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Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

11 Years of Ubuntu: History Revisited (2015)
3 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do On Facebook
Budget Game PC - October 2015
Collen Rugged Samsung Galaxy S6 Case Review
Collen Samsung Galaxy S6 Hybrid Phone Case Review
Evolution Of Intel Graphics: i740 To Iris Pro
Hello Windows Hello: Firmware Update Adds Biometric Login To Surface Pro 4 And Surface Book
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 Review
HP Envy 34c Monitor Review
Mini Review: Philips BT6000 Bluetooth speaker
Ozone BLAST 4HX Review
Patriot Viper 4 PC4-22400 2x8GB DDR4 RAM
The Best Graphics Cards: Nvidia vs. AMD at Every Price Point
With Intel at Shoreditch Studios, London
Zotac MAGNUS EN970 Gaming Mini-PC



11 Years of Ubuntu: History Revisited (2015)

Ubuntu has touched the lives of many among us in different ways. I can't speak for everyone here and hence I will share a few of my experiences with Ubuntu. For me, Ubuntu was the gateway to Linux and to the whole open source way of thinking. Ubuntu taught me that computers are not all about Windows OS and that there are far better alternatives than the "default" Windows desktop which you have been made to see and learn from a younger age. Lets go back in time and see how Ubuntu evolved over the years to become what it is now - a totally awesome, user-friendly and fast changing Linux based distro for 'human beings'.

Read full article @ Tech Drive-In

3 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do On Facebook

In the past, weve shown you how to cut out Facebook annoyances and how to find a job on Facebook. Today, were going to dive into three more tips, each one showing you something that you didnt know you could do on Facebook. Hide From Specific People In Chat On the right side at the bottom of your screen, click the gear icon under your friends list. Select Turn off chat for only some friends and then start adding names. Click Save to make it appear as if you are offline, but only to those friends.

Read full article @ MakeUseOf

Budget Game PC - October 2015

The Hardware.Info Budget Game PC Advice has a balanced configuration for playing video games, without having to spend too much. The components have been selected to offer the best bang for your buck.

That means you cannot always expect the highest settings, resolution and frame rate, but at the same time you should be able to play all modern games in Full HD resolution without making huge concessions to either the image quality or your enjoyment of the game.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Collen Rugged Samsung Galaxy S6 Case Review

So I’m back again with another review of a case for my Samsung Galaxy S6, this one is another from Collen but this one is the rugged dual layer style which will provide good protection at an inexpensive cost. The case is decent overall, I like it, especially the yellow and black color scheme. Read on to learn more..

Read full article @ Technogog

Collen Samsung Galaxy S6 Hybrid Phone Case Review

I have to play catch up here, I’ve got a several cases for review for my Samsung Galaxy S6 so let’s just jump right in with another one from Collen but this one is more of a rugged style as opposed to the very basic one I looked at a little bit ago. This case is what they call a hybrid and it’s a combination of plastic, rubber and aluminum but yet it won’t add much bulk to the phone and it should offer decent protection overall. Read on to learn more..

Read full article @ Technogog

Evolution Of Intel Graphics: i740 To Iris Pro

From i740 to the Iris Pro family, we look at the evolution of Intel's graphics technology over the last 17 years.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Hello Windows Hello: Firmware Update Adds Biometric Login To Surface Pro 4 And Surface Book

Just the other day, I posted my review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. One of the most exciting additions to the convertible tablet from Microsoft was the implementation of Windows Hello biometric login with the use of a facial recognition camera system. When the devices were handed out, we were told that Windows Hello would not be enabled on the review units but that it would be coming before the devices go on sale. Well, Microsoft has snuck in under the wire. A firmware update came out this weekend which has enabled Windows Hello on both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.

I won’t get into a lot of detail into what Windows Hello is. For that, please refer to the Windows 10 review where I go into that in detail. The basics is that Windows Hello is part of an authentication system in Windows 10 where biometrics can be used to supplement traditional passwords. At the moment, it supports Iris scanners, facial recognition, and fingerprint readers. Microsoft has gone with facial recognition with their latest Surface products.

