Author: alex

China reportedly discouraged purchase of NVIDIA H20 chips after Lutnick remarks Chinese regulators — including the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) — reportedly urged local companies to stop buying NVIDIA's H20 AI chips after US commerce official Howard Lutnick made remarks in a CNBC interview that Chinese authorities found "insulting." The story was reported by Engadget and cited other outlets. Key points Howard Lutnick said the US doesn’t sell "our best stuff" to China and described a strategy of keeping China a step behind—comments that reportedly provoked Chinese regulators. CAC issued an informal notice asking major tech firms (e.g., ByteDance, Alibaba) to pause new H20 orders pending a national-security review; NDRC issued a similar…

Proton updates Lumo to v1.1 — faster, more capable Proton has released version 1.1 of its privacy-focused AI chatbot Lumo approximately four weeks after the initial launch. According to reporting, the update improves the assistant's performance across the board by deploying additional compute resources and refining the underlying model. What's changed in v1.1 Performance improvements across all areas of the assistant Additional computational resources allocated to Lumo Revisions and improvements to the underlying AI model At the time of writing, Proton's official blog post introducing Lumo provides an overview of the product and its privacy features: Proton — Lumo AI. Independent coverage reported the v1.1 update, but no explicit official announcement for version 1.1 was found. Source note: Update reported by a German tech site; Proton's official Lumo page linked…

MasterClass 50% Off — Annual Subscriptions Half Price MasterClass is offering 50% off annual subscriptions, giving access to 200+ classes taught by top instructors across writing, cooking, sports, business and more. What you get Access to 200+ classes and original series (e.g., Business Rebels, Skin Health). Classes taught by instructors like James Patterson (writing), Thomas Keller & Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Steph Curry (basketball). Each class typically includes ~20 short video lessons (~10 minutes each) plus a downloadable workbook. Features: offline downloads (on supported tiers), audio lessons, and downloadable class guides. Subscription tiers & sale pricing MasterClass bills annually. The site advertises three tiers that differ mainly by number of simultaneous devices and offline support. Sale prices (monthly-equivalent) are: Standard: $5/month (billed annually = $60/year). Supports 1 device. Plus: $8/month (billed…

Alaska Air Group to Offer Starlink In‑Flight Wi‑Fi Across Fleet by 2027 Alaska Air Group announced it will begin offering SpaceX's Starlink gate‑to‑gate in‑flight Wi‑Fi starting in 2026 and complete a fleetwide rollout by 2027. The airline says the system will deliver speeds up to 7× faster than traditional geostationary satellite systems and enable streaming, video calls, and real‑time work onboard. Key details Rollout timeline: Starts 2026, full fleet by 2027. Free for loyalty members: Atmos Rewards members will get complimentary access as part of a partnership with T‑Mobile. T‑Mobile partnership: T‑Mobile will provide a seamless, ad‑free Wi‑Fi login experience for passengers; full details to follow. Performance claim: Alaska says Starlink offers "ultra‑fast speeds"—up to 7× faster than current GEO satellite Wi‑Fi systems most airlines use. Estimated costs: Industry reports…

Best Streaming Deals Right Now — Save on Subscriptions Feeling sticker shock from rising streaming prices? Here’s a concise roundup of current deals and tips on how to save. Top limited-time offers DirecTV: Intro offers as low as $50 for the first month on select packages (90+ channels). DashPass Annual + HBO Max (with ads): Bundle deals can drop the effective cost to about $96/yr for HBO Max (ads) when paired with DoorDash DashPass Annual promotions. Spotify: New users often get 3 months free on Premium Individual trial offers. Fubo Pro: Introductory pricing around $55 for the first month on some packages. YouTube TV: Promotions such as 3 months for $150 for new subscribers occasionally appear. Sling Orange: First-month discounts bringing price near $23 for new customers. Peacock: First-responder discounts…

