Get ready to update your Apple Watch, as Apple has just released watchOS 11.3 to the public.


Like the two previous watchOS releases, there weren't any significant new features in the watchOS 11.3 beta builds. This suggests Apple is concentrating quality-of-life updates, such as fixing bugs and enhancing the system's underlying stability and performance.

This kind of update is crucial for maintaining the smooth operation of the devices and ensuring that new features introduced in previous versions operate at their best.


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Since Apple Intelligence still isn't available on Apple Vision Pro, the visionOS 2.3 update that's now available is focused on bug fixes and doesn't contain new features.


Apple continues its slow pace of updating Apple Vision Pro with few, if any, changes. It's not just immersive video and native apps that arrive at a glacial pace, it's new operating system features too.

visionOS 2.3 is a bug fix update that doesn't change anything of significance for users. All of the point three updates are meant to prepare the operating systems for new Apple Intelligence features, but since Apple Vision Pro doesn't have access to AI yet, the update is minimal.


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Apple has rolled out tvOS 18.3, and as expected, it's another standard minor update focused on quality-of-life upgrades.


Unlike Apple's other operating systems, tvOS doesn't tend to get many feature updates between major releases. Most of the updates to tvOS focus on improving stability and addressing any bugs that have popped up.

However, tvOS 18.2 did see the introduction of new Snoopy-themed screensavers.


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Apple has publicly released macOS Sequoia 15.3, which brings with it new features and improvements, but also temporarily takes away certain notification summaries.


Following the release of macOS Sequoia 15.2 in December 2024 and several subsequent betas of its followup, version 15.3 is now the official macOS and will be preinstalled on new Macs. Among the changes are bug fixes for Genmoji, and a more behind-the-scenes fix for how third-party apps could use Apple's Writing Tools.

Apple Intelligence now defaults to being on unless a user elects to turn it off. While that seems obvious, previously users had to specifically choose to download Apple Intelligence.


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Apple's latest run of operating system updates doesn't offer many user-facing changes, but iPadOS 18.3 joins the rest in enabling Apple Intelligence by default.


The point three updates all exist to set up future products and the next phase of Apple Intelligence, but there are still a few changes worth discussing. The iPad specifically doesn't have much going on beyond updates that affect every platform.

The release notes for iPadOS 18.3 contain information about Apple Intelligence changes and bug fixes. One of the more significant updates includes changes to how notification summaries work due to how it inadvertently altered key news headlines.


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Apple has released iOS 18.3, with the newest update few updates focusing on a few Apple Intelligence features, including how notification summaries are handled.


The beta testing cycle for iOS 18.3 has concluded with the formal release of the operating system update to iPhones around the world. The third major update for iOS 18, it helps push forward Apple Intelligence's features, but not to the same extent as previous releases.

The first Apple Intelligence wave concentrated on basic features, while iOS 18.2 brought with it more graphical changes. For iOS 18.3, things are somewhat muted.


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The lowest price ever on Apple's closeout M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro with an upgrade to 36GB of RAM is in effect, with an exclusive $750 discount valid this week only.


This Space Black 14-inch MacBook Pro offers a great deal of performance at the discounted $1,649 price. Enjoy an 11-core CPU and 14-core GPU thanks to the M3 Pro chip. Although it's the last-gen model, it's still capable of handling a variety of tasks ranging from business administration to photo editing. What really stands out is the upgrade to 36GB of unified memory, double that of the standard M3 Pro model and 12GB more than the 24GB of memory found in the standard M4 Pro spec.

Save $750 at B&H


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The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is making waves ahead of its official launch, with leaked 3DMark Time Spy and Geekbench scores suggesting a small performance uplift over the previous generation.

A user on the Tieba Baidu forums (via Everest) has shared a screenshot of what appears to be a Time Spy benchmark run for the RTX 5080. The image, reportedly captured from a video showcasing the new GPU, reveals a graphics score of 32,701 points. If accurate, this represents a 15% performance increase over the RTX 4080 Super, with an average Time Spy graphics score of 28,305.

