BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Carmakers urge FTC to fight Qualcomm ruling
A group of carmakers and tech firms is urging US regulators to take further action against chipmaker Qualcomm over its sales practices. Tesla, Ford, Honda, Daimler, Intel and MediaTek have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to fight a recent court ruling in favour of Qualcomm. Qualcomm has a practice of requiring customers to sign patent licence agreements before selling them chips. Such ... Read more
2020-08-24 19:56:44
TikTok to launch legal action against Trump over ban
Chinese video app TikTok is set to launch legal action to challenge a ban imposed by US President Donald Trump. Mr Trump's executive order prohibits transactions with TikTok's owner ByteDance from mid-September. Officials in Washington are concerned that the company could pass data on American users to the Chinese government, something ByteDance has denied doing. The short video-sharing app has ... Read more
2020-08-23 19:49:47
Lyft and Uber receive reprieve in California employment rights row
Uber and Lyft have been granted a reprieve in a row over drivers' employment rights in California after a court granted an emergency injunction. The ride-hailing firms had threatened to suspend operations over an earlier ruling that they must classify drivers as employees, not contractors. But the reprieve allows them to continue operating while the court considers their case for appeal. The co ... Read more
2020-08-20 19:18:28
Apple first US company to be valued at $2tn
Tech giant Apple has become the first US company to be valued at $2tn (£1.5tn) on the stock market. It reached the milestone just two years after becoming the world's first trillion-dollar company in 2018. Its share price hit $467.77 in mid-morning trading in the US on Wednesday to push it over the $2tn mark. The only other company to reach the $2tn level was state-backed Saudi Aramco after it ... Read more
2020-08-20 07:56:42
Iconic British music brand NME launches in Asia
Iconic UK music brand NME has launched in Asia, even as the entertainment industry is hit by the coronavirus. NME says its new Singapore-based website will deliver a fresh approach to the Southeast Asian music scene. The company says it will initially focus on Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and has plans to rapidly expand in the region. The announcement comes at a time when many other ... Read more
2020-08-18 20:44:05
Best B550 motherboard for gaming
The best B550 motherboard means picking from the latest pool of AMD motherboards rocking a second-tier chipset, and will become ever more relevant as the next generation AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs become available towards the end of the year. But what are you missing by opting for a B550 motherboard compared to the top-end X570 AMD gaming motherboards? Honestly, not a great deal. It's been a long time c ... Read more
2020-08-18 01:57:07
Donald Trump joins TikTok rival Triller
Donald Trump has joined Triller, a New-York-based rival to China's TikTok. After two days on the social-media app, the US president has 11,000 followers. TikTok was banned in India two months ago. Mr Trump wants to follow suit unless it sells the app's US version and has signed executive orders targeting both it and another Chinese social-media app, Tencent's WeChat. Both India and the US fear ... Read more
2020-08-17 20:16:52
Seeed Odyssey X86J4105 Review: PC and Maker Board in One
The Raspberry Pi is, by far, the world’s most popular single-board computer and, for many people, the Raspberry Pi 4 is fast enough to serve as a PC. But what if you want the flexibility of a single-board computer that has GPIO pins for physical computing but you need the speed and compatibility of an x86 PC? Enter Seeed’s Odyssey X86J4105, which marries an Intel Celeron CPU with two sets of GPIO ... Read more
2020-08-17 03:05:59
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar review: the solar-powered super watch
Garmin’s latest go-anywhere, do-anything Fenix 6 Pro Solar multi-sport watch recharges from the sun, marking an important step towards the smartwatch you never need to charge. The £739.99 Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar is one of the US firm’s top-of-the-line devices, capable of lasting weeks on a charge and tracking practically any stat you’d want, plus it’s able to guide you out of forests when you’re ... Read more
2020-08-17 03:05:59
Huawei’s Sound X is better than the HomePod. But there’s a problem
Apple, Bose, Sonos, Google and Amazon all have plenty to offer in the £200-£400 bracket Bluetooth speaker market – not to mention a more stable footing in the audio game - this may explain why Huawei has called on the services of audiophile pioneers Devialet to deliver something that will stand out. Enter the Huawei Sound X – a nicely weighted and compact speaker that more than holds its own in an ... Read more
2020-08-17 02:58:24