable splitting of ways between OnePlus and McLaren, perhaps a partnership sometime in the future is possible – when the market’s ready for another luxury carmaker’s take on a smartphone.

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The developers of two open source code libraries for Secure Shell, which is the protocol used by millions of computers to create encrypted connections, have decided to no longer support the Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA-1) due to growing security concerns.

As reported by Ars Technica, developers using the OpenSSH and Libssh libraries will no longer be able to use SHA-1 to digitally sign encryption keys going forward. In its release notes, OpenSSH explained why it will no longer support SHA-1, saying:

“It is now possible to perform chosen-prefix attacks against the SHA-1 algorithm for less than USD$50K. For this reason, we will be disabling the "ssh-rsa" public key signature algorithm by default in a near-future release. This algorithm is unfortunately still used widely despite the existence of better alternatives, being the only remaining public key signature algorithm specified by the original SSH RFCs.”

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SHA-1 is a cryptographic hash function that was first developed in 1995. It is used for producing hash “digests” which are each 40 hexadecimal characters long and these digests are meant to be distinct for every message, file and function that uses them.

Hash collisions

A collision is a cryptographic term used to describe when two or more inputs generate the same outputted digest and researchers began warning that SHA-1 was becoming increasingly vulnerable to collisions almost a decade ago. 

In 2017, SHA-1 fell victim to a collision attack that cost $110,000 to produce which lead to a number of browsers, browser-trusted certificate authorities and software update systems to abandon the algorithm though some services and software continued using it despite the risk.

However, in January of this year, researchers showed that an even more powerful collision attack could be launched for just $45,000. This chosen-prefix attack showed that it is possible to modify an existing input and still end up with the same SHA-1 hash and an attacker could use this method to alter documents or software to bypass SHA-1-based integrity checks.

While OpenSSH and Libssh will no longer support SHA-1, the encryption algorithm is still supported in recent versions of OpenSSL.

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Via Ars Technica

If you've tried to use the YouTube app on PS4 recently, you've probably noticed that you're being signed out, and that signing in again prompts an error code: NP-37602-8. Searching PlayStation Support when you get the error prompt yields no results, which is annoying, but now the issue is known to Sony and YouTube and they're looking into fixing it.

YouTube tweeted out the following, which was retweeted by the Ask PlayStation help account. This hopefully means it'll be fixed in the near-future – keep an eye on the account for more updates.

Can you fix the error code NP-37602-8?

As noted by our friends at GamesRadar, there is no fix for this specific issue at present, but there is still a way you can watch YouTube on your PS4. You can simply cast YouTube to your PS4 from a linked device on the same Wi-Fi network, like a phone or tablet. All you have to do is open the YouTube app, click the cast icon then select your PS4.

We've tested this solution and it indeed works as a temporary fix to the NP-37602-8 error code. Until a proper fix comes, that gives you the ability to watch YouTube on your TV through your account.

Which YouTube video did we watch to test this fix out, you ask? Well, it was this funky remix of Le Cassette's Radio, because we never truly got over the synthwave movement.

Look out for a proper fix in the coming days.

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Vivo’s premium flagship smartphones have always focused on their cameras. The X series flagship especially has always been one of the best devices when it comes to the camera. 

The company’s current X series lineup consists of X30 series and the X27 series in recent years. Their successor will be the Vivo X50, which has already been teased on Weibo. 

Vivo started teasing the device a couple of weeks ago. The primary focus of the device is the rear camera which is said to come with gimbal-like image stabilization. 

With just a  few days to the launch, both the devices are now listed on JD.com in China which reveals the design as well as the colour options. The e-commerce site has listed Vivo X50 Pro as well as Vivo X50, confirming two smartphones in the series. 

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Cut to the chase

• What is it? Vivo’s next-gen camera-centric flagship smartphone
• When will it come? June 1
• What devices to expect? Vivo X50 and X50 Pro

Vivo X50 Pro release date and price

Vivo has scheduled an event on June 1 in China where the company is expected to announce Vivo X50 and X50 Pro. As of now, there is no information about the India launch or availability.

The last Vivo X series device we saw in India is the Vivo X21 back in 2018. Since then the company has only brought a couple of flagship smartphone under Nex series. 

Design and display

According to leaks, the Vivo X50 series will come in a matte glass finish at the rear with curved glass finish which also covers the front of the device. The Vivo X50 Pro is listed in two colour options: Liquid oxygen, which is blue and Black Mirror. The vanilla X50 is listed in three colours, Blue, Black, and Shallow.

The Vivo X50 Pro is said to feature a curved 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with 2,376 x 1,080 resolution. The refresh rate here is 90Hz. The device also houses a small punch-hole cut-out over at the front, which carries the front-facing camera. 

Camera 

The spiel of the Vivo X50 Pro is its cameras. The X50 Pro is said to feature a 48MP Sony IMX598 camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, a periscopic 13MP lens with optical zoom capabilities, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. Over at the front, we might get a 32MP selfie shooter. 

The primary camera, which will be the debut of the Sony IMX598, has a “micro-cloud” mechanism for “gimbal-like” image stabilisation. Usually, OIS on smartphone cameras uses magnets to compensate for shakes up to 1-degree in four directions. However, Vivo’s implementation will come with dual ball suspension, magnetic frame, and protective cover, which might be an Anti-glare glass. The overall area is about 5x the average of a regular camera and 3.2x of a periscope camera. Something similar was seen on the Vivo Apex 2020 concept phone. 

Another post from a popular Chinese tipster, Digital Chat Station also reveals the complete camera sensors. The device will sport 8MP Samsung S5K3L6 portrait lens, 8MP Hynix Hi846 ultra-wide camera, 13MP OmniVision OV08A10 telephoto.

The primary lens at the rear will have a wide aperture of f/1.6, while the telephoto lens is f/3.4. The cameras will cover the focal length range of 16mm to 135mm. This feature is officially confirmed by Vivo in the teaser video.

Battery 

The leaked image also hints the battery capacity of the Vivo X50 Pro. It’ll pack in a 4,315mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. There is no mention of the charging interface but, we can expect a Type-C port. We can also expect the device to juice up from 0-50% around 30 minutes of time. 

Performance and specs

Furthermore, more specifications of the device were leaked by a  Weibo user including the complete specs of the Pro version. Although the specs are mention in the Chinese, we can clearly note the key features which are mentioned in English. Additionally, the post also mentions the price.

Under the hood, the handset is likely to feature a midrange Snapdragon 765G chipset. Vivo’s last-gen X30 was powered by the Exynos 980 chipset. Looks like now Vivo is moving to Qualcomm and also they might be looking to keep the price under control with the use of a powerful midrange chip. The chipset also supports dual-mode 5G(SA/NSA).

The device is said to come in two configuration 8GB RAM with either 128GB or 256GB internal storage. Furthermore, the rumours also suggest that the device might come with NFC, a 3.5mm headphone jack and AK4377A audio chip.

Vivo X50 

Just like the Pro version, the vanilla Vivo X50 is also listed on the e-commerce site in China. It is also available for pre-order. The X50 listed on the site also comes with a punch-hole camera and quad-rear camera. Although, the image clearly suggests that the device will lack camera set-up like the X50 Pro. 

We expect most of the internals to be similar to the Pro version except for the camera department. 

Pricing 

Both the devices are now up for pre-order in China. Although the company has not announced the official pricing yet, rumours suggest the X50 Pro might be around CNY 3,998 (~Rs 32,000.). Although at this point we are not clear if the pricing is for the 128GB or 256GB storage variant. 

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