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iQOO 12 gets Android 15 update internationally, Circle to search is in
4:57 am | November 5, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

vivo and its sub-brand iQOO seem to be really serious about rolling out Android 15 to as many devices as possible very quickly. Following the rollout to the vivo X Fold3 Pro from earlier today, now the iQOO 12 is also getting its own taste of Android 15 with FuntouchOS 15 on top - thus, this is the international iQOO 12 we're talking about, not the Chinese model. The update arrives over-the-air (though you may have to manually check for it) as a 2.5GB download, so make sure you grab it using a fast enough network. After installation is complete, you'll be on software version...

iPadOS compliance with DMA regulations now examined by the EU
2:36 am |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Apple's iPadOS was deemed a "gatekeeper" platform under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) back in April. This resulted in Apple agreeing to open up iPadOS to third-party app stores in the EU in May, emulating what it had initially done with iOS. The EU granted Apple a six-month period to comply with all the DMA regulations for iPadOS, and that has expired on October 28. Thus, today the European Commission told Reuters that it is currently assessing whether iPadOS complies with the DMA following Apple's concessions. The EU antitrust watchdog said: "The Commission will now carefully...

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE vs. Samsung Galaxy S24+
12:43 am |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

The Galaxy S24 FE is now out, and it looks a lot like the Galaxy S24+ this year. And if it is as great as the Plus model, then is it worth paying extra for the flagship model, or better get the cheaper FE one? Let's find out! At around €580, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE seems like a tempting offer right now, more so than the €780 Samsung Galaxy S24+. Then again the flagship Plus model has some nice tricks that are not available to the FE – faster charging, better zoom and selfie cameras, UWB support, among others. Let's put the two phones against each other. Table of Contents: ...

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE vs. Samsung Galaxy S24+
12:43 am |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

The Galaxy S24 FE is now out, and it looks a lot like the Galaxy S24+ this year. And if it is as great as the Plus model, then is it worth paying extra for the flagship model, or better get the cheaper FE one? Let's find out! At around €580, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE seems like a tempting offer right now, more so than the €780 Samsung Galaxy S24+. Then again the flagship Plus model has some nice tricks that are not available to the FE – faster charging, better zoom and selfie cameras, UWB support, among others. Let's put the two phones against each other. Table of Contents: ...

vivo X Fold3 Pro is now receiving the Android 15 update with Circle to Search
11:25 pm | November 4, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

It's a great day for owners of the international version of vivo's X Fold3 Pro smartphone. The company has started rolling out the update to Android 15, with its FuntouchOS 15 skin on top. It arrives over-the-air as a 2.47GB download, so make sure you grab it over a fast enough network. After installing the update, you'll be on software version PD2337F_EX_A_15.1.8.21.W30. The changelog is vast (see screenshots below), but we'll mention that there's a new scheduling algorithm that differentiates the priority level and computing power requirements of various apps and tasks to accurately...

iOS 18.2 is coming in early December with more AI features
10:59 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Last month, Apple released iOS 18.1 with the first Apple Intelligence features, but there are still many more to come - iOS 18.1 only includes a small subset of everything Apple announced back in June. The next batch of AI features will arrive with iOS 18.2 in early December, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. With that release you will get ChatGPT integration, the Image Playground app, as well as Genmoji. Genmoji The update is currently scheduled to drop the week of December 2, so very early indeed. iOS 18.2 will offer AI features in varieties of English beyond the American...

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon review
10:32 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Lenovo's ThinkPad lineup continues to impress, particularly with the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 featuring Snapdragon. I have been a fan of the ThinkPad series for years, and appreciation won't fade soon. The ThinkPad T14s is part of the T series, positioning it as a business ultrabook with enterprise features geared more towards professionals than casual users or entry-level business laptops.

