All posts tagged: computers

Strange behavior in focused laser light could change how quantum computers control qubits

Strange behavior in focused laser light could change how quantum computers control qubits

Published by Jenni Sidey

Physicists have directly observed the optical Magnus effect for the first time by mapping how a tightly focused laser interacts with a single trapped calcium ion. The strongest atom-light interaction shifted sideways by several hundred nanometers instead of occurring exactly at the laser beam’s center. The effect could create unwanted errors in laser-controlled qubits, but the same forces may also provide a new way to connect qubits during quantum computations. A spinning table tennis ball can veer sharply across a table even when its forward motion seems to point elsewhere. The same basic phenomenon helps bend football shots and curve baseballs. Physicists call it the Magnus effect, a sideways force produced when a rotating object moves through a surrounding medium. Now an international team has observed an optical counterpart at the scale of a single trapped ion. Instead of watching an atom curve through space, the researchers found that a tightly focused laser interacts most strongly with the ion slightly away from the beam’s center. The finding matters because tightly focused lasers are increasingly used …

Alienware AW3926QW Review: 39 Inches of Gaming Glory

Alienware AW3926QW Review: 39 Inches of Gaming Glory

Published by skeptic

The AW3926QW has an RGB stripe tandem OLED panel produced by LG. At the moment, it’s one of just two ultrawide monitors to offer the panel, which is also available from LG’s UltraGear Evo GX9. I recently tested the 27-inch Asus PG27UCWM, another RGB Strip OLED that I was impressed by, but it’s a standard 16:9 aspect ratio rather than ultrawide. RGB Stripe OLED panels use a different sub-pixel array to produce better color performance at high brightness and sharper text. The AW3926QW is bright for an OLED monitor. It quotes a maximum SDR brightness of 300 nits, which my testing confirmed. HDR, meanwhile, is quoted at a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. I didn’t manage to hit that, but I did record a peak brightness up to 1,011 nits, which is at the upper end of what the best OLED monitors can deliver. Color performance is excellent. The color gamut spans 99 percent of DCI-P3 and 93 percent of AdobeRGB. These are excellent figures and comparable to the best OLED monitors on the market. …

Stop Touching Your Keyboard. Use This AI-Powered Microphone Instead

Stop Touching Your Keyboard. Use This AI-Powered Microphone Instead

Published by skeptic

How much do you hate typing? The advent of large language models has rapidly advanced voice-to-text technology. Whether it’s Wispr Flow joining your meetings to summarize discussions or Google debuting smarter on-device dictation in its latest Pixel smartphone, these tools do far more than transcribe: They intelligently strip filler words, clean up unscripted thoughts on the fly, and seamlessly mediate multilingual conversations. Now, a new startup is entering the fray. Unlike its software-focused peers, Relay is building a dedicated, portable microphone for high-fidelity voice-to-text anywhere. Based in London, Relay was founded by two former Nothing employees: Cookie Xu, who was Nothing’s head of AI and services, and Raymond Zhu, a hardware product manager. While the company is debuting its software today, the hardware—what it calls the Relay Q—won’t be available until early 2027. Zhu says when he and Xu worked at Nothing, they used Wispr Flow’s transcription software to “type” most of their messages at work. He says it greatly helped with thinking out ideas, but they kept running into an issue: talking loudly in …

Apple Mac Mini M6 and Mac Studio M5 Ultra: Specs, Price, Release Date

Apple Mac Mini M6 and Mac Studio M5 Ultra: Specs, Price, Release Date

Published by skeptic

Apple has announced fresh versions of the Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktop computers, alongside some new chips: the M6 and M5 Ultra. Neither Mac desktop has undergone any physical changes on the exterior, but the long-awaited update brings these Macs back into stock after being difficult to buy for most of this year. Importantly, this serves as our first introduction to the M6 chip, which we will likely see much more of in future MacBooks. Skipping the M5 entirely, the Mac Mini now comes in two flavors: the M6 and the M5 Pro. The M5 Pro is the same chip that’s currently found in the MacBook Pro, but the M6 is brand new. It’s the first Apple Silicon part to be built on 2-nanometer process technology and also adds extra cores to the mix. This is a 12-core CPU—another first for Apple—broken down into two super cores, four performances cores, and six efficiency cores. New here are the performance cores, which Apple says are designed to speed up multithreaded tasks while preserving efficiency. Apple …

Asus ROG Swift RGB Stripe OLED Review: Clarity King

Asus ROG Swift RGB Stripe OLED Review: Clarity King

Published by skeptic

I also feel it comes across in how colors present. Technically, the monitor’s results are modest for an OLED monitor: It has a color gamut that spanned 94 percent of DCI-P3 and 89 percent of AdobeRGB. That’s a tad more narrow than top QD-OLED monitors, which can hit up to 98 percent and 95 percent, respectively. However, the ultra-clear, high-contrast look of the panel amplifies the sense of impact. I’m not saying it’s better than the best competitors, but the PG27UCWM’s overall image quality is in the upper tier. That’s at least partially due to the fact that RGB Stripe OLED also improves “color volume,” which is a display’s ability to maintain color that gamut had max brightness. Unfortunately, the vivid and contrast-rich image is paired with mirror-like reflections. I could likely use the monitor to shave. It’s not a problem in a dark room, but it’s noticeable when even modest ambient light is present. This is an important, and divisive, point. Many OLED purists adore an ultra-gloss finish because it highlights the rich contrast …