Image credit: Baidu and Chiphell

Another leak from Chiphell (via Tomasz Gawroński) claims an overclocked RTX 5080 achieved an even higher Time Spy graphics score of 34,896. While this still falls short of the RTX 4090's performance, it represents a 6.7% improvement over the other leaked score.

Interestingly, the RTX 5080 was also recently spotted in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan databases (via Benchleaks). These results showed up to an 18% performance increase in the Vulkan test and up to a 17% increase in the OpenCL test compared to the RTX 4080 Super. It's worth noting that gaming performance typically doesn't scale as well as synthetic benchmarks, so the actual gains in games might be lower than these figures suggest.

KitGuru says: After seeing these results, do you think getting an Nvidia RTX 5080 is a worthwhile upgrade over the RTX 4080 (Super)?

The post Early Nvidia RTX 5080 benchmarks suggest small bump in performance over RTX 4080 first appeared on KitGuru.

In modern times, handhelds have evolved tremendously from what they were a few years ago, not just in terms of the onboard specifications but also in terms of form factors and features. From "2-in-1" configurations to retro-style devices, gaming handhelds have seen a massive layer of innovation, and it seems like X-Plus is on the track to do something similar, with the newest G-Series1 handheld device. X-Plus G-Series1 Gaming Handheld: Exceptional Build & Features Yet Performance Holds The Device Back X-Plus was kind enough to send us a review sample of their G-Series1 handheld device. This device is also a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/x-plus-gseries1-intel-n95-handheld-review-stunning-ips-display-but-underwhelming-performance/

Apple has rolled out a few new features to its Apple Sports app, making navigation easier and providing information on where to watch games.


Sports fans can now find out where and when to watch their favorite national games, thanks to a new update that includes broadcast information on each individual game page.

The app has also had a few improvements made to its navigation features. Now fans can easily browse leagues and teams they follow by swiping left or right.


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Despite having been only a one-off, few games have managed to leave a lasting impact on video games as much as Shadow of the Colossus did. Its unique atmosphere and storytelling and the tense battles against the gigantic colossi have etched themselves in the hearts of any who had the pleasure of experiencing them, turning the game into something truly special that has yet to be replicated, and understandably so, as the game by Fumito Ueda is really one of a kind. The challenges coming with trying to attempt something unprecedented, however, did not stop Canada-based development studio Yellow Brick […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/eternal-strands-the-world-is-your-playground/

Apple's latest iPad mini 7, released in Oct. 2024, is back on sale for $399, reflecting a $100 discount at Amazon and Best Buy.


Numerous models are $100 off today at Amazon and Best Buy, with iPad mini 7 prices starting at $399 after the discounts.

Buy from $399


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Apple has launched its 2025 edition of the Black Unity Sport Loop for Apple Watch and device wallpapers, as the company once again honors Black History Month.


Apple marks Black History Month every year with an Apple Watch band made for the occasion. While 2024 involved a flower motif and a mosaic pattern was used for 2023, the 2025 effort employs a line and handwriting-based design.



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A new DDR5 frequency world record has just been set! Overclocker HiCookie recently beat the previous DDR5 record of DDR5-12698, achieving a whopping DDR5-12726 with a V-Color memory stick and a Gigabyte motherboard.

Renowned overclocker HiCookie, using the Z890 Aorus Tachyon Ice, pushed a 24 GB V-Color DDR5 memory module to a staggering 12,726 MT/s (6,363 MHz). This feat was achieved with timings of 68-127-127-127-2T, and a Core Ultra 9 285K CPU downclocked to 419 MHz with only two cores enabled. Liquid nitrogen was used to cool the memory.

HiCookie praised the combination of the Z890 Aorus Tachyon ICE, the V-Color Manta Xfinity RGB memory module, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU for enabling this record-breaking overclock.

This achievement marks a significant leap in DDR5 overclocking, surpassing the previous record of 10,600 MT/s set three months ago with the same motherboard. It highlights the rapid advancements in memory technology and the dedication of overclockers to pushing the boundaries.

KitGuru says: Do you think there's still room to push DDR5 memory speeds even higher?

The post New DDR5 world record has been set at 12726 MT/s first appeared on KitGuru.