We're big fans of the AMD-powered Gen 4 (see out Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 business laptop review). But how does the Gen 6 Snapdragon stack up against some of the best Lenovo ThinkPad laptops? Well, this model boasts excellent ports, outstanding battery life, a fanless design, and a strong balance of power, weight, and battery performance. Additionally, it offers a decent display for business purposes. This laptop is excellent for what it's meant to be great for, and that's a good thing.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon: Price & availability

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 with Snapdragon starts around $1,700 for base configurations and climbs with additional RAM and storage options. This laptop is available in North America and Europe, though there are some limitations with connectivity options for the European models. You can buy these laptops at most retail stores that sell ThinkBooks. However, another great place to look would be Lenovo's website.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon: Unboxing & first impressions

Unboxing this laptop was a straightforward process typical for most ThinkBooks. Inside the box, I found the computer, a 65W USB-C charger, and the standard documentation accompanying nearly every laptop. Lenovo does an excellent job with minimalist packaging, and although I cannot confirm it, they claim to use eco-friendly and recyclable materials, which aligns with their sustainability goals.

My ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 features a sleek matte black finish, a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic lid, and a magnesium alloy body. It exhibits the classic ThinkPad design, showcasing how timeless this aesthetic is. The design has endured for years, much like that of the MacBook. When a company finds a design language that works, they tend to stick with it.

The materials used are smooth to the touch yet durable enough to withstand heavy daily use. It boasts sturdy hinges and solid keys and is both lightweight and robust.

As you'd expect from any of the best business laptops, from the first boot-up, the computer starts quickly, runs smoothly, and operates effortlessly.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon: Design & build quality

Specs

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100, 12 cores
RAM: 32GB LPDDR5X (onboard)
Storage: 1TB SSD (non-upgradable)
Display: 14-inch, FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS, 452 nits brightness
Connectivity: 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack
OS: Windows 11 Pro for ARM

As mentioned, the laptop is made from recycled magnesium alloy and carbon fiber. This is the classic combo that Lenovo has used for the ThinkPad lineup for quite some time. It's great, it's pretty durable, it's soft to the touch, and it's premium in look and feel. In parallel to the premium feel, this laptop is light. It weighs around 2.7 pounds, which is not the lightest laptop; even the ThinkPad X1 Carbon came under 2.5lb. However, it weighs nearly the same as the popular Apple MacBook Air.

The T14s Gen 6 also has the signature ThinkPad keyboard, TrackPoint, and Trackpad. For additional privacy, there is a physical slider to cover the camera and a dedicated key in the function row to mute the onboard microphone.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon: In use

I've had the opportunity to use this laptop in my rotation for the last few weeks, and it has been one of my favorite laptops to grab. It tackles my day-to-day work easily and is a nice break from some heavier laptops I rotate. I'm convinced, much like many seem to be these days, that the 14-inch 16:9 screen is perfect on a computer. My personal daily driver is an M2 MacBook Pro, but it has a 13-inch screen because it was released just before Apple jumped to 14- and 16-inch displays. That extra inch adds so much screen real estate without adding a lot more to carry, making it an excellent no-brainer.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

The ThinkPad T14s has been more than suitable for productivity tasks. However, I wouldn't use this computer for video editing, partially because of the power this laptop has, the graphics, and the screen resolution. However, as a business laptop, as it is designed to be, this laptop excels. I can run my heavy workloads (I push my computers hard for long days, 6.5 days a week) without missing a beat; I can render file compression and run heavy project management boards, heavy Excel files, and nearly 50 Chrome tabs, all processing efficiently. I can have Jira, Notion, Excel, Basecamp, Slack, Chrome, Spotify, Asana, and more all up and running without needing to close things down, as I would potentially have to do on less powerful laptops. 

My day-to-day work ranges from working at a desk at a coffee shop to roaming around hot desks and traveling. So far, I've been thrilled with this battery life. While I may not get a total of 21 hours because I run these laptops hard, as I mentioned, and usually with pretty high brightness, I quickly achieve an average and extended day of work. I can consistently get through a 12-hour day, even a 16-hour day, without needing to grab a charger. I've worked an 18-hour day and only grabbed a charger towards the end of the day so that I could start my next day topped off.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

I recently upgraded my home office Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi 6E thanks to the TP-Link XE75 Pro [review coming soon]. Though the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 can utilize up to Wi-Fi 7, getting it to work seamlessly with my Wi-Fi 6 channel has been great. Things download and upload quickly, meetings are transparent, buffering or skipping is avoided, and it's been great. Further, the fanless design, like that of a MacBook Air, is excellent. It's quiet yet keeps a stable temperature, not getting too hot even at my peak productivity.

