More Than Just a Box

Kailh makes keyboards? Yes! But the one we’re reviewing today, the Kailh Hexgears KHBSJNB-0795, is a special edition product designed as a demonstration platform for Kailh’s new BOX mechanical switches which is what we’re actually reviewing today.

The Kailh BOX mechanical switch is a relatively new switch on the market and has a few new design changes from the traditional Kailh switches we all know and love. The Kailh BOX switches were released back in June 2017 and is now just starting to trickle into mainstream mechanical keyboard designs. Unlike the previous Cherry clones, the Kailh BOX comes in its own line of stem [...]

One of the newer gamer-centric features of Windows 10 is the Game Bar and Game DVR, which is a feature designed to allow gamers to record gameplay in the background so if something amazing happens, you have proof to show all your friends. Since you don’t really know when you’ll pull off that amazing quadruple melee kill, Game DVR can automatically record all gaming video in the background so when that amazing moment happens, you can simply save it to show all your friends.

Of course, if you already have another service such as Nvidia ShadowPlay or have a dedicated capture card recording footage for you, you may not need to have Game Bar or Game DVR. [...]

For all the readers living in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you get all the food, drink and of course plenty of Black Friday shopping after!

Today and for the next 48 hours, we’ll be scouring the internet for the best Black Friday deals on technology, computer hardware, and other generally awesome deals you may want to check out. We’ll keep this post updated with all the latest deals, so check back often!

 

CPCR Black Friday Picks Laptops MSI GL62M 7RDX-NE1050i5 15.6″ (Core i5 7300HQ, GTX 1050, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD) – $599 After $50 Rebate MSI GS73VR STEALTH PRO-060 17.3″ (Core i7-7700HQ GTX 1070 8G MAX Q [...]

Microsoft released the update Surface Book 2 in a surprise announcement this morning, bringing some much needed specs upgrade to the almost archaic Surface Book.

The new Surface Book 2 is now equipped with Intel’s 7th/8th Gen dual-core and quad-core CPUs. Graphics have been boosted to either the integrated Intel UHD 620, or discrete Nvidia GTX 1050 and GTX 1060 for the higher end models. RAM and storage options remain unchanged with options up to 16GB of LPDDR3 and up to a 1TB  NVME PCIe SSD.

Both the 13″ and 15″ model carries the always-sexy PixelSense display with a pixel density of 267ppi for the 13″ model and 260ppi for the [...]

The next major feature update for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is here.

The Windows 10 Fall Creator’s Update brings a long list of improvements and new features. Finally integrated is the long-promised desktop chat integration for contacts from LinkedIn and Skype, as well as a new Android and iPhone linking feature. You won’t be able to respond to text messages, but you’ll be able send browser sessions from your phone directly to your desktop for future viewing.

AR, or Augmented Reality, is also receiving a lot of love. The Fall Creators Update will prepare your system to be AR ready right off the get-go, no setup [...]

So you’re setting up your brand new desktop, laptop or smartphone and you come across the option to choose the type of account or protocol to use and you have zero idea what any of it actually does. Don’t worry. We’ve been there before which is why today we’ll be comparing three of the most common e-mail protocols in use today.

 

POP3

POP3, or Post Office Protocol Version 3, is one of the e-mail protocols quickly losing popularity today thanks to the rise of broadband and mobile broadband internet.

The way POP3 works is once it’s setup on an e-mail client (Windows Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, [...]

After a succession of failures, Joe Belfiore, VP of Operating Systems at Microsoft, confirmed via Twitter that Microsoft will not be creating another Windows phone.

In another Tweet, Belfiore explained that Windows Phone’s phone’s fundamental issue was one it had since day one: the lack of apps. Users won’t use a phone with no apps, and companies won’t develop apps for a platform with no users. This vicious cycle is what ultimately drove the nail in the coffin. Joe also promised that Windows 10 mobile will continue to receive security updates, but active development in both hardware and software have [...]

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is finally signing off after 20 years of service.

In a concise and nostalgic blog post, AOL announced that AIM will be closing its doors to all users on December 15, 2017.

AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed. As a result we’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017. We are more excited than ever to continue building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products for users around the world.

AIM was massively popular in the late 90s and early 2000’s, [...]

Microsoft’s Groove Music streaming service (formerly known as XBOX music) will end its run on December 31. Rest in peace.

Microsoft explains that the Groove music app will continue to work as a standalone player for local music, and will continue to be able to stream music stored in OneDrive. Only the streaming service will end.

For streaming, Microsoft has reached out to Groove’s biggest competitor, Spotify. Microsoft has partnered closely with Spotify to promote the service, and is currently developing a new music app for the Windows Store. Customers with existing playlists on Groove Music will be able to export them to Spotify easily via the [...]

According to a report from Digitimes, AMD has revealed to its motherboard partners that it plans to launch its next generation 12nm Ryzen CPUs in February of 2018. The new CPUs will be manufactured on Global Foundries upcoming 12nm process.

The upcoming 12nm Ryzen CPUs will be codenamed Pinnacle Ridge and will feature both a die shrink as well as architecture improvements over current generation Summit Ridge Ryzen CPUs. Like Summit Ridge, Pinnacle Ridge will be divided into Pinnacle 7, Pinnacle 5, and Pinnacle 3. Pinnacle 7 will be launching first in February 2018 followed by Pinnacle 5 and 3 in March 2018. Following these will also be the Pinnacle Ridge low [...]