To celebrate the arrival of 2025, I decided to compile a series of Apple's top ten major areas of innovation occurring over the past 25 years. Some of these revolutions are overlooked when looking back at the company's dramatic turnaround and decades of introducing world-changing products.


Following the Year 2000 release of Mac OS X Public Beta and its legacy of updates up to and including today's macOS 15 Sequoia (and its successor to arrive later this year), here's a look at Apple's second major initiative of innovation, both in the sequence of time and in relative importance across the last quarter century, and what it means for Apple today.

This second facet is Apple's unfolding strategies in selling the technology it had assembled into products and services to its customers. It's been an unparalleled accomplishment of the company over the past 25 years, and an integral element in Apple's incredible success as a global innovator. Further, it's actually resulted in making Apple's products better.


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On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we step through the week's news, revisit the question whether to upgrade to Matter, and go hands-on with a kids smart speaker.


It was a busy week in the world of smart home, with a lot of news to catch up on. We started by revisiting the Schlage Sense Pro that has since confirmed it will support Aliro later this year.

Another report has emerged on the timeline for Apple's smart home display. Bloomberg is saying it will be released late this year, which lines up with Kuo's prediction based on supply chain analysis.


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Over the years, the Sniper Elite series emerged as one of the top stealth game series, and for good reason. With each new entry, developer Rebellion further refined the series' formula, providing players with more tools to sneak past enemies, who, in turn, have become smarter and more resourceful themselves, culminating with Sniper Elite 5, which introduced, besides more gameplay improvements, a new Invasion mode in the vein of the Souls series that allows players to "invade" another player's world. This mode considerably spiced up the experience, adding an element of unpredictability for those who enabled the optional invasion. With […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/sniper-elite-resistance-sniping-never-changes/

NVIDIA DLSS 4 brings a major image quality upgrade to the whole DLSS package, including DLAA, Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and Frame Generation. Supporting GeForce 20 and newer, the new Transformer model promises improvements to temporal stability, less ghosting, and higher detail in motion. In this review we compare the image quality of the old CNN model vs the new Transformer model in three different games.

While PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSDs are setting new storage performance benchmarks, the real-life and application benefits of getting those drives are still not worth the price you are paying for them. It's mostly an early adopters product for now and while we appreciate the speed-up, we would love to see the performance transition from synthetic benchmarks to actual use cases. And you know what's still considered to be quite fast without breaking your wallet? The current-gen PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs. Gen 4 SSDs are now available at very affordable price rates and offer great performance which is why […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/klevv-cras-c925-1-tb-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-review-great-value-good-performance/

The Apple Watch helped save the lives of injured skiers in Washington after falling approximately 1,000 feet down a mountain, thanks to an SOS alert.


On Wednesday, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office in Washington were informed of an Apple Watch SOS alert. The notification from Apple's wearable came from a skier located near Steven's Pass, a popular ski resort.

Rescuers didn't have much information to go on, except that a skier had fallen on the mountain, and had injured a leg. The skier reportedly fell approximately 1,000 foot in their accident, reports Fox Weather.


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AMD's upcoming FSR 4 upscaling technology could be easier to implement than previously thought, with rumours suggesting a seamless upgrade path for games already supporting FSR 3.1.

This comes from Kepler_L2 (via VideoCardz) who hinted on Twitter that FSR 4 might be a simple drop-in replacement for FSR 3.1 (FSR 3 Frame Gen not included). This means that developers could potentially upgrade their games to FSR 4 with minimal effort, and gamers might even be able to swap DLL files themselves.

This news is particularly exciting given AMD's silence on FSR 4 since its brief showcase at CES 2025. During the event, AMD demonstrated the visual improvements of FSR 4 over FSR 3.1, highlighting its AI-powered upscaling capabilities and significant gains in image quality over the previous version of the technology.

If AMD delivers on this rumoured seamless upgrade path, over 40 games that currently support FSR 3.1 could be ready for FSR 4 at launch. This would significantly boost FSR 4's adoption and allow gamers to experience the benefits of the new technology in a wide range of titles as soon as FSR 4 is available.

KitGuru says: Do you believe FSR 4 will have a chance against DLSS 4 and its new transformer model?