Tropico 7 announced — satirical city-builder returns in 2026 Publisher Kalypso Media has announced Tropico 7, scheduled for release in 2026 on PC (Steam, Epic, Microsoft Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. Key details Developer: Gaming Minds Studios Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S Release window: 2026 (no exact date yet) New features announced 5-map story campaign 20+ additional sandbox maps and a random map generator 10 new scenarios New terraforming tools to reshape terrain New council mechanic for political gameplay New antagonist: Victoria Guerra The announcement trailer and the game's Steam store page are the best places to watch the reveal and track updates. No Amazon pre-order or physical edition has been listed yet. Sources Tropico…

Devolo discontinues Home Control servers — remote access ends Dec 31, 2025 According to a report on iphone-ticker.de, Aachen-based network equipment vendor Devolo will shut down the servers for its Home Control smart‑home system on December 31, 2025. From that date the remote access via the Home‑Control app and the mydevolo portal will no longer be available. The associated iOS app is also said to be removed from the App Store on the same day. What stops working Remote access through the Home‑Control mobile apps and the mydevolo web portal Cloud-based automations and remote control features that rely on Devolo servers What users should do Back up your device configurations and any automation rules where possible. Check whether local control (LAN) still works for your devices and hubs. Investigate alternative…

Baseus 145W Powerbanks — charge laptops, tablets and phones Baseus has released two powerful powerbanks this spring that can deliver up to 145 watts to connected devices. That means they can quickly recharge not only smartphones and tablets but also many notebooks, including some MacBook models (check compatibility for your specific model). Both units are currently offered at a noticeable discount. While both list a 145W maximum output, real-world sustained charging and device compatibility can vary — check the product specifications before purchase. Find them on Amazon: Search for Baseus 145W powerbank on Amazon (affiliate) Notes: Verify PD output and cable compatibility for charging laptops. Remove any reliance on the original RSS source link; this post links to retail listings for purchase info. Source: aggregated news about Baseus product announcements.

Best MacBooks for 2025 — Quick Buying Guide Apple’s 2025 lineup centers on M4-series Macs. The M4 MacBook Air is the best value for most people after a price cut, while the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models (with optional M4 Pro and M4 Max chips) are aimed at professionals who need more power, ports and advanced displays. Where to check current prices MacBook Air (M4) — https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+MacBook+Air+M4&tag=f1rede-20 MacBook Pro (M4) — https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+MacBook+Pro+M4&tag=f1rede-20 Budget options Apple dropped the M4 Air price, making it the default budget pick for many. If you need to save more, consider Apple-refurbished units or reputable third-party refurbishers. Trade-ins also reduce cost. Key factors when buying Chip & CPU cores M4 is standard in the Air and base Pro. M4 Pro and M4 Max add more…

Tedee GO 2 jetzt auch in Aluminium (Black & Silver) Der Hersteller Tedee bietet sein smartes Türschloss GO 2 nun auch in einer Aluminium-Ausführung an. Die Metallvariante (erhältlich in Schwarz und Silber) soll robuster wirken und einen hochwertigeren Eindruck vermitteln, ohne dass sich Abmessungen oder Funktionsweise des Schlosses ändern. Kurzüberblick Modelle: Black Aluminium, Silver Aluminium Preis: ca. €164.90–€169.00 (je nach Modell und Händler) Merkmale: Keyless Entry per Smartphone/Smartwatch, einfache DIY-Installation auf bestehendem Euro-Zylinder, Fernzugriff mit Tedee Bridge, Integration mit Google Home/Alexa u.a. Batterie: 3x CR123 (Austauschbar, Laufzeit typ. 6–8 Monate) Details Die Aluminium-Variante verändert weder die Maße noch die Funktionen des Tedee GO 2; sie bringt vor allem optische und haptische Verbesserungen. Technische Spezifikationen, Kompatibilitätsinformationen und Zubehör (z. B. Tedee Bridge für Fernzugriff) bleiben identisch zur bisherigen Ausführung. Bezugsquellen Offizieller…