Intel’s mid-range Arc A770 GPU arrives October 12th for $329

Intel’s long-promised desktop GPUs are finally close to reaching gamers worldwide. As part of its flurry of announcements, Intel has confirmed the Arc A770 GPU will be available in a range of models on October 12th starting at $329. As the price suggests, this is aimed squarely at the GeForce RTX 3060, Radeon RX 6650 XT and other mid-tier video cards — Intel claims both “1440p gaming performance” and up to 65 percent stronger “peak” ray tracing performance than rivals, although it didn’t name specific hardware.

Like competitors, Intel is counting as much on AI as it is raw computing power. The Arc A770 supports Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) that, like NVIDIA’s DLSS or AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution, uses AI upscaling to boost frame rates at higher resolutions. It supports Intel’s dedicated and integrated GPUs, and should be available in over 20 games by the end of 2022.

Tom’s Hardwarenotes the Intel’s first mainstream desktop GPU, the Arc A380, was exclusive to China. This is the first chance many outside of that country will have to buy a discrete Intel graphics card.

Intel is delivering the A770 later than expected, having promised the GPU for this summer. Even so, the timing might be apt. NVIDIA is currently focusing its attention on the high-end with the RTX 40 series, while AMD hasn’t done much more than speed-bump the RX 6000 line. The A770 may stand out as a viable option for budget-conscious gamers, particularly when GPUs like the RTX 3060 still have higher official prices.

YouTuber says Samsung may have a problem with swelling phone batteries

Samsung may not have left its battery troubles completely in the past. YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss (aka Arun Rupesh Maini) and others have noticed that batteries in Samsung phones are swelling up at a disproportionately high rate. While this most often affects older devices where ballooning batteries are more likely, some of them are only a couple of years old — the 2020-era Galaxy Z Fold 2, for instance. It’s usually obvious (the phone back pops loose), but it can be subtle enough that you may not realize your battery is in a dangerous state.

Battery swelling isn’t a new problem, or unique to Samsung. As lithium batteries age, their increasingly flawed chemical reactions can produce gas that inflates battery cells and increases the risk of a fire. This author has had two non-Samsung phones meet their ends this way. It’s more likely to happen if you leave a battery without charging or discharging for a long time, and many companies (such as Apple) recommend that you keep batteries at a roughly 50 percent charge if you won’t use a device for extended periods.

The concern is that swelling appears to affect Samsung phones of the past few years more than other brands, and that the power packs are rated to last five years without hazards like this. Tech video creators are uniquely well-suited to track issues like this — Maini and people like him often store dozens or hundreds of phones in identical conditions, although they don’t necessarily keep the handsets at appropriate charge levels.

It’s not clear just how broad the problem is, or how systemic it might be. We’ve asked Samsung for comment and will let you know if we hear back. However, it’s safe to say the company would rather not deal with more battery woes. The Galaxy Note 7’s fire-prone battery led Samsung to conduct a massive recall that (temporarily) tarnished the firm’s reputation. With that said, the crisis also prompted a focus on battery safety and served as a warning sign to the phone industry. If nothing else, the swelling reports could educate users and manufacturers.

Google Play Store finally makes it easier to find Android TV and Wear OS apps

The Google Play Store is notorious for making it difficult to find apps optimized for non-phone devices —you’ve often had to guess and hope for the best. Now, however, it just involves a couple of taps. Google says it recently added Play Store home pages to its Android app with recommendations for Android Automotive, Android TV and Wear OS apps. Visit “other devices” and you can find a health tracker for your Galaxy Watch 5, or a video service for your Chromecast.

New search filters also limit results to those that support non-phone hardware. If you find something you like, you can remotely install it from your handset. Google also noted that it previously revised the Play Store website to improve navigation and features like remote installs.

Google Play Store filters for non-phone devices
Google

The move follows efforts to accommodate tablet users, and could be helpful if you can’t (or just don’t want to) search for apps on the device where you’ll use them. That’s particularly helpful for Wear OS users who might have to browse apps on a tiny screen. You might find more apps for your devices and (as Google no doubt hopes) increase your chances of sticking to the Android ecosystem.