Overall, the keyboard performed as expected. It features a compact function row at the top, which includes some additional function keys that are an excellent addition. The Trackpad is solid, although nothing compares to the Apple Trackpad. It's also important to note that this device does not have a touchscreen.

Lenovo | Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon: Final verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 with Snapdragon excels with its stellar battery life, reliable design, and lightweight build, making it ideal for users who prioritize mobility and connectivity. This computer is worth checking out for the average and even prosumer in the business world. It's a great combination of features and design that would be a great fit.


For more productivity hardware, we've tested the best business computers and the best business tablets.

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus 3D printer review
9:12 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

The Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus is, so far, the largest of the new Ender-3 line, which has already impressed with the standard version. Print quality for the Creality Ender-3 V3 was impressive, and despite the increase in scale, the printer promises to offer that same performance. While the Creality Ender series has long been a favourite among hobbyists, the enhanced design of the latest range, with the full die-cast aluminium frame, touchscreen interface, and CoreXY kinematics, makes this a far more serious proposition. The impressive 300 x 300 x 330 mm build volume makes this one of the larger printers in this price range, and despite the quality, it's still aimed at the entry end of the market.

As such, one of the standard features we've become used to, a camera, is missing from the model; however, one is available at minimal cost. This makes it a great option for anyone just getting into 3D printing or looking to upgrade from an older or smaller machine. Although, if you work in an office or education setting, the open frame design, while refined, might not be ideal, however, with the remote printing, scale and price, this is definitely going to appeal to businesses wanting to print at scale on a budget.

For those looking for the best 3D printer, the Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus is well-suited to those who want to work on larger prints without splitting designs into multiple pieces. The fact that this scale is backed by the impressive CoreXY design, which enables print speeds of up to 600 mm/s, puts it in competition with far more expensive machines.

While the additional noise from fans and the high-speed motors could be seen as an issue, along with the larger footprint, the Ender-3 V3 Plus is an impressive machine if you're looking to scale up your 3D printing projects without a huge outlay.

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus: Design

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Ender-3 V3 Plus is sold as a large-scale printer with CoreXY kinematics and a solid die-cast aluminium frame that sets it apart from the previous Ender-3 ranges. Sure enough, that new frame feels far higher quality than those previous iterations and reflects the smaller Ender-3 V3, just with a couple of braces to further increase the strength of the vertical section of the printer.

At 410 x 455 x 577 mm, the V3 Plus is by no means a small machine, but for the most part, Creality has streamlined the design to minimize its actual footprint. Although, as a bed-slinger, it still requires a little more room than other configurations that we more commonly see for CoreXY setups. A nice touch for a first print in the box is the top-mounted spool holder, which again helps to reduce the machine's footprint, although a little reconfiguration is needed for the filament runout sensor, and of course, quite a bit more headroom is required.

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Matching the quality of the user interface we've seen with the other Ender-3 V3 machines and the K1 series, the 4.3-inch colour touchscreen offers easy access to the printer settings, starting print jobs, and monitoring progress. This progress can also be followed using the Creality Print Software. If you prefer a more manual approach to sending your files to print, then you can transfer items from the software to the printer by means of the supplied USB stick.

  • Design: 4.5/5

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus: Features

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The key feature change for the Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus, compared with its predecessors, is the CoreXZ kinematics system. As with the Ender-3 V3, this is cleverly built into the bed-slinger design but enables a huge boost in the speed and accuracy. The big speed increase sees the V3 Plus able to reach print speeds of up to 600 mm/s, coupled with 20,000 mm/s² acceleration, which, considering the price point, is impressive.

The auto bed levelling system is a common and essential feature of most modern 3D printers. It is one of a few built-in features that help to circumnavigate common 3D print issues, including power loss, with the power-loss recovery function. On a small printer, losing power mid-print is annoying; on a printer of this size, losing a print after 15 hours due to a disconnection or power outage would be infuriating.

