Hardware

This coming Wednesday, Google is holding an event where the company is expected to release the next iterations of its Pixel phones, namely the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to a new report, however, the company also has an as-yet-unknown third device in the works known as the 'Ultra Pixel', which could also debut at the October 4 event.

Arun Mani of Mrwhosetheboss, a popular tech-oriented YouTube channel, yesterday uploaded a video claiming someone anonymously sent him a bunch of pictures and videos showcasing a Google product known as the 'Ultra Pixel'.

Fitbit has a lot riding on its new $300 Ionic smartwatch. Analyst reports suggest the smartwatch category will continue to grow over the next few years, and Apple and Google already have well-established devices and operating systems. Being one of the top players in the wearables game, Fitbit is unlikely to build a device that runs Android Wear (much less watchOS), so it designs its own devices from the ground up. The Ionic is Fitbit's serious attempt at a smartwatch, far more so than the $200 Blaze that came out last year.

Intel has revealed a significant scaling back in its hardware offerings.

The company has announced it will stop making its Arduino 101 board as well as the Curie module, both of which offered low-cost computing solutions.

Anyone looking to get their hands on the Arduino 101 has until September 17 to order one, with Intel confirming it will fulfill orders through to December 17 this year. As for Curie, it will be available until January 17, next year, with fulfillments continuing until July 17, 2018.

Intel's latest 10-core, high-end desktop (HEDT) chip—the Core i9-7900X—costs £900/$1000. That's £500/$500 less than its predecessor, the i7-6950X. In previous years, such cost-cutting would have been regarded as generous. You might, at a stretch, even call it good value. But that was at a time when Intel's monopoly on the CPU market was as its strongest, before a resurgent AMD lay waste to the idea that a chip with more than four cores be reserved for those with the fattest wallets.

Apple is working on new desktop Macs, including a ground-up redesign of the tiny-but-controversial 2013 Mac Pro. We’re also due for some new iMacs, which Apple says will include some features that will make less-demanding pro users happy.

Apple Watch is probably the best smartwatch on the market, because, well, it doesn't have much competition. Microsoft's Band is dead, and Android Wear devices are largely ho-hum. With that said, it only works with iPhone, making it a non-starter for most consumers. After all, the majority of smartphone users have Android devices.

One of the popular and persistent rumors for 2017’s iPhone is that it will be doing away with the iconic home button, which also begs the question of where will the fingerprint sensor go? Some have suggested that Apple could ditch Touch ID in favor of facial recognition, while others suggest an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.

After tons of leaks and speculation, the Galaxy S8 is finally here. Samsung took the wraps off its newest flagship at the swanky Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and we spent a few minutes testing the device out.

Intel took half a day this week to talk about processor manufacturing technology. The company still believes in Moore's Law and says the principle will continue to guide and shape the microchip industry. But the way the law works is changing. The company also wants to change how people talk about manufacturing processes, because current terminology—wherein the node size is used to characterize a particular process—no longer serves as a good guide to how many transistors can be packed into a chip.

What makes [mwagner1]’s Raspberry Pi Zero-based WiFi camera project noteworthy isn’t so much the fact that he’s used the hardware to make a streaming camera, but that he’s taken care to document every step in the process from soldering to software installation. Having everything in one place makes it easier for curious hobbyists to get those Pi units out of a drawer and into a project. In fact, with the release of the Pi Zero W, [mwagner1]’s guide has become even simpler since the Pi Zero W now includes WiFi.