It’s also difficult to ignore the timing. Google is formally debuting the Pixel Watch at its New York City event on October 6th, and just revamped the 1080p Chromecast. The improved app discovery could help sell these products to customers wondering if their favorite app is available. Not that you’ll likely mind if you prefer third-party gear — this might boost Android as a whole.

Alienware’s revamped QD-OLED gaming monitor is slimmer and cheaper

Alienware’s existing QD-OLED monitor is a spectacular display, but its size and $1,300 price can make it difficult to justify even if you’re a well-heeled enthusiast. Dell is tackling both of those problems with a revamped Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, the AW3423DWF. The new version is thinner, making it easier to mount on a wall, but also carries a lower $1,100 sticker. It’s not exactly cheap, then, but you can at least roll some of the savings into an RTX 4080 or other PC components.

The technical capabilities are largely similar, although that isn’t really a bad thing. This latest Alienware monitor still outputs atn ultra-wide 3,440 x 1,440 with QD-OLED’s signature color quality, high contrast and quick pixel response times (0.1ms gray-to-gray). The AW3423DWF packs a native 165Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync Display support, but also offers 120Hz variable refresh rate compatibility to work nicely with your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. There’s a new on-screen settings joystick to quickly access mode presets, including a new Creator mode for gamers who also need to edit photos and videos.

The Alienware 34 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor ships sometime this fall. If anything, its main competition may come from its panel manufacturer. Samsung will release the Odyssey OLED G8 with a subtler design and slightly improved 175Hz refresh rate before the end of 2022. While its pricing isn’t yet available, you may have a difficult choice if you’re shopping for a stretched gaming display in the near future.

Netflix’s Spotify series trailer portrays streaming music as a revolution

Netflix has shared the trailer for its fictional Spotify series, and it appears to be just what you’d expect — for better and for worse. The preview clip portrays Spotify founder Daniel Ek (played by Vikings‘ Edvin Endre) as a revolutionary who not only wants to create a legal alternative to piracy, but hopes to reshape the entire music industry. Not surprisingly, the show pits Ek and crew against a range of enemies that include skeptical labels and wary politicians.

The six-episode miniseries premieres October 13th. Veteran Netflix movie director Per-Olav Sørensen helmed the project, while Christian Spurrier (Hunted) was the writer.

Whether or not The Playlist is entertaining, there are concerns it may paint a largely one-sided view of Spotify’s success. The trailer does acknowledge concerns about Spotify’s pay-per-play business model, but characterizes them as minor headaches — in this take, artists are simply thankful their concerts don’t end up on The Pirate Bay. There’s no talk of low or unpaid royalties in the trailer. For that matter, it’s wrong in casting legal music streaming as an entirely novel concept at the time. Rhapsody, anyone?

The tone isn’t surprising, though. There’s been a string of fictionalized movies and shows about technology companies as of late, ranging from Apple’s WeWork drama through to Showtime’s Uber production. That’s not including earlier media like The Social Network or Steve Jobs. While these titles don’t necessarily flatter their subjects, there is a tendency to portray companies as game-changers that are ultimately beneficial — the shows don’t always confront serious issues, such as struggling artists or unhappy taxi drivers.

Chipotle is moving its tortilla robot to a real restaurant

Chipotle’s tortilla-making robot will soon help out in a restaurant you can visit. The chain has unveiled a slew of technology updates that include moving the Miso Robotics-made Chippy robot to a real restaurant. The machine will start cooking tortilla chips in a Fountain Valley, California location in October. Feedback from customers and workers will help the company decide on a national rollout.

Artificial intelligence will influence some human cooks, too. Chipotle is piloting a demand-based cooking system that uses AI to tell staff what and when to cook based on forecasts for how much they’ll need. In theory, this lightens the load for employees while making sure there’s enough freshly-cooked tacos and burritos when you show up for dinner. The pilot is underway at eight Orange County, California restaurants.