Taking a look at the tool head, and the printer is equipped with a tri-metal nozzle and a 60W hotend capable of heating up to 300°C. This enables it to support a decent variety of filaments, including PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU, giving you plenty of options for different projects. A feature of the nozzel that's worth highlighting is that it has a modular design, making it easy to swap out or upgrade. The hot end also features an improved heat break compared to previous versions, with a dual-fan cooling system designed to prevent clogs.

As we've seen with other Creality printers, the Ender-3 V3 Plus is compatible with Creality Slicer, Cura, Repetier-Host, and Simplify3D, providing plenty of options that should fit in with your workflow. The standard option is Creality Print, which is based on PRUSA Slicer, offering a huge amount of flexibility over print quality and speed. It also makes it easy to connect to wireless networks, enabling remote control, print monitoring, file uploads, and real-time print progress. As the printer doesn't ship with a camera, you can't get a live view of the print being created; however, the Nebula camera is fully compatible and easy to fit.

Another feature, the removable magnetic build plate, is a standard addition. It allows for easy print removal and reduces the risk of damaging completed prints during removal.

The V3 Plus is packed with features that will enable anyone, from home enthusiasts to small businesses, to produce larger-scale prints. It might not have some of the features you'd expect to see on more expensive machines, like an AI camera or enclosure, but if these are important to you, both can be purchased for a small additional cost.

Specs

Print Technology: FDM
Build Area: 300 x 300 x 330 mm
Minimum Layer Resolution: 0.1 mm
Maximum Layer Resolution: 0.4 mm
Dimensions: 410 x 445 x 557mm
Weight: 11.5 kg
Bed: Heated
Print Surface: Removable magnetic build plate
Software: Creality Slicer, Cura, Repetier-Host, Simplify3D
Materials: PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU
Print Speed: Up to 600 mm/s

The Creality Ender-3 V3 incorporates an all-metal hot end designed for high temperatures and supports materials like PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU. It heats rapidly, reaching up to 300°C in around a minute, ensuring consistent temperatures for long prints and the ability to adapt to the different flows of material. The improved nozzle design also allows for precise extrusion, while the dual-fan cooling system prevents clogging and enhances print quality. A new heat break helps to reduce heat creep, maintaining stable temperature control. This hot end is also modular, meaning the assembly is easy to upgrade and maintain.

As is now standard across almost all printers, the magnetic build plate generally makes model removal easy and reduces the risk of damaging prints. The heated bed supports a variety of materials, including PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU, expanding the versatility of the printer.

In terms of software, the Ender-3 V3 is compatible with Creality Slicer, Cura, Repetier-Host, and Simplify3D, giving you plenty of options for slicing and preparing models.

  • Features: 4.5/5

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus: Performance

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Setting up the machine is a relatively fast process, with the printer coming in the usual self-assembly flat-pack packaging. As is now common, rather than assembling every component, most of the machine is pre-assembled, and it's just the last few screws that need to be inserted and tightened. From the box to switch on should take no more than 10 minutes, and the design is such that everything smoothly fits in place, with labels clearly indicating what goes where and what needs to be tightened.

One small issue that becomes apparent the more that you use the machine is the filament feed runout sensor attached to the frame. It's in an odd position, which can make it a little fiddly to initially insert and feed the filament through, especially if you have larger hands. As you use the printer, there were a couple of occasions where, as the horizontal bar raised and then lowered, the excess filament from the reel became tangled. This is easy to sort out if you're near the machine and spot it, but not so if you've wandered off.

Staying with the filament, when the printer runs out, it stops so that you can insert another reel. However, when you tap the buttons to retract the filament to extract it from the printer, it pulls in a short length to clear the nozzle before retracting. Unfortunately, the design of the extruder and feed doesn't quite give you enough filament to pull it cleanly out, meaning you either have to unclip the tube from the filament runout sensor and pull it out from there or from the top of the extruder. In both cases, there's a small extruder release switch on top of the tool head.

While this doesn't affect the print quality, it is annoying.