The post All AMD FSR 3.1-suported titles will reportedly be compatible with FSR 4 first appeared on KitGuru.

Director M. Night Shyamalan and writer/creator Tony Basgallop have defeated a lawsuit alleging that their "Servant" series on Apple TV+ stole ideas from a previous film.


The lawsuit was brought by filmmaker Francesca Gregorini in January 2020, although the case was initially dismissed. On appeal, it was allowed to proceed with its accusation that "Servant" stole the plot and aped certain creative choices in the 2013 movie "The Truth About Emanuel."

Following a seven-day trial by jury, however, The Independent reports that the federal judge overseeing the case has ruled in favor of "Servant." The jury had been shown the film plus the first three episodes of the series at the start of the trial.


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Announced on January 27, 2010, the iPad wasn't really an iPhone and not quite a Mac. The latest iPads blend the best of both worlds — and that's now been an evolution a decade and a half in the making.


With trackpad support, revamped file systems, and no shortage of computing power, the latest iPad Pro lineup consists of serious competitors in usability for nearly every task to any hybrid or touchscreen notebooks out there. It hasn't always been that way, though.


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MSI Afterburner has received a significant update with the release of version 4.6.6 Beta 5. This latest version brings many improvements, including support for Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards, experimental support for Ryzen 9000 and Core Ultra 200 CPUs, alongside a fresh new look.

Developed by Alexey “Unwinder” Nicolaychuk, MSI Afterburner has long been the preferred tool for tweaking and monitoring graphics card performance, and it's what we use in our GPU reviews for overlocking. This latest beta addresses long-standing issues and adds new features to enhance the user experience.

Image credit: Unwinder

One of the key highlights of this update is the addition of support for new hardware, including the RTX 50 series, the Ryzen 9000 and Intel Core Ultra 200 series CPUs. Previous versions struggled to access all sensors and data from these newer architectures, but this beta introduces experimental support for all three families, allowing for more comprehensive monitoring and control. However, Unwinder emphasises that MSI Afterburner and Riva Tuner Statistics Server are primarily designed for GPUs. CPU support should be considered a bonus, and users shouldn't expect full functionality or dedicated support for CPU-related issues.

Afterburner 4.6.6 Beta 5 also introduces a new look with a default skin designed for Windows 11. However, users can still choose from other available skins to personalise their experience. Additionally, there's a new “MSI Special” skin that matches the aesthetics of MSI's RTX 5090 Special Edition series cards. Interestingly, the changelog mentions the integration of G-Assist, Nvidia's built-in chatbot.

The full patch notes can be found below:

• Added NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50×0 series graphics cards support:
  • Added quad fan control support for reference design NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50×0 series graphics cards.
  • Added software interface for future G-Assist integration.
  • MSI Windows 11 Dark skin is selected as default application skin now. Please take a note that quad fan control GUI is currently available in Dark and Light editions of MSI Windows 11 skins only. If you prefer to use some older legacy skins on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50×0 with 3 or 4 independently controllable fans, you may still switch between all fans in async fan control mode by pressing <Shift>+<F> repeatedly.
  • Added new MSI Special skin by Drerex design. New skin natively supports quad fan control feature on reference design NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50×0 series graphics cards.
• Added voltage control support for low-cost revisions of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40×0 GPUs.
• Refactored CPU info database format provides more simplified and unified future database updates for MSI Afterburner monitoring HAL, CPU.dll sample plugin and RivaTuner Statistics Server's own monitoring HAL.
• Updated HwInfo.dll plugin. Now the plugin can automatically spawn new versions on HwInfo, which now store path to installed application in slightly different installer's registry key.
• Added experimental support for AMD Ryzen 9xxx CPUs.
• Added experimental support for Intel Arrow Lake CPUs.
• RivaTuner Statistics Server has been upgraded to v7.3.7 Beta 5.

This beta version is exclusively available through Guru3D. Users who prefer downloading updates through MSI's official servers must wait until February, after the Chinese New Year celebrations.

KitGuru says: Do you use MSI Afterburner? Will you be updating to the new version or aren't too fussed?

The post MSI Afterburner beta adds support for RTX 50 series GPUs, Ryzen 9000 first appeared on KitGuru.