There’s also an upgrade for tech you can use. An opt-in program in the Chipotle App lets you know when your order’s ready, reminds you to scan your rewards code and can even warn if you show up at the wrong pick-up location. The experiment is in progress at 73 restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Chippy and kitchen AI projects may be well-timed. While there are concerns that AI and robotics may automate people out of jobs at restaurants like Chipotle and McDonald’s, the deployments come as retail continues to struggle with staff shortages. This theoretically frees workers to concentrate on serving customers, rather than handling drudgery behind the scenes.

Skullcandy’s first gaming headsets in years include Tile tracking and a wireless model

Skullcandy hasn’t offered gaming headsets for the better part of a decade, but it’s willing to give them another go — and it’s eager to catch up in some respects. The brand has introduced revamped PLYR, SLYR and SLYR Pro headsets that promise budget-fr…

Apple Watch Ultra teardown confirms it’s rugged, but not easily repaired

The Apple Watch Ultra is built to survive outdoors adventures, but you’ll want to forget about repairing it yourself if you take a tumble. iFixit has completed a video teardown indicating that the Ultra isn’t significantly more repairable than its regular counterparts. While there are external screws on the back, you’re going to wreck a waterproofing gasket if you pry the rear open. And don’t even think of getting through the front — it’s difficult to avoid breaking the screen, at least without special tools.

It’s also tricky to access the battery and other components. The teardown also illustrates just how much larger the speaker array is on the Apple Watch Ultra compared to the Series 8. Even if you’re unlikely to ever use the siren feature those speakers are meant for, it should help with call quality and other audio-driven apps.

This isn’t the advancement in fix-it-yourself friendliness you saw in the base iPhone 14, then. You’ll need to take this to a pro repair shop if you land badly during a hike. Even so, iFixit is optimistic the Watch Ultra represents a path toward more repairable Apple wristwear. While it’s not clear if future smartwatches will make that leap, it won’t be shocking given mounting political pressure on the tech industry to create more easily maintained devices.

Aphex Twin’s free ‘sample mashing’ app feeds on your music library

Aphex Twin is finally ready to offer his mutation-driven music software to the world. Pitchforknotes Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) and engineer Dave Griffiths have released Samplebrain, a free “sample mashing” app that turns audio files from your computer into sample blocks you can use for projects. You can recreate a sample using tracks in your music library, or craft a “303 riff” from unexpected sounds.

The app is available in ready-to-use versions for Mac and Windows computers. You can build a Linux-friendly edition as well. As Pitchfork warns, you may need some technical know-how to use the app — this isn’t for rookie musicians.

Samplebrain has been a long time coming, to put it mildly. James said he first envisioned the app in 2002, back when Drukqs was his latest release. He revealed that he’d hired an engineer to work on the software in 2014 (when he returned to music with Syro), but didn’t say much else until now. There’s a good reason for that, apparently. James and Griffiths realized the project became “slightly out of control” as they added more and more parameters, and James admitted he hasn’t had much time to “explore [Samplebrain] properly.” This is a bid to finally put the tool in creators’ hands, even if it’s in a rough form.

Xbox controllers are up to 26 percent off at Amazon

Now is a good moment to buy a second Xbox controller for your local multiplayer games — or a livelier-looking replacement for the gamepad you already have. Amazon is selling the Xbox Core Wireless Controller for up to 26 percent off. The white model is the most affordable of the bunch at $45 (normally $60), but you’ll also find significant savings for the blue, red and Electric Volt (read: neon green) variants.

Buy Xbox Core Wireless Controller at Amazon – $45

If you own an Xbox Series X or Series S, you know what to expect. The Core Wireless Controller largely offers Microsoft’s years-old layout, just with an Elite-style circular directional pad (better for fighting games and some other titles), a share button and better grip. It’s not as clever as Sony’s PS5-oriented DualSense, but it’s comfortable, offers Bluetooth support and lasts up to three days on AA batteries. It’s clearly the gamepad of choice if you want to use an official design and don’t want to pay the premium for Elite Series 2.

As you’d guess, you won’t get any frills with these gamepads like you would with the Elite or some third-party pads. You won’t find swappable covers or sticks, a luxurious feel or other upgrades catering to the most dedicated gamers. At these sale prices, though, the Xbox Core Wireless lineup is an easy choice when you just need an extra controller for your child or the occasional sports game showdown.

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