Moving on to print quality, the results are superb, even at scale. Despite its size, the machine is robust and rigid, and as the tool head powers around the build platform, the quality and speed of prints are excellent. During testing, we ran through four reels of filament, printed models both small and large, and filled the height of the build area to see how it would cope. Everything we threw at the printer was handled with ease, and throughout the test, there was only a single failed print, which was due to a filament change at the start of the test.

When it came to filament variety, the machine handled everything from PLA to PETG successfully, with the hotend proving to be of high enough quality and temperature to cope with more than standard materials.

Ultimately, considering the price, this printer's capabilities are impressive, and this was reflected in the benchmarking tests.

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Staying with the filament, when the printer runs out, it stops so that you can insert another reel. However, when you tap the buttons to retract the filament to extract it from the printer, it pulls in a short length to clear the nozzle before retracting. Unfortunately, the design of the extruder and feed doesn't quite give you enough filament to pull it cleanly out, meaning you either have to unclip the tube from the filament runout sensor and pull it out from there or from the top of the extruder. In both cases, there's a small extruder release switch on top of the tool head.

While this doesn't affect the print quality, it is annoying.

Moving on to print quality, the results are superb, even at scale. Despite its size, the machine is robust and rigid, and as the tool head powers around the build platform, the quality and speed of prints are excellent. During testing, we ran through four reels of filament, printed models both small and large, and filled the height of the build area to see how it would cope. Everything we threw at the printer was handled with ease, and throughout the test, there was only a single failed print, which was due to a filament change at the start of the test.

When it came to filament variety, the machine handled everything from PLA to PETG successfully, with the hotend proving to be of high enough quality and temperature to cope with more than standard materials.

Ultimately, considering the price, this printer's capabilities are impressive, and this was reflected in the benchmarking tests.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus: Final verdict

Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Anyway, you look at it, the Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus is an impressive machine, both in stature and performance. The initial assembly for a machine of this size is fast and straightforward, and one person can easily assemble it without much difficulty. The side braces add to the rigidity of the machine, helping to avoid some of the flexibility that is common with larger models.

The one small issue is with the filament feed, which is slightly annoyingly positioned and can be time-consuming when swapping filaments. It's not a major issue, and the position of the filament reel, along with the runout sensor, can be moved to the top of the machine, although some issues still exist. At this size, excess filament as the tool head raises and lowers is always going to be an issue without some type of filament retraction system.

In use, the Ender-3 V3 Plus is as easy to use as its smaller sibling, with remote connectivity to the Creality Slicer software enabling you to upload and monitor the progress of your prints. The fact that you can add a camera for visual monitoring at a small additional cost further boosts its usefulness for businesses that may want the printer in a separate location from the main workspace. To that end, despite the fast CoreXY kinematics and bed-slinger design, the actual noise produced by the printer is well balanced—audible, especially the fans, but not so much that it's distracting.

For a printer of this size, and more importantly for the size of prints it enables you to produce, the Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus is an impressive machine, and for the price, it offers the best value out there.

Should you buy the Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus?

The Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus is a great choice as a 3D printer for any business or individucal  looking to print large and offers a balance between affordability and performance, with features usually found on more expensive machines. 

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...


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Xiaomi 14 gets Android 15 stable update
8:31 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Global Xiaomi 14 users are reporting that the company has started seeding the stable version of Android 15. Although it's still unlear about which phones from the series are getting the treatment, we assume it's just the Xiaomi 14 for now, with the 14 Ultra likely to follow suit in the coming days or weeks. The update is designated for global units. And it's important to note that it's based on the company's HyperOS 1.1 overlay and not HyperOS 2.0. The OS1.1.4.0.VNCEUXM build is for the European owners, while the OS1.1.3.0.VNCMIXM number is for other global markets. Meanwhile,...

Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra cases leak
7:29 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Samsung's Galaxy S25 family is due to be unveiled in January, and we're starting to get more and more leaks about these devices as we get closer. Today, third-party silicone cases for the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra have been leaked. These show off the phones' general shapes, and there's still an obvious difference between the S25 and S25+ on one hand, and the S25 Ultra on the other. That said, as has been rumored countless times before, the Ultra does have rounded corners, giving up on the palm-denting corners of its predecessor. Leaked cases: Samsung Galaxy S25 (left),...

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