Transistors Changed Everything. Here’s How They Work

Transistors Changed Everything. Here’s How They Work

Published by skeptic

Electrons travel across the bulb to a collector plate, which creates the output current. Now, it might seem like a silly way to do that. But if we add another wire (a grid) between the filament and the collector, we can control this output current. A negative voltage on the control will push the electrons back away from the collector to reduce the output current. Putting a positive voltage on the grid increases the flow of output current. So this is again a current switch, and just like the relay, it’s controlled by a different wire. But there are two big differences: First, there’s no mechanical contact, which means the output current can change much faster. Second, the output current is not just on or off; it can vary with the strength of the control voltage. This is what made the first audio amplifiers possible. If you had a weak signal from a distant radio station, it would not produce enough current to drive a speaker so that you could hear anything. But if you …

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: A Surprising Upset

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: A Surprising Upset

Published by skeptic

Ever since the MacBook Neo was announced this spring, I’ve been looking for a serious alternative. Not a cheap knockoff that sacrifices quality for price. No, no. I was hunting for a Windows laptop with the same goal as the MacBook Neo—hiding its compromises and delivering an otherwise premium laptop at a lower cost. For months, it was crickets. Then, the Dell XPS 13 showed up on my doorstep, and it understood the assignment. For many reasons, this was the one I’d been waiting for. But the question remains: Is it actually the better budget laptop? The answer surprised me when I dug into the testing. Hidden Compromises When the MacBook Neo was originally announced, it was a shocker. Apple coming in at the $599 price point for the base configuration felt unreal. Apple had never in its history brought the MacBook to such a low price. Even at its new $699 starting price, it’s in unprecedented territory. Importantly, this encroached on the territory of Windows laptops, where it has traditionally had a monopoly. Photograph: Luke …

Best Computer Monitors (2026): The Home Office Upgrade You Need

Best Computer Monitors (2026): The Home Office Upgrade You Need

Published by skeptic

This isn’t the only BenQ monitor made to match with Macs. The company also has the 27-inch 4K (MA270U), which gets you similar features with fewer pixels, but costs quite a bit less. Cheap Monitors That Are Actually Good I consider a budget monitor to be anything under $200, and you’ll find dozens and dozens of these hanging out at Amazon or Best Buy. But many are old. Many have poor colors. It’s trickier to find some newer models that are actually worth the money. I wasn’t surprised to see that the Dell 27 Plus ranked among the very highest in my testing. It only costs $150, but it delivers really strong 1080p performance in terms of colors and brightness. The most surprising feature of this monitor is its 144-Hz refresh rate. The smooth motion really gives the monitor the premium feel that monitors at this price lack, and it also comes with all the same adjustability features and an integrated VESA mount on the back. Put this on your desk, and aside from the …

Dell XPS 13 Review: Move Over, Neo

Dell XPS 13 Review: Move Over, Neo

Published by skeptic

Unlike nearly every Windows laptop selling for under $1,000, the Dell XPS 13 takes that same approach. Even the base configuration comes with a 2560 x 1600-resolution touch display with a 120-Hz refresh rate, up to 427 nits, and excellent color reproduction. The touchpad is glass and feels excellent to use. In terms of build quality, it’s top-tier. It’s made out of aluminum, and there’s no flexing to be heard of in the chassis. It opens with one finger, and the hinge doesn’t wobble. The bezels around the display are tiny, giving it a very modern look. It’s also incredibly thin at just half an inch thick, matching the MacBook Neo. That’s all very attractive stuff that makes a strong first impression when handling the device for the first time. Here are some things the new Dell XPS 13 has that the Neo doesn’t: A touchscreen display A 120-Hz refresh rate A backlit keyboard Two up-to-date, 10-Gbps USB ports (one on each side!) Support for two 4K monitors (or three if the lid is closed) …

AI Is Dead. Organoids Are Alive

AI Is Dead. Organoids Are Alive

Published by skeptic

I’m going to let you in on a secret. Every cell in your body has the potential to get smarter. I don’t mean this metaphorically, or in a “body keeps the score” kind of way. I mean that if lab-coated biologists took a sample of your skin and very carefully manipulated the cells inside it, they could actually make a brain. They do it all the time. Not a brain as complex as the one behind your eyes, of course, but a glob of gray matter nonetheless, with a few-million-odd neurons that can send and receive electrical signals. Biologists call these strange creations human brain organoids. Kept at a womblike 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for eight months, they’ll produce repetitive oscillations—brain waves—nearly indistinguishable from those made by a premature baby. In cell culture labs around the world, human brain organoids live out their short lives as neural guinea pigs, testing the effects of diseases, toxins, and new pharmaceuticals. But they may soon be on to more glamorous pursuits. At the University of San Diego, organoids are …