Read full article @ Anandtech

HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 Review

HP targets the enterprise with a flawed but ultra-secure high-end laptop

Read full article @ V3

HP Envy 34c Monitor Review

HP’s new 34-inch curved Envy 34c sports a high-contrast SVA panel and DTS-tuned speakers; features that set it apart from the competition. Today we check out its performance in our benchmark suite.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Mini Review: Philips BT6000 Bluetooth speaker

It almost feels like portable Bluetooth speakers are the new essential product category for consumer gadget makers. Every second day a new portable, weatherproof Bluetooth speaker seems to apparate from nothing onto our desks, waiting to be reviewed.Philips is not exempt from this desire to join the portable music trend. While Philips has a long history in speakers – including its decent lineup of Fidelio Bluetooth units – the BT6000 is the latest compact portable Bluetooth speaker from partner Gibson Innovations.At AU$179.95 (£89.95, approx US$130), the price tag falls in line with products like the Bose SoundLink Color, but significantly more than the cheapest options on the market. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as its solid build quality and commendable sound output make it a true contender.DesignWhile the name of products like the UE Roll and the Bose Soundlink Color give you some idea of the product's design, the Philips BT6000 does no such thing.

Read full article @ TechRadar

Ozone BLAST 4HX Review

The life of the cross platform gamer can be a tangled mess of cables, controllers, and clutter around the TV screen. It can also be a pain when you have to fork out for individual peripherals for each system. Imagine the pain of having a separate headset for each leading console, the inconvenience alone may cause a headache let alone the cost associated with it! There are various cross platform solutions available, and while most of these are from a default functionality of simply be a headset, there doesn’t seem to be an escape from the fact that certain companies intentionally create custom solutions to create a closed market.

This inevitably creates an inconvenience and the solutions tend to be quite exotic, the Blast 4HX is no exception. With plug and play USB audio for PC/MAC , Ozone have also added a separate game function to switch input audio sources to a stereo 3.5mm jack, this then opens up options for various cable trickery between the Xbox360, PS3/4.

The BLAST 4HX is equipped with premium 44mm drivers, soft leather earcups that automatically adjust to the contours of your head, Red LED lighting, and a metallic headband for durability. The design is made to be lightweight and foldable for transport and storage.

Read full article @ Vortez

Patriot Viper 4 PC4-22400 2x8GB DDR4 RAM

How often do we expect outcomes that defy expectations? When Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada swept the country with a majority government on Monday, it did not come as much of a surprise to me. They were leading the opinion polls at 37% to 39% up to the election, which, by Canadian tradition, is already very close to take on more than half the seats in parliament. Now, living in the part of the country with almost unwavering support for the Conservatives -- and I will admit I have not voted for anyone else ever since I was old enough to vote -- many people I know hoped for an outcome in defiance of the opinion polls for a blue victory. This has happened before in the 2012 Alberta general election and 2013 British Columbia general election, where the opposition had a massive lead in opinion polls over the governing party before seeing the actual results on Election Day. The incumbents, in both cases, won majorities, despite the fact the BC Liberal's leader even lost her own seat. This time around in the federal election, no such miracle happened, and everything went as expected. As you can see, opinion polls can be wrong, but more often than not, they paint a pretty clear picture of what we expect. In the same way, numbers may not tell you the whole story of how a computer component performs, but more often than not, they are quite indicative of what to expect. In the past few weeks, we have published several reviews on DDR4 memory on the Intel Skylake platform, which ranged from DDR4-2666 to DDR4-3200. Today, we will take a look at the DDR4-2800 dual channel kit from Patriot. Will it defy expectations, or will it perform as expected? Also, with a somewhat modest clock speed and designed to operate at 1.2V, will it leave some room for overclocking if we bumped the voltage to 1.35V? Let us find out.

Read full article @ APH Networks

The Best Graphics Cards: Nvidia vs. AMD at Every Price Point

Nvidia unleashed just four new GPUs in 2015 while AMD delivered eight cards if you're willing to be loose with the definition of "new" and three if you're not: Radeon R9 Fury X, Fury and Nano. With no more releases from either camp for the remainder of the year, let's break down each price bracket where key battles are being played out to pick some bang-for-buck winners.

Read full article @ TechSpot

With Intel at Shoreditch Studios, London

KitGuru were invited to spend some time with Intel on 21st October at Shoreditch Studios, London. Intel used a photographic studio in a converted railway arch in Shoreditch to display a show case of new laptops from a selection of its partners. KitGuru saw models from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and MSI that were all powered by 6th Gen Skylake chips.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Zotac MAGNUS EN970 Gaming Mini-PC

Mini-PC’s usually come with a lot of compromises due to their small size. They for example rarely are fit for any serious gaming. The Zotac Magnus EN970 though is different. It still is a small mini-PC, although not as small as some of the other Zotac mini-PC’s we have reviewed, but it comes with a discrete graphics chip, a GTX960 (or more exact a variant of the GTX970M), which means it suddenly becomes a viable gaming machine for your TV. The downside to this? Well, at $799 for the barebones system without any memory or storage it certainly is not a cheap option. Is it still worth it? We hope you will know by the end of this review.

Read full article @ Bjorn3D